North Sea Jazz Festival: Donny McCaslin is the winner of the 2017 Paul Acket Award

Donny McCaslin is the winner of the Paul Acket Award 2017, a prize awarded yearly by the festival and presented to an artist deserving wider recognition for their extraordinary musicianship. The saxophonist is known for his progressive fusion sound, his compositions and his lyricism. He plays in several bands and orchestras, and has worked with varied musicians including Antonio Sánchez, David Binney, Scott Colley, and Danilo Pérez.

Fresh out of Berklee College of Music, he started his career with Gary Burton and after that played with Steps Ahead, among others. As a sideman in Maria Schneider's orchestra he has been nominated for a Grammy several times (Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and Best Jazz Improvised Solo). He made his first own album in 1998. In 2016, the saxophonist widens his audience by collaborating with David Bowie on the latter's final album, Blackstar. Late last year McCaslin released his album Beyond Now, a posthumous tribute to Bowie, which was recorded side by side with Mark Guiliana, Tim Lefebvre and Janson Lindner.

“2017 is Donny's year, and it is well deserved”, according to jury member Maurin Auxéméry of Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

A longstanding partner of jazz music, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been helping numerous musicians to forge their career, including Cécile McLorin Salvant and Tigran Hamasyan, who were awarded the prize in 2015 and 2016. “As a main partner of the Paul Acket Award, we wish to congratulate Donny McCaslin” says Jean-Jacques Goron, Managing Director of the BNP Paribas Foundation. “Revealed by his instrumental skills and his inventiveness among the Maria Schneider Orchestra, inspired by his collaboration with David Bowie, the saxophonist is also an imaginative composer whose music is open both to the avant-garde and to current genres”.

Donny McCaslin will receive his prize at the festival where he will perform with his band on Sunday July 9.

Photo © Jimmy King