As a fellow musician who has worked with Toronto saxophonist Kirk MacDonald on many occasions, it was an honour to be asked to review his new C.D. Reminiscence.

MacDonald brought in Montreal drummer-pianist-educator Andre White to engineer and produce this project at C.B.C.'s Glenn Gould Studios. The resulting effort has an overall sound that is both warm and clear with a relaxed, powerful feel to it.

The C.D. is comprised of eight original compositions, and MacDonald's choice of personnel provides a perfect vehicle for his writing.

There is a lot of freedom throughout these tunes and MacDonald, pianist Brian Dickinson, bassistRon McClure and drummer Bob McLaren explore these areas in a most musical way. All are spectacular throughout.

MacDonald sounds stronger and more beautiful than ever. His impressive musicality displayed in both his playing and writing continues to inspire me. He has long been a favorite of many leaders as a first-call sideman, but from what we hear on Reminiscence, he is equally comfortable leading his own unit.

MacDonald's combination of great production with excellent original material and superb personnel has resulted in one very enjoyable album - further complimented by Lucie Frigault's illustrations of MacDonald on the cover.

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