Legacy RecordingsPaul Simon‘s latest studio album, In the Blue Light, got its release Friday. The 10-track collection features new versions of some of the legendary singer/songwriter’s favorite tunes from his back catalog, reimagined to incorporate jazz and classical influences.
The album is mostly made up of lesser-known Simon compositions that he chose to re-record because he felt they were “overlooked the first time around.”
A variety of guest artists contributed to the album, including such respected jazz musicians as Wynton Marsalis, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell and John Patitucci, as well as the New York City chamber-music ensemble yMusic.
In addition, Paul’s wife, singer/songwriter Edie Brickell, adds finger snaps to a new rendition of the 1973 tune “One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor.” The record also features the final recording of Simon’s longtime guitarist Vincent Nguini, who died in December 2017. Nguini lent his talents to an updated rendition of the 2000 tune “Darling Lorraine.”
In the Blue Light was co-produced by Simon and Roy Halee, with whom Paul has worked since the Simon & Garfunkel days.
Coinciding with the album’s release, a new live video of Simon performing the updated version of his 1983 tune “René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War” with yMusic at a concert this past July in Copenhagen, Denmark, has been posted on his official YouTube channel.
In other news, a contest has been launched offering fans the chance to win tickets to the finale of Simon’s Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour, taking place September 22 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. You can enter now through September 17 via a link posted at PaulSimon.com.
Paul’s farewell trek continues tonight in Tampa, Florida. Here are all of the remaining dates:
9/7 — Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
9/8 — Fort Lauderdale, FL, BB&T Center
9/11 — Orlando, FL, Amway Center
9/12 — Atlanta, GA, Cellairis Amphitheatre
9/14 — Washington, D.C., Capital One Arena
9/15 — Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
9/17 — Pittsburgh, PPG Paints Arena
9/20 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
9/21 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
9/22 — New York, NY, Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Here is In the Blue Light‘s full track list:
“One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor”
“Love”
“Can’t Run But”
“How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns”
“Pigs, Sheep and Wolves”
“René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War”
“The Teacher”
“Darling Lorraine”
“Some Folks’ Lives Roll Easy”
“Questions for the Angels”
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