Electric Pulse, Saxophone Flight
Beyond Now finds McCaslin's saxophone soaring over a tight, electric groove that sounds nothing like the standard acoustic jazz quartet.
Put on Beyond Now and the first thing you hear is the groove: a tight, electronically tinged pulse with Tim Lefebvre's electric bass locked to Mark Guiliana's drums, the whole thing humming with keyboard color from Jason Lindner. Donny McCaslin's saxophone rides on top, sometimes sharp and bright, sometimes pushing into long, rising lines that feel more like rock energy than bebop. The mood is urgent and driven rather than relaxed, and the tempo often sits in a place that invites your head to nod along.
The record is a departure from the acoustic leanings of much of McCaslin's earlier work, and it reflects the band he had been developing in the years before this release. The electric instrumentation and modern drum feel give it a contemporary edge, closer to fusion and electronic-inflected jazz than to traditional hard bop. McCaslin's playing is confident and strong throughout, with the rhythm section doing as much to shape the feel as the horn.
For listeners new to McCaslin, this is a reasonable entry point if you want to hear him in a modern, groove-based setting rather than a classic piano trio. Those who know his more straightforward recordings will find this one more adventurous. It is a solid, engaging album rather than a landmark, and its appeal is strongest for people who enjoy jazz that borrows freely from rock and electronic music.
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