Marc McDonald
It Doesn't End Here
No End In Sight Records
By George W. Harris

This alto player Marc McDonald is my kind of guy. He's been a sideman
for a quarter of a century, just doing his job, and finally puts out a
solo disc which is a beaut. It will make you wonder, "Where has this
guy been, anyway?". Well, he was born a Brit before moving to NJ and
NY, so he probably decided to make a quiet living, typical of a POME.
Anyway, he's a great writer to boot; except for a couple of standards
("Night and Day" and "Blue Skies"), they're all his own compositions.
On these tunes he's got a confident and gentle vibrato, with a flowing
sound that belies the harshness of too many an altoist. His own tunes
run the gamut from the elegaic ("Floating") to the playful ("Three
Sheets to the Wind') and the dark and somber ("'Till The Cows Come
Home"). On all of the tunes his tone is shimmering and glassy. The
supporting band with a very Flanagan-esque Jim Ridl (p), cool toned
Steve Cardenas (g), Karl Spicer (b) and Gene Lewin (dr) is right in
step with the leader. Nice walk on homer by a veteran in the minors for
too long.