Donny McCaslin, Village Vanguard, New York, NY, January 22, 2016, Late Show
Donny McCaslin and his band were, of course, the musical collaborators with David Bowie on his final album, ★. This show took place less than two weeks after Bowie's 2016 passing (and two weeks to the day since ★'s January 8, 2016 release).
This run of shows made up McCaslin's first as headliner at the Vanguard and would be special if for that reason alone, but the added weight of ★'s release and debut at #1 around the world, the critical acclaim, David's death two days later and all of the attention heaped upon Donny for the record's innovative sound led to quite a buildup for this night. Not to mention our own emotional baggage and grief that we hauled along to the gig.
At the time of this show I had not yet struck up the personal relationship with Donny that I have come to enjoy over the last few years, which started in earnest when we had this heartfelt conversation in front of a live audience. Even from the bandstand he came across as the very genuine, expressive individual, in both his playing and when he spoke, that I have come to know a little.
Band: Donny McCaslin (sax), Jason Lindner (keyboards/synths), Marc Giuliana (drums), Nate Wood (bass).
Setlist: Stadium Jazz, No Eyes, So Angry, 54 Cymru Beats (Aphex Twin cover), Warszawa (Bowie cover), Glory.
This recording is from my personal archive.
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