The Latest News
The Latest News
A new CD, recorded by Earl and C.O.W. has been recorded and is scheduled for release in September. Further information will be posted here shortly.
Kris Allen - saxophones,
Christopher Hoffman - cello,
Earl MacDonald - piano,
Rogerio Boccato - percussion.
Earl performed on Friday, April 26th with the the 10-piece Hartford Jazz Society's New Directions Ensemble at the Polish National Home in Hartford.
The premier performance of “Meadowlark”, a collaborative UConn School of Fine Arts presentation, was given on Tuesday April 23rd, at 12:30 p.m. in the Katter Theater. Meadowlark is a lighthearted celebration of color, seasonal migration and the musical whistles of eastern songbirds. Deborah Dancy’s whimsical animations were projected. Earl MacDonald’s musical score accompanied and complimented the images. The music and images served as an interactive backdrop to the movement and buoyant vitality evoked through Bart Roccoberton’s puppet troupe.
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Jazz at Lu's Café is a weekly jam session Earl leads with his UConn jazz students. They play every Thursday while university is in session. Lu's Café is located in the Family Studies building. Music begins at 8:00pm; it ends at 11:00pm. Coffee, espresso and pastries are available.
- Canadian jazz drummer, Tyler Horby hired Earl to a big band arrangement. For this project, Earl chronicled his progress and describing his creative process on his blog, http://everupandonward.blogspot.com/. Take a look to gain insight into how Earl writes a big band arrangement.
- In August, Earl was an artist-in-residence at the Kincardine Summer Music Festival in Canada.
- “The 10-piece "New Directions Ensemble” performed in Hartford on 08/13/2012, as part of the Monday Night Jazz in Bushnell Park series.
- During the summer months, Earl took drum set lessons with Hartford Drummer, Ben Bilello.
- Earl was commissioned to write a big band arrangement of "Hit the Road Jack" for the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. It was performed at their "Music of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles" concert on Saturday, 04/14/2012.
- Since the New Year, Earl has been blogging regularly. He recently completed a series where he composed and posted a blues every day for 30 days. Take a look at: everupandonward.blogspot.com
- Explore all of the new content recently added to the Jazz Education section of this site --- video lessons, handouts, answers to pedagogical questions, etc.
- Earl visited his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to adjudicate the Optimist Jazz Festival (03/09-10/12) and perform at le Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (03/13/2012)
The New Directions Ensemble made their New York debut on 2/13/2012 at the Tea Lounge Cafe in Brooklyn.
Earl adjudicated the Manchester High School Jazz Festival on 2/14/2012.
ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, a collaborative music and visual arts project by School of Fine Arts faculty members Deborah Dancy, Earl MacDonald and videographer Ted Efremoff was presented on Thursday 1/26/2012 at 7:30 PM in the Classroom Building of the UConn Storrs campus.
Earl served as a clinician at the New Hampshire Band Directors Association Clinic in Hollis, NH on 1/21/2012.
We won! The Hartford Jazz Society's New Directions Ensemble was selected by the readers of the Hartford Advocate as Hartford's best jazz group in the 2011 Grand Band Slam! Thanks to our many friends who voted.
Earl was a finalist in the ArtEZ Composition Contest at the 2011 International Jazz Festival Enschede in the Netherlands. His new composition, "Faith Autopsy" was debuted on June 12th, by the Millennium Jazz Orchestra, directed by Joan Reinders. The performance / competition took place at Theatre Concordia, Enschede, Holland.
The five international finalists were:
- Alan Chan, Santa Monica-USA (US) - "To Be Continued"
- Giovanni Savelli, Rome-Italië (IT) - "Kirshrot"
- Earl MacDonald, Mansfield Center-USA (CA) - "Faith Autopsy"
- Reinhold Schmölzer, Radenthein-Oostenrijk (AT) - "Hurdles"
- Jonas Schoen, Berlijn-Duitsland (DE) - "Vicious Remarks and Lunar Cycles"
Each composer will attended the final rehearsal (on June 11th) and worked directly with the ensemble. The competition took place the next day and was judged by an international jury. They selected Alan Chan's composition as the winner.
Earl's composition, "Bad Dream", was selected as the winner in the jazz song category of the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards.
The panel of judges included McCoy Tyner, Arturo Sandoval, Vijay Iyer, Arturo O'Farrill and Lee Ritenour. The IMAs also offers a Vox Populi "voice of the people" award where fans and visitors determine the winners. Vote for Earl.
Recent interviews and articles about Earl's IMA Award and Juno nomination can be read in the following publications: McGill News, UConn Today, IMA arstist interview, and Mount Royal University's web site.
Earl's latest CD, "re:Visions - works for jazz orchestra" received a 2011 Juno Award nomination for "Best Traditional Jazz Album of the Year". (For those who don't know, the Junos are the Canadian equivalent to the Grammy Awards.) Earl and his wife Jana enjoyed the festivities in Toronto in March, but unfortunately did not bring home the (Canadian) bacon. Congratulations go to John McLeod's Rex Hotel Orchestra.