13 Masks
Jump to Liner notes
13 MASKS is an interweaving of jazz, avant-garde classical and "Progressive Ragtime" solo piano. Blending
each style through the "chaos of the subconscious," Mueller has created compelling musical stories. This collection
is a whimsical (and sometimes discordant) departure from his earlier romantic and healing work, Morning Whispers.
Mueller attaches one of 13 Medieval masks to each song, images that are fanciful, haunting, nightmarish, surreal. (See below.) He has created music to match, emphasizing
sly humor and surprise, intelligence and innovation, muscularity and angular lines. The results are breakthrough compositions combined with clean,
intimate playing.
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Several tracks standout as exceptionally entertaining. "A Monk Caught In The Thelonious Sphere"
starts as a tribute to the great jazz-blues pianist (Thelonious Monk's middle name was Sphere), yet travels
through moments that could be the soundtrack of a surreal Tom & Gerry cartoon episode. Similarly, "Two Peas
In A Chili Pod" begins as a smooth Latin piece, but by the end erupts with unrelenting energy,
taking on the entire keyboard. "Stillness of Wings" is a beautiful New Age piece, an oasis of peace
amidst this musical tempest. (See below
for track notes by the composer.) Playfulness is the main attribute of many of these pieces.
Progressive Ragtime; Crime Jazz; post-Swing meets 20th Century pandemonium and harmonic bewilderment.
Influences range from Dave Brubeck to Frank Zappa, Bill Evans to Cecil Taylor.
The longest track, "Chaos of the Subconscious," is the most avant-garde piece in the
collection. It is a three movement sonata that, perhaps more than any other track, embodies the sense of
nightmare and unfettered subconscious creation. But the soul of a jazz player bubbles up throughout,
interrupting, reasserting, especially in the latter variations. Stunning. But it may also be the most
off-putting track in the collection, depending on your persepctive.
The New Age beauty of Mueller's earlier works shines through in two exquisite tunes: "Stillness Of
Wings" and "Last Mask Falls Away." We are reminded how innocent music can feel.
Mueller's musical theatre period is also represented. "Memories Of Elegance" and the tragic "Holding
Breath With Ophelia" both evoke characters and story lines. "Shadows of Success" combines the quirkiness
of Medeski with the urbanity of Gershwin. The breadth of styles Mueller is able to seamlessly shape
into coherent musical statements is a testament to his skill and cross-genre experience.
“
13 Masks is Tobin Mueller’s follow-up to his 2005 release,
Morning Whispers. Full
of musical surprises, Mueller interweaves jazz and 20th century classical and blends them through the
“chaos of his subconsciousness.” Mueller’s stories, told through the medium of solo piano, are often
whimsical and funny, but this is no lightweight piece of entertainment. The music is complex and often
challenging, but is not so esoteric to be intimidating. I found it fascinating the first time through,
and enjoy it more each time I hear it. This is music for active listening, and most people will not find
it relaxing, (it wasn’t intended to be). The cover artwork, also done by Mueller, depicts the thirteen
masks of the title. Of those masks, Mueller explains: “More than masks that hide the truth, these are
meant to be interior faces of the subconscious that whisper, leer and assert themselves in ways known and
unknown.” I love these drawings and their variety of expressions. Tobin Mueller has created a conceptual
work of art with “13 Masks.” A powerful and amazing album. Not everyone will appreciate it, but if you enjoy
a truly unique album with music to really sink your teeth into, give this a try. Recommended"
- Kathy Parsons, Mainly Piano
1.
You Make My Heart Skip A Beat
(5:44)
The album starts off with a Progressive Ragtime Fugue. It is paired with the mask I call
"Unicorn Girl." Wings frame her face, ribbons swirl into a unicorn-like point atop curls
and twigs, and her combination of bird-and-garden youthfulness all play into the whimsical
variations the song strings together. She seems a steady innocent amidst the chaos of the
world. This is the sense I was trying to portray with the music. Like a unicorn creating
Spring amidst a tempest of swirling winter wind. I drop beats throughout, on purpose, which
is one of the reasons I chose the title.
2.
