“He was a really remarkable person…” says saxophonist Donny McCaslin as he remembers working with David Bowie on the Blackstar album. Speaking on the set of BBC Radio 3’s ‘Jazz Line-Up’ he went on to say…
“It was a transformative experience personally… and musically… You hear about celebrities, meeting them and it can be a disillusioning experience, but with him it was utterly the opposite. As a person he was very generous… his spirit. He was humble and, as we could all attest to, he was unbeliveably funny! He had a great sense of humour. Really, really smart. Just a remarkable person. I couldn’t have asked for a more creative environment to be in. I think we’d all say that. You know, it was like a dream situation”
Before working with Bowie, Donny studied at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston and in 1987 he joined vibraphonist Gary Burton’s touring band. In 1991 he replaced Michael Brecker in the group Steps Ahead and in 2006 joined the Dave Douglas Quartet.
Donny’s genre-bending contemporary jazz band played on Bowie’s final album Blackstar. The session for BBC Radio 3 features: Donny McCaslin, Sax – Jason Lindner, Keyboards – Zach Danziger, Drums – Tim Lefebvre, Bass
A video clip is available on Facebook here
Radio 3, Jazz Line-up interview and session (20 mins in) on BBC iPlayer here (for one month)