Earl MacDonald (born July 26, 1970) is a Canadian pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, recording artist, and educator specializing in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Described as "a magical, musical alchemist of hip hybrids", MacDonald's compositional work frequently draws upon other musical styles, fusing them with jazz. The

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

native has been employed as director of jazz studies at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

since the fall of 2000.

Early years

MacDonald was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada., ''Canadian Jazz Archive Online''. His father, Keith MacDonald, is an avid bagpiper who authored "The Church Piper" book series. MacDonald has one sibling, Janine Mackie, a journalist and freelance writer based in Surrey, British Columbia. MacDonald began taking music lessons at age five, starting on electronic organ. As a teenager he earned money playing the organ for

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

hockey games (1985-1988). He attended Silver Heights Collegiate Institute, where his high school stage band was nationally recognized, winning "Most Outstanding" and Gold awards at the 1988

MusicFest Canada MusicFest Canada, originally established as the Canadian Stage Band Festival (CSBF), is a national educational music festival in Canada. It was founded in 1972 by Robert Richmond (the founding president), Gary Wadsworth, and Paul Miner. The CS ...

competition. Also during high school, MacDonald began taking classical piano lessons with Darrel Loewen and Shirley Kwok at the Manitoba Conservatory for Music and Arts. He also studied music theory with Francis Sanderson.

Education & musical training

MacDonald earned a bachelor of music degree in 1992 from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he majored in

performance. His jazz piano teachers included Fred Henke, Luc Beaugrand and André White. He studied arranging with Christopher Smith, composition with Jan Jarczyk, and improvisation with trumpeter Kevin Dean. MacDonald's graduate studies spanned 1993 to 1995 at

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He apprenticed with

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philadel ...

who recorded MacDonald's composition, "Wanton Spirit" while he was still a graduate student. The song was released as the title track of Barron's

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated CD with

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jazz ...

and

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

. At Rutgers, MacDonald studied arranging with

Michael Philip Mossman Michael Philip Mossman (born October 12, 1959) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Mossman's early career included a tour of Europe with Anthony Braxton in 1978 and tours with Roscoe Mitchell in the early 1980s. He also did session work in the ...

and played in ensembles under the direction of

Ralph Bowen Ralph Bowen (born December 24, 1961) is a Canadian jazz saxophonist. Biography Bowen started piano lessons at an early age, with clarinet and saxophone lessons following soon after. At thirteen he led a quartet and performed in big bands in Tor ...

. MacDonald has augmented his formal education by participating in the BMI Jazz Composers' Workshop under the direction of

Jim McNeely Jim McNeely (born May 18, 1949) is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger and faculty. Biography Jim McNeely was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, and moved to New York City in 1975. ...

Michael Abene Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

and

Mike Holober Mike Holober (born April 21, 1957) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. Holober moved to New York in 1986, and worked as a composer and sideman pianist. After working with baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola in the late ...

. He also attended the Summer Jazz Workshop in Banff, Canada in 2001, and has audited conducting courses at UConn with Dr. Jeffrey Renshaw.

Maynard Ferguson & Big Bop Nouveau

MacDonald joined Maynard Ferguson's touring band in 1998, following a one-year teaching appointment at Bowling Green State University."BGSU Music Faculty, 1914-2014"
''

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

'', Bowling Green, OH, 2014. He worked with Ferguson for two years, performing across North America, Europe and Asia. One studio album was recorded during MacDonald's tenure with Ferguson: "

Big City Rhythms ''Big City Rhythms'' is a 1999 album by American vocalist Michael Feinstein accompanied by the Maynard Ferguson big band. It was Feinstein's second album for the Concord label, and his first with Maynard Ferguson. Reception The Allmusic review b ...

", a collaboration with singer

Michael Feinstein Michael Jay Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an archivist and interpreter for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for cele ...

.Widran, Jonathan
"Michael Feinstein, Big City Rhythms"
''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'', 12 October 1999. Video recordings of several concerts have been publicly released, including MacDonald's second performance with the band, which was released on DVD as "Maynard Ferguson - Live from the King Cat Theatre" (in Seattle, WA). MacDonald's bandmates with Ferguson included: * trumpeters Carl Fischer, Scott Englebright, Adolfo Acosta, Michael Bogart, Brian Ploeger, Thomas Marriott, Frank Abrahamson & Pete Ferguson * trombonists Rodney Lancaster, Mike Bravin, Kelsley Grant & Reggie Watkins * saxophonists Mike Dubaniewicz,

Jeff Rupert Jeff Rupert (born September 6, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist and professor at the University of Central Florida. Career Rupert received his master's degree in Jazz Studies from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University in 1993, ...

