Donny McCaslin, internationally renowned saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, will conduct master classes and workshops for Knox College students, and give a free, public performance on the Knox campus, during the 2014 Jerome Mirza Jazz Residency, October 20-23.

McCaslin and his group, the Casting for Gravity Band, will perform with the Knox Jazz Ensemble and the Cherry Street Combo, at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, October 23, in Harbach Theatre, Ford Center for the Fine Arts. The concert is free and open to the public.

As part of the residency, McCaslin will work with Knox student musicians, exploring and developing approaches to improvisation and composition, as well as providing guidance on careers in music and related businesses.

Nominated for a Grammy award in 2004 for his work with jazz artist Maria Schneider, McCaslin has recorded ten CDs. In 2006 he received a Doris Duke Grant for new jazz composition from Chamber Music America, resulting in his sixth CD, In Pursuit. His seventh CD, Recommended Tools, was praised by the New York Times as "fruitful and expressive." In 2008, McCaslin won top honors in the Downbeat Rising Star Poll.

McCaslin's latest CD, Casting For Gravity, recorded in 2012 with keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre, and drummer Mark Guiliana, combines electronic textures and high-energy grooves.

"Donny McCaslin is working at the cutting-edge fusion of rock, electronic, and traditional and contemporary improvised jazz, said Nikki Malley, associate professor of music and director of the jazz program at Knox College.

"The free public concert represents the culmination of a week of intensive composition and performance workshops with Knox students and Donny McCaslin," Malley said. "The performance will feature McCaslin and his Casting for Gravity Band, the Knox Jazz Ensemble playing his original big band arrangements, and the Cherry Street Combo performing works developed in collaboration with him."

The Jerome Mirza Jazz Residency at Knox College is funded by a grant from the Jerome Mirza Foundation of Bloomington, Illinois. The foundation, which supports programs in education and the arts, was created by a bequest from Jerome Mirza, an attorney who served as president of the Illinois State Bar Association and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and wrote several books on personal injury law.