13 “His Magical Instruments”

This chapter is an edited transcript of an interview with composer, bandleader, and saxophone player Donny McCaslin that was conducted at the “Blackstar Rising and the Purple Reign: Celebrating the Legacies of David Bowie and Prince” conference held at Yale University in 2017. In conversation with cultural anthropologist Maureen Mahon, McCaslin discusses his experience working with British rock singer and songwriter David Bowie on Blackstar (2016), his final album. McCaslin explains how Bowie brought him into the Blackstar recording project, describes the importance of experimentation and improvisation to Bowie’s creative process, and provides details about the recording of two songs, “’Tis a Pity She Was a Whore” and “Lazarus.” This interview emphasizes the importance of the saxophone in Bowie’s body of work and discusses Bowie’s collaborative process with McCaslin’s group.