, Mike MacArthur, Kelly Jefferson & Jim Brenan * bassists Paul Thompson, Nathan Peck & Brian Stahurski * drummers Dave Throckmorton & Brian Wolfe In 1999, upon the departure of bassist Paul Thompson, Ferguson appointed MacDonald musical director of Big Bop Nouveau. As musical director, MacDonald rehearsed the ensemble, selected performance repertoire, made personnel recommendations and wrote musical arrangements. In the lineage of Ferguson's pianists, MacDonald succeeded Ron Oswanski. Following MacDonald's departure in 2000, Ferguson hired Bryn Roberts and later Will Bonness, both of whom were MacDonald's former students from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Teaching

At the post-secondary level MacDonald has taught at: *

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

in Nova Scotia (1996-1997), *

in Ohio (1997-1998), and at * the University of Connecticut (2000–present) At UCONN he teaches courses in improvisation and arranging, while also directing student ensembles and administering the jazz program. He was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 2005. Beyond his primary teaching position, MacDonald frequently participates as a clinician, guest conductor and teacher at summer camps. In recent years he has taught at the Kincardine Summer Music Festival, Jazz In July at UMASS Amherst and Marshall University's "Jazz-MU-Tazz" camp in West Virginia.

Awards, nominations & recognition

Professional

* 2003: Sammy Nestico Award, for outstanding big band arrangement, sponsored by the USAF * 2003: Artist Fellowship, Connecticut Commission on the Arts * 2004: Best Jazz Group, Hartford Advocate's Reader's Poll (the Earl MacDonald 6) * 2003: Parent's Choice Award for "Treblemakers Jazz It Up" CD. * 2007: Finalist, Charlie Parker/BMI Jazz Composition Award * 2008: Finalist, ArtEZ Jazz Composition Contest, the Netherlands * 2009: Artist Fellowship, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism * 2011: JUNO award nomination for Traditional Jazz Album of the Year * 2011: 10th Annual Independent Music Awards, winner, jazz song category * 2011: Best Jazz Group, Hartford Advocate readers' poll (New Directions Ensemble) * 2011: Finalist, ArtEZ Jazz Composition Contest, the Netherlands * 2014: JUNO award nomination for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year

Academic

* 2003: AAUP Excellence Award for Teaching Promise * 2004: New Scholar Award, School of Fine Arts, University of Connecticut * 2006: AAUP Excellence Award for Teaching Innovation * 2011: UConn School of Fine Arts Special Achievement Award * 2013: UConn School of Fine Arts Outstanding Faculty Award

Musical ensembles

Jazz Orchestra (Big Band)

MacDonald has released two albums of his compositions and arrangements for 17-piece

jazz orchestra A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

(big band): "UConn Jazz" (2002) and "Re:Visions - Works for Jazz Orchestra" (2010). The latter received a Juno Award nomination for traditional jazz album of the year in 2011. Reviewer, Dan Bilawsky asserted, "Re:Visions goes beyond where most big bands go and the music here establishes Earl MacDonald as a major force in the world of jazz composition." MacDonald's big band arrangements are published through eJazz Lines.

C.O.W. (Creative Opportunity Workshop)

In 2013 MacDonald released an album with the unorthodox instrumentation of cello, saxophone, percussion and piano. MacDonald said, "This band, the Creative Opportunity Workshop, was formed to serve as a personal playground for experimentation and fusions." The CD, "Mirror of the Mind" received a JUNO award nomination for contemporary jazz album of the year and a garnered many favorable reviews.

New Directions Ensemble

MacDonald currently serves as Musical Director and Composer-In-Residence for the Hartford Jazz Society's New Directions Ensemble. The group's instrumentation consists of 2 trumpets, 1 trombone, 1 French horn, 3 saxophones (1 alto, 1 tenor, 1 bari), piano, bass and drums. Owen McNally of the

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

described the band and outlined its mission, stating "the fresh-sounding New Directions Ensemble taps into the rich lode of area talent, provides a vital forum for original compositions, spreads the good word about contemporary band music in its educational role, and provides a prominent public face for its sponsor, the Hartford Jazz Society. The New Directions Ensemble is set to swing in its own fresh way, generating contemporary band music that lives in the present, independent, cliché-free and untethered to conventional big band nostalgia."

Discography

Albums as leader

Recorded collaborations

Personal life

Currently, MacDonald lives in

Mansfield, CT Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 25,892 at the 2020 census. Pequot and Mohegan people lived in this region for centuries before the arrival of English settler-immigrants in the late 17th cent ...

with his wife, Jana (née Smith). The couple were married in 2003 in South Windsor, CT. Together they have two young children.MacDonald, Jana
"About Me"
''The Potter's Hand'', Mansfield, CT, 2014.

References

External links

Earl MacDonald's Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Earl 1970 births Living people Canadian jazz pianists Canadian music arrangers Canadian jazz composers Canadian classical composers American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz pianists American male pianists American music arrangers American jazz bandleaders 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Musicians from Winnipeg People from Tolland County, Connecticut McGill University School of Music alumni Rutgers University alumni University of Connecticut faculty 21st-century American composers American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century Canadian pianists 20th-century American composers Jazz musicians from Connecticut 21st-century Canadian pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century jazz composers 21st-century jazz composers