Stadium Jazz – Donny McCaslin (Analyzes+Transcription PDF)
Album: Casting for Gravity (2012)
Donny McCaslin (ts), Jason Linder (keys). TIm Lefebvre (the Goat, bs), Mark Guiliana (ds)
This is the tune from that classic 55 Bar Youtube headbanger video (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOhOjMQLOfQ) where everybody’s ears are bleeding, but all seem to like it, a lot. There might be small mistakes in the transcription nevertheless, but that’s it basically.
Fantastic composing and a work of art. Rhythmic contrasts (in melody and bass lines), wide intervals resolving to seconds, killing riff bass line with a b7 interval which you don’t hear a lot, and much more.
C: Starts what seems to me a 1/2 tempo C (Bridge) section. That’s why you see a big C at the beginning. Check the beautiful variety of intevals and how he’s resolving them. He keeps a motive with the motion, but just enough, until you get to that double C# at bar 7. It kinda hits a great climax on that Bb7/Ab chord. and resolves beautifully, simply on E. Lots of great seconds for resolving.
RIFF: Who writes b7 interval bass lines? Yeah Don!!! Isn’t that just meant for Tim Lefebvre! I’ll just leave this as it is, killing.
A: Riff continues all the way through the A section, and Don joins with a spacey melody, full of different rhythmic figures and time shifts. Note that it starts with 3 quarters of rest, and the same pause repeats near the end of A. Awesome.
*I might have messed up some of the rhythms, but that’s not a big deal.
B: Killing rhythmic figure with a spacey F#-sus4add9 chord. This parts feels super great because it’s a big contrast to the A. As a guitarist, you can find some great voicings, including a low F# note on 6th string, and having E (inversion or not) as an upper structure. Sounds killing.
C: This feels like the real (C), bridge part to me.
All in all, a fine balance of simplicity and complexity coexisting together. McCaslin is a great composer.
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