Allegro

‘Why we joined the union’

Volume 116, No. 7July, 2016

Marshall McDonald

Marshall McDonald

I re-joined Local 802 when I started subbing for rehearsals at “Shuffle Along” on Broadway. I’ve played lead alto in the Count Basie Band for the last 15 years, and before that played with Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, Paquito D’Rivera, Chico O’Farrill and others. Now I would like to launch a new recording, write jazz practice books based on my 25 years of touring with jazz legends, start leading jazz master classes and take on new students on Skype. And of course I want to continue to perform in New York and all over the world. Music is especially important to me because it has a healing and spiritual energy that touches and communicates with us all. Music is the universal language, and if we can bring joy to each other through music, it truly is a gift for both the artist and the listener. My primary instruments are the saxophones. (I play alto, tenor, soprano and baritone.) I’ve also had 10 years of classical clarinet training, so I double on clarinet, flute, piccolo and bass clarinet.