This spring, when Brad Mehldau was at home in his second home in the Netherlands with his family in a COVID 19 lockdown, the American pianist and composer wrote twelve songs about what he was experiencing. He then recorded them in the safe environment of a studio in Amsterdam, supplemented by interpretations of three songs that mean a lot to him personally. The result is his new solo album Suite: April 2020, which is released today. A video of the track remembering before all this including an introduction by Mehldau can be seen below. The score of the song is included with all orders via the Nonesuch Store.
"Suite: April 2020" will be released today initially as a Limited Edition-Deluxe-Vinyl-LP. 1000 signed and numbered copies are available exclusively through the Nonesuch Store, Bandcamp, and Discogs for $100 each. At least $90 of each copy sold, after distribution fees are paid, will be donated to the "Jazz Foundation Of America's COVID-19 Musicians' Emergency Fund". "Suite: April 2020" is also digitally available today, while the CD and standard vinyl editions will be released on September 18, 2020. A portion of their sales will also accrue to the Fund.
Suite: April 2020 is released today digitally and as a signed deluxe 180g LP limited to 1000 copies, the proceeds of which will go to the Jazz Foundation of America's COVID-19 Musician's Emergency Fund (https://jazzfoundation.org/covid19fund/). The CD and standard vinyl edition will follow on September 18th. A video of the track "remembering before all this" including an introduction by Mehldau can be seen here.
"The album 'Suite: April 2020' is a musical snapshot of life in the last month in the world in which we all suddenly found ourselves. I have tried to express on the piano some of the feelings that are new and widespread for many of us. In the song 'keeping distance', for example, I trace the experience of two people standing at a distance from each other with my left and right hand. These two people are kept unnaturally distant from each other, but still remain connected in an inexplicable, perhaps even illuminating way. As severe as the COVID-19 pandemic is for many of us, there have been revelations during this time. The piece 'stopping, listening: hearing' emphasises this feeling.
"In the songs on the record, I am suggesting some of the very strong sensations that have emerged over the last month or more," continues Mehlaud. "The piece 'remembering before all this' expresses this bittersweet pain in my stomach area, which hit me several times out of the blue. It's strange when I think about how things were just a few months ago, and how long ago and far away that seems now. Uncertainty' captures the feeling that follows this thought on its feet: The mere fear of an uncertain future."
"But there was also a welcome opportunity to strengthen our family bond in a way that did not seem possible before - because of the proximity and time that was suddenly in excess. The last three tracks of the album describe this bond and the harmony we found with each other while cooking and romping around together. I wrote 'lullaby' for all those who find it difficult to find sleep at the moment.
"Neil Young's words in his song 'Don't Let It Bring You Down' have always been a guide to me, but they are now more important than ever when he says: 'Don't let it bring you down, it's only castles burning, find someone who's turning, and you will come around'. Billy Joel's 'New York State Of Mind' is a song I loved since I was nine years old. It's a love letter to a city where I've been at home for years - and which now seems very far away. I know many people there, I miss them very much, and I know how painful the city is right now. But I also know that everything will sort itself out there again.
Brad Mehldau "Suite: April 2020"
1. I. waking up
2. II. stepping outside
3. iii. keeping distance
4. IV. stopping, listening: hearing
5. v. remembering before all this
6. VI. uncertainty
7. VII - the day moves by -
8. VIII. yearning
9. iX. waiting
10. x. in the kitchen
11. XI. family harmony
12. xII. lullaby
13. don't let it bring you down
14th New York State of Mind **
15. look for the Silver Lining ***
All songs were composed and performed by Brad Mehldau, with the exception of
*composed by Neil Young
**composed by Billy Joel
***composed by B.G. DeSylva / Jerome Kern
