#beyond now

D W Eldred

Jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin joined his father’s band when he was just 12, and he’s been busy making music ever since—going on to attend the famed Berklee College of Music, linking up with other bands and traveling the world. And for 20 years, he’s been leading his own group, integrating “the entire range of sounds that a tenor sax can produce into his repertoire: from mainstream modern to funky fusion to laid-back balmy ballads, all flavored with his own experimental style,” according to AllMusic. Which has allowed McCaslin to collaborate with others—including David Bowie’s final LP and EP—and make his own albums, including 2016’s Beyond Now (stream it here). “Anyone who has followed Donny McCaslin’s career, particularly over the last decade, understands that his quartet’s collaboration with David Bowie on Blackstar was already a perfect fit. This band—comprised of the saxophonist, drummer Mark Guiliana, bassist Tim Lefebvre and keyboardist Jason Lindner—offered recorded evidence of their unique, exploratory yet accessible meld of modern jazz, pop, and electronic music,” offered AllMusic. “Because of their association with Bowie, the quartet’s Beyond Now will get attention from a wider range of music fans than a jazz album normally would. But this record warrants attention on its own merits because it showcases the exciting, genre-blurring sound of a sophisticated band coming into its own.” And with a new long-player, Blow, arriving early next month, Donny McCaslin plays two hometown shows this week, on Thursday and Friday at Rough Trade NYC.

Beyond Now by Donny McCaslin is average. 6.4/10 Source: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22483-beyond-now/

contact jenna-kitty.tumblr.com