Finding Gabriel will be released by Nonesuch Records on May 17, 2019. Available for pre-order now, the artist was inspired through years of close reading of the Bible.
In searching for a new album, the continually ground-breaking American pianist ended up discovering angels. So-named, Brad Mehldau’s latest LP, Finding Gabriel, was informed by his own religious explorations. He explained: “The bible felt like a corollary and perhaps a guide to the present day – one long nightmare or a signpost leading to potential gnosis.” Indeed, the angel Gabriel’s voice acted as a conduit to truth for Mehldau, who said “the trick was to listen to Gabriel’s words through all the noise.”
But discoveries were also musical, with the the Dave Smith/Tom Oberheim OB-6 synth leading to great new developments with Mark Guiliana. Soon, the project went in a more orchestral direction, too, with strings, wind and horns provided by the likes of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, saxophonist Joel Frahm, and violinist Sara Caswell. Listen to the first single from the album:
