{"title":"Jon Regen","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"almost-home-4","title":"Almost Home","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a promising start as a jazz pianist, Jon Regen switched gears to try a slightly different approach. On this studio date he sticks to original material that fits in the singer\/songwriter camp. Like Bruce Hornsby, another singing pianist with jazz roots, Regen is a good storyteller, though he reins in his skills as an improviser a bit more. He is joined by electric bassist Jonathan Sanborn and drummer Eric Addeo, though they pretty much stick to timekeeping roles. Highlights include the introspective rocker \"What Am I Supposed to Do From Here,\" the ballad \"Little One,\" along with the road weary \"Only My Credit Card Remembers Where I've Been,\" to which any traveling musician will relate. While jazz fans may be surprised with Regen's switch of his musical focus, this CD is well worth hearing, though there are barely 28 minutes of music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jon Regen","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50440590229835,"sku":"2206936","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Almost_Home_afb0cc9e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726963428"},{"product_id":"higher-ground","title":"Higher Ground","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is an aspirational undertone to the title \u003ci\u003eHigher Ground\u003c\/i\u003e, as if singer\/songwriter\/keyboardist Jon Regen is imploring himself and his listeners not to settle for the grime and murk that constitute life in the late 2010s. Regen makes this suggestion explicit on \"Who Cares If Everybody Else Knows,\" when he laments the \"war and hate and endless tears,\" wondering if we've lost our way, a sentiment that resonates deeply in 2019. The clever thing about Higher Ground is, Regen decides not to wallow in this sense of despair; it's merely one shade on an album that covers a lot of emotional ground. Working with Matt Johnson -- a producer who also plays keyboards for the British funk-soul band Jamiroquai -- Regen glides between jazz, blues, R\u0026amp;B, and pop, slyly dividing his time between introspection and celebration. Some of the latter comes from the kineticism of his collaborators. Once again, guitarist Andy Summers and fellow keyboardist Benmont Tench both stop by the sessions, and so do Chuck Leavell and Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes, their presence lending the album a sense of warmth and good cheer. Regen remains a gifted purveyor of sophisticated uptown pop: indeed, the album kicks off with two prime examples of this: the percolating \"Wide Awake,\" which nods to latter-day Steely Dan, and the strutting \"Hole in My Heart.\" Nevertheless, Higher Ground is distinguished by its quieter moments, such as its title track, which finds him searching his heart in the wake of new parenthood and the meditative pairing of \"Before\" and \"The Last to Go,\" which helps draw the album to a contemplative but hopeful close. These grace notes help give Higher Ground a deep feeling, a sentiment that lingers long after the album stops playing. AllMusic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jon Regen","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50440787558731,"sku":"2206932","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50440787132747,"sku":"2206931","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Higher_Ground_d9179372_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726967448"},{"product_id":"stop-time","title":"Stop Time","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eStop Time\u003c\/i\u003e is the sixth album to Jon Regen's name but it's better to view the 2015 release as the sequel to 2011's \u003ci\u003eRevolution\u003c\/i\u003e. On that record, the pianist eased over from jazz to a pop\/rock that recalled the melodic, keyboard-fueled singer\/songwriters of the '70s -- think Billy Joel crossed with echoes of Boz Scaggs and Steely Dan -- but with a more sophisticated swing. With Stop Time, Regen goes even further into pop, sharpening his songs while deepening his groove. With regard to the latter, he's assisted by the crackerjack rhythm section of drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher -- aka Elvis Costello's Imposters, minus Steve Nieve -- and producer Mitchell Froom helps give Stop Time an elasticity that shifts between saloon songs, exquisitely detailed pop, and casual shuffles like the title track. Throughout it all, Regen is the star: possessing a sly wit and nimble touch, he slides into lyrical solos without losing sight of his songs, a skill that gives this album a rich, lasting resonance. AllMusic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jon Regen","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50440827797835,"sku":"2206933","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Stop_Time_c05f556b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726968246"},{"product_id":"satisfied-mind-2","title":"Satisfied Mind","description":"\u003cp\u003e“I called the album \u003ci\u003eSatisfied Mind\u003c\/i\u003e because it's the first time a collection of songs truly sounds like me”, New York-based singer, songwriter and pianist Jon Regen has said of his tenth album as leader. \"I love a good song and a great solo, but there are also moments on this record that are full of surprises. Plus, having my heroes like Ron [Carter], Pino [Palladino] and Rob [Thomas] come and leave it all on the mat – well, that's the icing on the cake\".\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jon Regen","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50440843657547,"sku":"2206930","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Satisfied_Mind_1678cc63_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726968723"},{"product_id":"let-it-go-2","title":"Let It Go","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Regen started his recording career as a jazz pianist but quickly evolved into a promising career as a singer\/songwriter. With a writing style similar to Randy Newman, complemented by his effective touch on piano (like Bruce Hornsby, who comfortably switches between the two musical styles) and his hip vocals, he offers a dozen originals on this outing. His opener is the loping, catchy \"Let It Go.\" The Police's Andy Summers is a guest on two tracks, including the infectious \"Close to Me\" and the insistent \"Finding My Way Back to Me.\" It's hard not to be drawn in by Regen's emotional ballad \"Better Days\" and the bittersweet \"Photographs of You.\" While Regen occasionally overdubs a bit of organ behind his piano, he plays Wurlitzer exclusively in \"Finished with This,\" which muddies the distinctiveness of his keyboard touch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jon Regen","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50440861253963,"sku":"2206935","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Let_It_Go_71c3aba6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726969089"},{"product_id":"revolution-4","title":"Revolution","description":"\u003cp\u003eJon Regen made his name as a jazz musician, notably spending a significant amount of time supporting vocal legend Jimmy Scott, so the pop savvy of his 2011 album \u003ci\u003eRevolution\u003c\/i\u003e may come as a surprise to those who have only read his biography. Not that this soulful singer\/songwriter has never touched upon pop before -- 2007's Let It Go was in a similar vein and also featured an appearance from Police guitarist Andy Summers, who pops up on Revolution's \"Spirits of the Soul\" -- but this easily assured, 2011 set is especially beguiling, as Regen pushes his melodicism to the forefront. He's received some songwriting help from Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas and David McAlmont, but they don't force their personalities upon the pianist: he very much anchors this album with his nimble, jazzy soul-pop. Echoes of Boz Scaggs, Steve Winwood, and Billy Joel can be heard throughout Revolution, but Regen is sharp, he never lingers in one spot, and he keeps the record swinging and soulful, so the album sticks as both songs and performance.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jon Regen","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":51246000636235,"sku":"2206934","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Revolution_a49c0c7e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1739230601"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/jon-regen-2.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}