Musician Donny McCaslin – who worked with David Bowie on his final record ‘Blackstar’, which was released just two days before his death in January 2016 – has dismissed the idea the LP was a “farewell”.
He told NME: “There is the narrative of ‘Blackstar’ being this farewell, which I totally get. But that coexists with the fact that he was just so creative. He was planning on doing more.”
Donny – who leads the New York jazz ensemble which featured on the album – also claimed Bowie was even discussing a series of intimate live concerns before he passed away.
He said: “When I went to listen to the album at his apartment in November 2015, the idea came up of doing some small gigs. The Village Vanguard is like Mecca for jazz folks and I had my first run there happening in January.
“We talked about how to do a little rehearsal and soundcheck and, of course, it was going to depend on how he felt.
“We talked again in December around the time of the musical and he said he didn’t want to – he was working on new music and he wanted to record in January.”
However, Robert Fox – producer and long-time friend of the late musician – insisted he was aware of his impending death and “knew” ‘Blackstar’ would be his final record.
He claimed: “No, he knew. I think he knew. Certainly, around ‘Lazarus’, it was very clear that there wouldn’t be anything else, barring a miracle.
“The last time I saw him was when I went to his apartment two dates after the opening of the musical. It wasn’t an overdramatic farewell, although it was pretty clear that it probably would be.”
Follow Noise11 on Social Media
NEW: Noise11 on YouTube SUBSCRIBE
You’ll discover music news first following Noise11 on Twitter
Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook
