Few albums have been more of a surprise than John Medeski'sA Different Time, the first release on Sony Classical's revived OKeh Records imprint. A surprise if you know Medeski from Medeski Martin & Wood, that is, a band the Boston Globe once aptly described as “coursing through jazz, world and jam-band environs with a funky, smart, and gritty sound all their own."
A Different Time is delicate, introspective solo piano that, as Medeski himself says (in the notes accompanying the album’s release), is “raw and open, stripped of all hipness.” You can find out more of Medeski’s thoughts on his debut solo album below, but first, just listen. The album comes out April 8, and CBC Music streams it until that date.
Medeski on Medeski
"I had a more eclectic record in mind. I wanted to put out something that would be more representative of what my live solo concerts are like.
"In all honesty, it was a little scary to put this out because it's so meditative and contemplative.
“It's made me a little less afraid to just drop into the moment and play what's coming to me as opposed to something that I know will work, something that I know is cool, something that I know will have a certain effect. The whole point is to get lost in the music."
The OKeh connection
Medeski’s A Different Time is an historic album, and not just because it’s Medeski’s solo piano debut. It’s also the relaunch of an historic label, OKeh, which once recorded the likes of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, King Oliver and Sidney Bechet. Now it’s recording the likes of Medeski, Bill Frisell, David Sanborn and others.
Piano nerd alert
Medeski aimed for the sound quality of classical pianist Arthur Rubinstein’s RCA Records recording, and on A Different Time he plays 1924 Gaveau, the French-made piano, similar to Chopin’s piano of choice, the Pleyel. Medeski says that the Gaveau is a huge part of why A Different Time sounds the way it does.
“It is much harder to get a good sound out of [the Gaveau] than it is on a regular piano," he says. "You have to use a lot of control; touch makes a huge difference and when you play delicately you can get a lot of nuance and really make this instrument sing. I tried a lot of things that had never worked for me before, and when I went back and listened to all of the recordings, that stuff stuck out as the most unique."
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