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. (2012's
Casting for Gravity was issued before
Bowie caught them at 55 Club, and 2015's
Fast Future was recorded before and released just after they worked together.)
Beyond Now, inspired by and in tribute to
Bowie, was cut in the months just after his death. In addition to five
McCaslin originals, it includes four covers, with two by
Bowie in the singles "A Small Plot of Land" (from
Outside) and "Warszawa" (
Low).