Donny McCaslin on the rock influences for his new jazz LP ‘Lullaby For the Lost’

At first glance, a jazz album inspired by guitar-driven rock and punk may seem unusual. But then on a tenor saxophonist and composer Donny McCaslin‘s latest album, Lullaby for the lostthe seemingly contrasting styles represent two sides of the same coin, and the result is something quite powerful and exciting.

“The stuff I was listening to — Neil Young, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, among others — kind of flowed together as I was writing the music,” says the New York City-based McCaslin, who is best known to mainstream audiences for his collaboration with David Bowie on his last album, 2016. Black star.

Released last month via Edition Records, Lullaby for the lost is McCaslin’s 14th album as a bandleader. It features bassists Tim Lefebvre (who also produced the album) and Jonathan Maron; drummers Zach Danziger, Nate Wood and Mark Guiliana; keyboardist Jason Lindner; and guitarists Ben Monder and Ryan Dahle (Lefebvre, Guiliana, Lindner and Monder also played on Black star). The origin of Lullaby for the lost traces back to a song McCaslin recorded for his 2023 album, I want morebut couldn’t figure it out.

“It sat there for a while and [I was] We discussed what to do with it,” McCaslin recalls. “Tim Lebfvre and I wrote it together. And so at some point he took over production and added guitars. We got to a certain point where it felt like it was done.

“We sent it to [engineer] David Fridmann, and then he delivered this mix that was just kind of transcendent. For me, that was a moment of clarity about the direction of the new record, which in a way was a little more stripped down, guitar-heavy, and leaned a lot more on this rock-punk aesthetic.

An example of that musical approach is the haunting “Wasteland,” which opens the new album and showcases McCaslin’s boisterous yet melodic sax playing. He says Young’s performance of “Rockin’ in the Free World” will continue Saturday evening live from 1989 inspired ‘Wasteland’.

“That performance is so primal, and there’s that punk energy,” McCaslin says. And I wanted to write something that would allow exploring that kind of energy, the energy that we sometimes encounter when we play live, but that doesn’t always happen. “Tokyo Game Show” [also from the new album] would be another example of a song trying to set the table so we could enter that space. Everything just happened quite organically, because it was a team of people I’ve been working with for a long time. That all played a role too, because the aesthetic has changed and it’s leaning more towards this hybrid that I described. Everyone who has been a part of it understands the musical language, and they all help make that language a reality, so to speak.”

The energetic and urgent mix of jazz and rock gradually unfolds Lullaby for the lost as heard on the dreamy ‘Solace’ and ‘Celestial’, the ska-like punk of ‘Blond Crush’ and the minimalist electro-funk-meets-metal guitar of ‘KID’. But there are some meditative songs in there, like the aptly titled “Stately,” which McCaslin says was inspired by the production work of Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on pop singer Halsey’s 2022 album. If I can’t have love, I want power.

“They did a great job producing that record,” he says of Reznor and Ross. “I wore that thing out. There’s a kind of chord progression that’s not unique to that record. It’s something I hear on some Nine Inch Nails stuff too – the relationship between the root, the natural three and the flat three, and this playing with the natural third and the flat third. And who doesn’t love that sound? So I think that was in there.

“I sat at the keyboard and started playing with it. And in the case of ‘Stately’ that’s the primary basic movement, except it modulates a lot. In ‘Stately’ it goes on – I can’t remember how many key centers or whatever. It doesn’t really matter, but it moves. The impetus of the song was that vibe of that movement. It went from there.

The slow-burning “Mercy,” another introspective-sounding song that closes the album, evokes Middle Eastern influences. “I followed the news about the tragic situation in the Middle East,” he says. “That’s really what I heard. So the gist of the song was that.” And the album’s ominous title track, which reflects elements of the album RedKing Crimson era, once again highlights McCaslin’s powerful playing amid rock guitar and compelling drumming. “The song came out The noisethe Neil Young record [from 2010]. That first song, ‘Walk With Me’, the guitar sound – that’s the story [producer Daniel] Lanois had walls full of amplifiers in his house. So I was so compelled by that sound.

“For the [new album’s] title, I think of books I like to read – whether it’s Steinbeck or Barbara Kingsolver – when you have multiple themes and storylines that are connected. I felt like that title has multiple meanings. I could mention events from my life related to that title. It is open to interpretation. I think everyone can have their own reaction and storyline to it. That was the idea. Something that felt authentic to me, but also had a greater scope.”

Lullaby for the lost finds McCaslin taking on a new creative role following his work on Bowie’s Black starstarting with that of 2018 Blowthe first album with lyrics by McCaslin. “It was obviously a life-changing experience for my career, for all of us who were involved,” says McCaslin. Black star. “But also on a personal and creative level, it was so affirming, that whole experience. David embodied many of these ideals that I have always strived for: having the courage to take the unexpected route; to walk the path not knowing where it will lead, but trusting that it will lead somewhere interesting.

“So that was really what it led to BlowFor example. It wasn’t a conscious decision: ‘Oh, I want to make a record with singers or something like that Black star.’ It was more, ‘Okay. I play all this instrumental music. I hear something different. What is it?’ My manager, Steven Saporta, put me in touch with Steve Wall, an amazing visionary producer and engineer. And then we started talking and listening. Then it eventually led to songwriting together.”

In the run-up to BlowMcCaslin wasn’t sure what the saxophone’s role would be for that record. “But I trust the process,” he adds. “And it worked in a way that I felt really good about. It was a major turning point for me in my life and personally.”

McCaslin will be in Europe for a period series of shows promote Lullaby for the lost with his band with Lefebvre, Lindner and Danziger from October 13. “This summer I played a few festivals in France and accompanied a French band,” he says. “They’re called Ishkero. They’re from Paris, very good musicians. We ended up playing a lot of the stuff from the new record. Not primarily, but I was able to play it at Jazz a la Villette, Jazz à Vienne and the Coutances festival. So I was able to play maybe three shows with the material. But this will be the first with the guys in October.”