Marshall McDonald's guest appearances

Marshall McDonald

The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat

Musicality Now

Josh Wright

Joseph Alexander

David Barrett

Joseph Smith

Anders Ericsson

Noa Kageyama

Dorothea Lange

Emily Thomas

Nikki Loney

Evelyn Glennie

Wendy Ulrich

Gordon B. Hinckley

Jenny Oaks Baker

Jane Clayson Johnson

Brad Wilcox

OwlTail

Today we have the distinct pleasure to talk with someone who we think it’s fair to say is one of the top jazz musicians in the world today and who has played with and learned from some of the true masters: Marshall McDonald, who has been playing for 20 years with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and currently plays lead alto sax in that band. He’s also performed in the Duke Ellington Orchestra and with Lionel Hampton and Paquito D’Rivera.   We'll admit that we were a bit nervous going into this interview. Marshall has had an amazingly impressive career, and although we're jazz fans we're not jazz musicians ourselves - and we know that jazz cats often have an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz records, jazz history and the jazz musicians behind it all. And Marshall's certainly no exception! But fortunately he is also the most kind and humble guy and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him - and he certainly didn't hold back on the amazing stories and insights on teaching and learning jazz - and music in general.   One might assume that a world-leading alto sax player would talk mostly about the specifics of jazz and sax - but as you’ll hear, Marshall’s got a breadth of wisdom and insight that cuts right across music itself. There is a ton in here for any musician to learn from.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Talent, and how he and the amazing musicians he's worked with and learned from think about talent • We ask him about learning to improvise, and the balance of preparation versus spontaneity to improvise in a way that moves the listener • And he helps Christopher shrug off a grudge he's been harbouring for 20 years and realise some advice that he got back then was actually pretty solid!   Marshall’s a natural story-teller, so this is a really fantastic interview - and we take no credit for that! He’s also a skillful educator, offering private lessons online and giving masterclasses, so he really knows how to explain what he does. Between the stories and the insights, we know you’re going to love this one.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 094   Links and Resources • Marshall McDonald’s website •  Study with Marshall McDonald - all levels of saxophones, clarinet, and flute • Contact Marshall McDonald     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the distinct pleasure to talk with someone who we think it’s fair to say is one of the top jazz musicians in the world today and who has played with and learned from some of the true masters: Marshall McDonald, who has been playing for 20 years with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and currently plays lead alto sax in that band. He’s also performed in the Duke Ellington Orchestra and with Lionel Hampton and Paquito D’Rivera. We'll admit that we were a bit nervous going into this interview. Marshall has had an amazingly impressive career, and although we're jazz fans we're not jazz musicians ourselves - and we know that jazz cats often have an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz records, jazz history and the jazz musicians behind it all. And Marshall's certainly no exception! But fortunately he is also the most kind and humble guy and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him - and he certainly didn't hold back on the amazing stories and insights on teaching and learning jazz - and music in general. One might assume that a world-leading alto sax player would talk mostly about the specifics of jazz and sax - but as you’ll hear, Marshall’s got a breadth of wisdom and insight that cuts right across music itself. There is a ton in here for any musician to learn from. In this conversation we talk about: • Talent, and how he and the amazing musicians he's worked with and learned from think about talent • We ask him about learning to improvise, and the balance of preparation versus spontaneity to improvise in a way that moves the listener • And he helps Christopher shrug off a grudge he's been harbouring for 20 years and realise some advice that he got back then was actually pretty solid! Marshall’s a natural story-teller, so this is a really fantastic interview - and we take no credit for that! He’s also a skillful educator, offering private lessons online and giving masterclasses, so he really knows how to explain what he does. Between the stories and the insights, we know you’re going to love this one. Subscribe For Future Episodes! <a href="http://musicalitypodcast.com/subscribe-itunes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="http://musicalitypodcast.com/subscribe-android" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a> | <a href="http://musicalitypodcast.com/subscribe-stitcher" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> | <a href="http://musicalitypodcast.com/subscribe-rss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a> Full Show Notes and Transcript: <a href="http://musicalitypodcast.com/94" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 094</a> Links and Resources • <a href="http://marshallmcdonald.com/?utm_source=mupod_shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=musicalitypodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marshall McDonald’s website</a> • <a href="http://marshallmcdonald.com/study/?utm_source=mupod_shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=musicalitypodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Study with Marshall McDonald</a> - all levels of saxophones, clarinet, and flute • <a href="http://marshallmcdonald.com/contact/?utm_source=mupod_shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=musicalitypodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Contact Marshall McDonald</a> Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! <a href="http://musicalitypodcast.com/review" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to rate and review</a>

094: Inside the Jazz Mind, with Marshall McDonald (Count Basie Orchestra)

When your task is as daunting as interpreting the life of Jesus Christ through music, it's nice to have support from fellow artists throughout the centuries.  Taking inspiration from the religious paintings of Carl Bloch and drawing from the melodies of timeless hymns, LDS composer Marshall McDonald uses his gifts with piano and orchestra to create a moving and meditative narration of the life of the Master in "This is the Christ."In this interview you'll hear Marshall describe how he tells a story through music, whether or not he thinks the young people of today "get" the hymns, and why he didn't feel ready to tackle some moments in the life of Christ without benefit of the timeless melodies found in the hymns.

When your task is as daunting as interpreting the life of Jesus Christ through music, it's nice to have support from fellow artists throughout the centuries.  Taking inspiration from the religious paintings of Carl Bloch and drawing from the melodies of timeless hymns, LDS composer Marshall McDonald uses his gifts with piano and orchestra to create a moving and meditative narration of the life of the Master in "This is the Christ."In this interview you'll hear Marshall describe how he tells a story through music, whether or not he thinks the young people of today "get" the hymns, and why he didn't feel ready to tackle some moments in the life of Christ without benefit of the timeless melodies found in the hymns.

"This Is the Christ," music by Marshall McDonald