Photo: Dave Stapleton
We love ingenious artist, saxophonist, and composer Donny McCaslin, whose adventurous and ferocious album I Want More was one of our Album Picks of 2023. So we’re thrilled to know he’s ready to follow it up with Lullaby for the Lost, his new record arriving on September 26th through Edition Records.
Lullaby for the Lost delves into raw emotion and sonic exploration across nine explosive tracks, as McCaslin explains, “The balance of expressing passion, anger, and the wonder of beauty, while striving for oneness with the band has led to this moment”. Drawing influences from Neil Young’s energy, the industrial grit of Nine Inch Nails, and the rebellious force of Rage Against the Machine, the result is a fresh and fearless mix of rock intensity and jazz freedom, all while keeping his signature improvisational spirit.
Collaborating once again with his longtime bandmates, Jason Lindner on keyboards, Tim Lefebvre on bass, Jonathan Maron on bass, Ben Monder on guitar, and Zach Danziger and Nate Wood on drums, McCaslin captures that spontaneous and creative chemistry that drives the record. As he puts it, “So much of the vibe and the feel of this record came from us bouncing ideas, just following that connection wherever it led.”
Weaving themes of transformation, the album title speaks to McCaslin’s exploration of personal and collective trauma, while also embodying the resilience that emerges from those experiences. “It’s about hope… that inner light not being extinguished, but instead transformed,” he comments. “It’s learning to channel pain into something meaningful, even beautiful”. He calls the upcoming Lullaby for the Lost his most satisfying record yet. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier with how a record turned out than this one,” he says. “It’s meaningful, it’s urgent, and it’s me.”
Alongside the album announcement, McCaslin has shared the striking lead single, ‘Celestial’, a track born spontaneously during a soundcheck in Fano, Italy. Give it a listen now.
