“a highly engaging venture into the spirit of the riff, so to speak, without ever explicitly acknowledging the roots of that spirit in Bird’s solos…This recording is particularly satisfying, not only for the facility with which McAllister jumps through all of the hoops that Adams has created but also for the informed rhetorical context that Robertson establishes as conductor.”

Stephen Smoliar Stephen Smoliar, The Examiner (5/8/14)

“REVIEW: Stephen Mulligan returns to the ASO for a saxophone-driven program”
“The evening’s linchpin was its second piece, “Adagio (For Wanda Lee Smith)”…Timothy McAllister was comfortable standing with one foot in each of the normally disparate worlds of classical refinement and hard bop intimacy. “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith)” flat out works thanks to a consistently...

Jordan Owen ArtsATL (March 2023)

“(John) Adams goes for more than stylizations with [City Noir’s] wily jazz spine. Keeping a sweaty, smoky after-hours jam percolating were Timothy McAllister’s volcanic sax…”

Lewis Whittington American Record Guide (Sept/Oct 2010)

“He gave the piece the knockout performance it deserved…[McAllister] gave a fluent demonstration of what his instrument –all his instruments–can do. He tore his way nimbly through intricate passagework, shaped lyrical melodies with the grace of an opera singer, and gave the piece all the theatrical panache it wanted.”

J.Kosman [John Corigliano's 'Triathlon' - world premiere with the San Francisco Symphony] San Francisco Chronicle

“Both violinist Leila Josefewicz and saxophonist Timothy McAllister gave incredible performances this evening. McAllister was the eye of a storm in his performance, delivering endless cascades of notes with Zen-like control, and acrobatic grace…Adams’ Saxophone Concerto is a solid new contribution to a genre that is undeservedly underrepresented. The star of the show was, hands down, McAllister, whose prowess portends great things to come, not just for himself, but for the presence of...

Jason Gerraughty I CARE IF YOU LISTEN (Aug 30, 2013)

“Timothy McAllister, the saxophonist virtuoso for whom this concerto was written, performed with amazing fluency, combining crisp rhythmic energy with infectious, stylish phrasing. Jazz influences, appropriate to the instrument, are often just below the surface. Moody sections, reminiscent of a film noir score, are particularly effective. This is certainly one of the most original and successful concertos written for any instrument in recent decades.”

Rick Walters Express Milwaukee (April 2, 2014)

[REVIEW: “PROMS 2014 - BBCSO/Alsop - masterful and brilliantly effective”]
“McAllister demonstrated his easy mastery of both its content and style, forming a partnership of equals with Alsop”

George Hall The Guardian (UK) (9/5/14)

Vincent Ho

Whimsical Concerto of Fanciful Birds (2023)
I. Enchanted Migrations
II. Angels and Mockingbirds
III. Urban Birds

Premiered by Tim McAllister and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, this concerto represents the culmination of the composer’s years of writing for saxophone, namely in the series “Whimsical Sketches of Fanciful Birds, Books 1-3” for alto saxophone and piano. This series are a collection of fifteen works that explore various bird-like or bird-inspired sounds that could be created on the saxophone instrument. After writing this collection (with the possibility of more to come), the inevitable next step was to adapt many of these musical ideas into a large-scale concerto. To fully capture the spirit of the avian world Ho envisioned, it was decided to score it for solo alto saxophone, orchestra, and spatialized saxophone ensemble–a collective of saxophonists placed in various areas of the concert hall surrounding the audience (eg. loges, balconies, aisles, etc) to serve as the “flock of birds” accompanying the soloist and orchestra while creating an immersive sonic experience for the audience.

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