Jon Regen – Satisfied Mind
New York-based singer, songwriter and pianist Jon Regen has come up with “Satisfied Mind”, his most well-rounded set which has become a highly entertaining 10-piece since its release on July 11th. I’m sitting in our tiny little house in the Dutch countryside in the middle of nowhere, listening to “Son Rise” (Jon is father of two kids), enjoying the beautiful melody. It’s always interesting how an album develops through the weeks and months when you come back to it again. After the first listen, I focused on the vocal tracks and didn’t really get to the instrumentals. The quasi-instrumental “Son Rise” has this really hypnotising effect, with brilliant piano work by Jon. As has “Wake Me Up”, which features bass meister Pino Palladino. The piece works incredibly well with Jon’s imaginative piano (at times recalling the late great George Duke), backed by subtle electronics, all adding up to an amazingly eerie, soulful, haunting and exotic tune, with Jon’s repetitive vocal (“Wake Me Up, I Must Be Dreaming”) putting even more texture to this already stupendous beauty.
A few songs were already released as singles, like the album opener “Nobody But You”, a slightly shuffling mover which features Ron Carter on bass and Dave McMurray on sax. Dave can also be heard on the dramatic “Eye Of The Hurricane”. The blues-meets-gospel tune seems to be the perfect vehicle for his thick and powerful playing. I also dig the organ and the backing vocals. Jon’s soaring vocals only add to the overall highly satisfying appeal of the song. The title track, with Larry Goldings on organ, is typical Jon Regen territory. Singer-songwriter meets jazz and blues. Also worth a mention is the superb quality of the production. Matt Johnson (Jamiroquai) is responsible. Fantastic work.
There is another tremendously evocative instrumental. “Everyday” comes alive with Jon’s haunting piano and some masterful drum work. “Hello, Old Friend” is simply beautiful with a message I can easily relate to. I think the very subtle use of backing vocals is one of the great fortes here, too. The instrumental “For Keith”, dedicated to Keith Jarrett and featuring voluptuous bass work from Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie’s bassist), shows Jon’s jazz chops on yet another tender and vulnerable piece. The album closes out with the sweet lullaby “My Song For You”.
Catch Jon live on two select dates in Europe in September:
9/14 Milano – Blue Note
9/16 London – Pizza Express
Also, check out his website to get exclusive access to the vinyl version:
