It's a big day for solo-album announcements from bassists in iconic, long-running alt-rock bands. Kim Gordon just announced her new album Play Me, and now Flea is unveiling all the details of his new trumpet-based jazz LP Honora. Last month, Flea announced plans to release his first-ever solo record and shared the bugged-out lead single "A Plea." Today, we learn all the details about the new LP, which Flea recorded with a ton of conteporary jazz greats and which looks fascinating. We also get to hear Flea getting back together with his old Atoms For Peace bandmate Thom Yorke — you know, the Radiohead guy — on the new single "Traffic Lights."
Long before Flea became the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he studied jazz trumpet. In 1991, when the Chili Peppers were in the midst of blowing up and Flea was filming his part in the Gus Van Sant film My Own Private Idaho, he started kicking around ideas for an instrumental LP. (As it happens, Van Sant also took the press pic at the bottom of this blog post.) In a press release, Flea says that he told a friend, "I want to make an instrumental record with deep hypnotic grooves, trippy melodies layered on top, meditations on a groove." He just wanted sharpen up his trumpet skills first. This took a while.
Thirty-five years after that moment, Flea is ready to unveil Honora, a new album named after what that press release calls "a beloved family member." Realizing that he was going to have to do this LP now if it was ever going to happen, Flea spent two years practicing heavily, even while he was on tour with the Chili Peppers. He assembled an elite team of jazz musicians, including saxophonist Josh Johnson, who produced the album, as well as guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Deantoni Parks, and bassist Anna Butterss. Flea says, "Sitting in a room and playing the music with them made me feel like I was on drugs. I was buzzing, tripping and floating around the studio. I love them, they truly gave of themselves. I bow all the way down."
The album also includes contributions from Atoms For Peace percussionist Mauro Refosco, Bright Eyes' Nate Walcott, and onetime Red Hot Chili Peppers nemesis Nick Cave, who mentioned his participation last year. In addition to originals, the LP includes Flea and his band's interpretations of Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain," Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman," and Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You."
Flea co-wrote his new single "Traffic Lights" with Thom Yorke and Josh Johnson. It's got Yorke's inimitable voice floating over a busy, lively, percussive jazz landscape, and it sounds really cool. Here's what Flea says about it:
Deantoni and I played what became "Traffic Lights" the first day. Something about it reminded me of Atoms For Peace, so I sent it to Thom. Just knowing him, I thought it would be a rhythm and a sensibility that he would relate to. And I was right, he did. With a gorgeous melody and the words, you know, about living in the "upside down" and how do you make sense of things when we’re getting all this fake shit and real shit? Everyone has their ways of dealing with the world. But he’s just the warmest, free flowing, jamming motherfucker.
Can you imagine how happy Thom Yorke was when he learned that Flea had described him as "just the warmest, free flowing, jamming motherfucker"? I bet he was so happy. (Flea and Kim Gordon don't have that much in common, but they are both arguably the coolest people in their respective long-running alt-rock bands.) Check out the animated "Traffic Lights" video below.
Also, regarding that cover of Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You": Flea previewed his version when he launched his YouTube channel back in November. Here he is, performing it for his son Darius, who seems to enjoy it:
This spring, Flea and his band will hit the road for some international dates. Below, check out the Honora tracklist and Flea's tour dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Golden Wingship"
02 "A Plea"
03 "Traffic Lights"
04 "Frailed"
05 "Morning Cry"
06 "Maggot Brain"
07 "Wichita Lineman"
08 "Thinkin Bout You"
09 "Willow Weep For Me:"
10 "Free As I Want To Be"
TOUR DATES:
5/07 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
5/09 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
5/10 - Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield
5/12 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
5/13 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
5/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
5/21 - Berlin, Germany @ Heimathafen
5/22 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
5/26 - London, UK @ Koko
5/28 - Paris, France @ Alhambra
Honora is out 3/27 on Nonesuch. Pre-order it here.
