The album will be titled 'I am the Rain', and will be released in september 2016. "I am still in awe of having worked with him" she explained in a video message on her facebookpage.
...Working with Joe is kinda terrifying. He has a really high bar for the songs and for the performances, and for the performances the musicians bring to the table. And he's just got this way of getting everyone to bring their A-game every day. Really hard to do, and he does it with such grace, and such intuition....
According to this article, recordings happened in September.
...I was in LA for 12 days as we tracked it in September and right now we are in the mixing process...
Recording took place at two sets of sessions with producer Joe Henry:
solo piano at Toussaint's New Orleans home studio in 2013, and with the
rhythm section of Jay Bellerose and David Piltch—joined by guests Bill Frisell, Charles Lloyd, Greg Leisz, Rhiannon Giddens,
and Van Dyke Parks—in Los Angeles in October 2015. The album comprises
solo performances of Professor Longhair tunes and band arrangements of
songs by Toussaint, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Paul Simon, and others.
Let us all keep the memory of him and his music alive.
Last week Joe performed at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, together with none other than Marc Ribot. Besides Marc Ribot : Levon Henry joined them on stage for a few songs on saxophone.
Marc Ribot is one of my favorite guitarplayers. He appears on Joe's albums 'Reverie' and 'Blood from the Stars'.
I've seen Marc perform some of his own projects, I've seen him perform in John Zorn's ensembles, and I had the privilege to see him perform with some worldfamous musical artists. But together with Joe, no that remains on the bucketlist......
So a warm appeal to extend this concert into a tour passing through Europe...
There is not a lot to be found about this concert. But the info that is out there, will give you a wonderful insight in that evening.
Josh Hurst, someone who has the biggest appreciation of Joe's work, was there and wrote a review. Read it on the joehenryblog.
"...and personally, I stand by my conviction that Joe’s set was worth the Big Ears admission price all on its own."
Some Picture can be found on the Big Ears FB page.
Here is one :
Photo by Bill Foster
You can find some audience video recordings on the net, with pretty good quality. Watching them I saw a breathtaking version of 'After the war', and that was only the 3th song of the evening. What it must have been later on the evening.....
It's difficult for me to assemble a setlist, with the small amount of info out there. From what I did found I can puzzle the following : edit : Thank you Josh for updates.
-Trampoline (Joe Solo)
-Odetta
-After the War
-Sparrow
-Eyes out for you (+ Levon Henry)
-All Blues Hail Mary (+ Levon Henry)
-Civil War
(from here on I don't know the order)
-Parker's mood
-Sold
-Bellwether
-Like she was a hammer
...
last songs :
-Plainspeak
-Slide (+ Levon Henry)
If you were fortunate enough to see this concert, and would like to share your experience, feel free to leave a comment, or a message.
'For the sake of the song' is an absolute wonderful song from Carll Hayes's upcoming album Lovers and leavers. It will be released on April 8, but you can pre-listen the album at Rolling Stone, together with an interview with Carll.
For the sake of the song, is maybe also in 1 sentence Joe's approach to the producing work he does. He spoke about that part in an interview with the Bluegrass Situation's series 'The producers'.
It struck me last week that everything that is coming to the surface for the audience these days, is actually the outcome of a period full of change a year ago. A year ago, Joe moved away from 'the garfield house', something he speaks about in this interview. My previous entry was a review of 'Real Midnight', Birds of Chicago's latest record. That was the last one recorded in Joe's studio at the Garfield house. 'Lovers and Leavers', on the other end, is the first album Joe produced after moving I think. Correct me if I'm wrong in that, because I don't know, but if so, it would make my observation I just wrote down, completely misjudged. But it's alright, it is not that important. The wonderful music we are receiving is what it's about. And Lovers and leavers is absolutely wonderful.
Edit : this seems incorrect. According to this article, Recordings for Chely Wright's album happened in september. The liner notes of Carll Hayes's 'Lovers and Leavers' state that that album was recorded in October.
Other topics Joe addresses in the interview is his approach to producing, and he talks about a few projects from the past.
And then there is Carll Hayes's 'Lovers and Leavers', of which, off course, Carll himself, but also Joe talk about in their featured interview.
There is a gap of 5 years between this one, and Carll's previous album. In a sense it is an album about moving on. "My life changed, and I'm changing" Hayes says in the interview, but also the way he wanted it produced heads in that direction : "He didn't want to keep making the same record over and over." Joe explains about early talks with Carll. (A lot of Moving in this post, I know.)
I Listened to the album, and await now my copy at home. Like the Bluegrass Situation writes :
Joe's latest project is a slight reinvention of the Texas troubadour Hayes Carll, whose new album, Lovers and Leavers, chucks the full-band sound of his last two efforts. In its place is a quieter sound -- introverted and melancholic -- more akin to the low-key ruminations of Mickey Newbury than the wild romps of Ray Wylie Hubbard. That it succeeds is a testament not only to Carll’s vivid songwriting, but to the intimate setting Henry creates for these songs.
I leave you with this introduction to 2 wonderful interviews, and a great album.
Real
Midnight is an album that celebrates love, life and mankind. It is the album
that our world needs.
A beautiful
spring day, sitting on the town square, enjoying the sun. Some musicians set up
their gear. And then they start playing. Within a few minutes, the square is
filled with curious people already waiting for the next song. That is the image
that came to me when I heard the first released song ‘Dim star of the palisades’,
which is also the opening track for Birds of Chicago’s second album ‘Real Midnight’,
produced by Joe Henry.
It is an album that displays great instrumentation, and beautiful poetry. An album that shows us what magic can happen when you have a group of people, that simply fit perfectly together.
hold on, Tomorrow’s on you like a pack of wild hounds is sung. A life ahead of you, and the future can be both frightening and full of adrenaline. No one knows what it brings…. This is, to me, what this album is about. This first song gives you a head’s up, while the following song ‘ Remember Wild horses’ is the other side of life, where all is left, are memories you have to enjoy. (Beautiful Clarinet solo by the way).
It follows
with ‘Kinderspel’. How wonderful to see a title in Dutch, my native language. This
word is mostly used to express when we find something very easy. “How did you
do that ? “, “Oh, dat was kinderspel”. I don’t know if that interpretation of
the word lead to choosing it as title, maybe it’s also just a beautiful
sounding word for child’s game. Kinderspel is perhaps the song where the
chemistry of this group of people is the clearest. You have off Course Birds of
Chicago, backed up for these recordings by drummer Jay Bellerose. Ryan Freeland
behind the desk, and Joe Henry in the producers’ seat. With closed eyes I stood
in the room, and let it sway me like a floating river for 6 minutes. Slowly it
builds up, and the game between Jay and piano, (and later on guitar) is just
perfect. It sounds like it was ‘kinderspel’ to record.
With that title and these
lyrics, I listen to the song as the poetry of a mother and her child. But it
could easily be about lovers.I wanted peace like a river Allison sings. But who is speaking
to whom? It doesn’t matter, that is for the mind of the listener.
I’ll be
burning up for you
Let me go, God bless me
At certain
points in life, both mother and child could say it.
The
energetic ‘Estrella Goodbye’ catapults me back in to time. The beginning of
adult life, and there are no limits for you and your friends. The greatest
parties, and biggest fun. Tomorrow is
gonna come, and kill tonight. The least you could do is put up a fight are
the opening words, and with those sentences they capture the essence of that track.
This song is 1 big party, and just when you think it is over, the addictive
energy explodes after the break with the girls chanting. Through history, a lot
of songs are written trying to create this energy of ultimate happiness, very
few succeed. It will be hard for musicians to deliver a better approach then
this one. Also : How must it have been recording this in the studio ? The joy
it must have been, the excitement that was probably in there. You cannot fake
this kind of joy! This is ‘real midnight’ in its most energetic meaning.
The title
track gives us another interpretation of midnight. Here it is the darkest
moment in the night. It is a song that gives us hope, and learns us that we
need to help each other going through that period, and seeing that after the
night, there will be a day.
You see, I
started writing this review in the days where my country was left numb due to
the brutal and un-understandable taking of innocent lives at the Brussels
airport and subway station. While most media and politics are occupied with the
question: how did we get at this point? I mostly think, where are we heading
towards? What is the world we are giving to our children?
‘Real
Midnight’ has become a bit of a comfort for me in that question. Off course
there is no answer, but the song displays hope, understanding and support. This
song is the tale of humanity. We are faced with all this horror, and don’t find
answers.
real midnight’s gonna come
real wolves at your door
with blood on their tongues
now what you gonna do
with your days left in the sun?
And who’ standing there ?
When the anger comes,
And it darkens your eyes.
We should
all look out for each other. There will be times when we are down, and others
up, so let us be there.
Give me those tender kisses,
Lift me up, don’t cut me down,
I know you love me !
It is not
always easy, and sometimes we maybe don’t see the end of the tunnel, but in
time, when people look back, they’ll see how strong love is !
in 10,000 years
they’ll see our love shine
We are only
halfway the album, and already had this amazing palette of emotions of life. Where
‘Real Midnight’ guides us through moments in life where we don’t see it
anymore, The Church Gospel ‘Barley’ is about the power of standing strong
during tough times.
The wind that shakes the Barley, won’t shake
me.
Followed by
a true Love ballad ‘Color of Love’, about understanding the intensity of loving.
After that : ‘Time and times’ learns us how to move on after lost love. ‘Time and
times’ is another example of a great choice in instrumentation. The cloud of
fiddle, accordeon and piano is so wonderful.
‘Sparrow’
starts with an unsettling Banjo, and is like a bad dream, where you can’t wake
up from. Luckily it is followed by the Joyous ‘The Good fight’. The wonderful
Rhiannon Giddens joins in singing. It is a celebration of life.
And then
the band packs up,… hits the road,… and the town square continues its life with
renewed energy. ‘Pelicans’ makes us look in wonder at our own life, the baggage
we all have. Each day is neither a beginning, nor an ending. It is life.
Birds of
Chicago is touring Europe in a few weeks.
Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler of Over The Rhine are hosting their first edition of 'the Music and Arts Festival'.
Joe Henry Will be 1 of the artists performing there. He will be performing solo, but also with band. Aside from that he will be talking about his work, and experiences.