The Gumshoe Wears A Rag
(4:56)
Not only do I love Whodunits and Private Eye thrillers, I was actually a private detective
for 3-4 years in the early 1980s, before I got an agent and my music/writing career took off.
This piece is also a homage to the Film Noire soundtracks composed by the likes of Stan Getz,
Count Basie, and others. (See the bottom of the page for the YouTube video.) Melodrama, humor and romance combine in this piece, which could be a
sountrack to a silent film. The mask, "Old Blue Eyes," stares calmly, waiting just around the
corner, or just under the darkened bridge... The song ends in lonely triumph, of course.
Click here to watch the film noire Music Video on YouTube
3.
Shadow of Success
(4:03)
I was listening to Medeski Martin & Wood before I began improvising what would eventually become this
song. For some reason, the haulting bass line that underscores grand Gershwin-esque chords
made me think of this title. It was either a desire for success that lacked the courage to
achieve it; or living in the shadow of former success. "Frightened by Flame," the mask, with
its fiery gold colors and cello ears, has all the makings of ambition and bravado, except for
the expression, which radiates worry and trepidation. Success is almost achieved (or recaptured)
at the 2:50 mark, but then the music slides back into the shadows cast by this fanciful and endearing character.
4.
Memories of Elegance
(5:46)
This track is based a song from my 2004 musical,
Runners In A
Dream. In the show,
Never So Frightened is sung by a young girl caught in the horrors of
the Holocaust. The mask represents the awful apperation of the upstairs woman who betrays her.
I've named it "Judgement." Trying to divorce myself from my earlier composition, I invented a
new story for
13 Masks. Since some of the passages had the elegance
of a late Duke Ellington piece, I re-imagined the song sung by
an older women who had escaped the Holocaust, was still haunted by its terrors, as well as the
loss of the elegant life she once lived. Perhaps the mask illustrates her? This sense of what
was lost kicks in, especially, around the 3:12 mark.
5.
Stillness of Wings
(4:25)
The opening and ending to this song was originally written as incidental music for a
1996 musical I never finish, "Merlyn." Some ideas just happen at the wrong time. Their
moment of possibility flies away like a butterfly. To illustrate this, the internal cadenza
is played from the point of view of one with wings. The mask, "Flight and Laughter," as
opposed to being a vacuously giggling imp (as you may think at first glance), understands
the stillness of wings, the peace one finds in the air high above the crowd, the joy of
escape found in aimless reverie. Or, Merlyn sitting alone, resting tired bones, lost on
memory, forgetting he is no longer youthful.
Check out the hummingbirds in the Music Video on YouTube.
6.
Chaos of the Subconscious
(7:18)
I had originally wanted to do a 20th Century solo piano version of an organ piece I'd written
12 years earlier,
Vortigern's
Fortress, a scene from the never-completed
Merlyn. But as I
rehearsed the original score, I kept hearing interruptions and side-whisperings. Since this
was a project in which I was supposed to listen to my subconscious, I gave into it. This is
the result. You can follow the link to the organ piece which, after consious consideration,
I still like better. Sigh. The mask, "Mortality Questioned," seems to have known it all along.
Sometimes one can be too clever. The piece is too long, but there are some great moments,
nonetheless. It makes the opening bars of the next track all that much more soothing, at least!
7.
Two Peas in a Chili Pod
(4:27)
The fellow who played guitar on
Rain Bather was in a
Latin band. He tried to teach me the fundamentals of Latin keyboard rhythms. I could never appreciate the repetition and, sadly, never figured out how to translate the overall technique to a solo piano, without
the clava, conga and other percussion helping to establish the rhythms. But I wanted to try
my hand at my own version of Latin piano. My favorite part is toward the end, when I throw
caution to the wind and try to play it like Thelonious Monk might have, channelling my subconscious
mischievousness. The mirrored masks, "Hidden Winks," represents my left brain / right brain "conflicts," two pease in a pod...
8.
A Monk Caught in a Thelonious Sphere
(3:50)
In preperation for this project, I listened to all the Thelonious Monk I could find. There
are some surviving clips of him on YouTube from which I tried try to figure out how he is doing
what he does. Of course, one seem like a green jackass if you tell people that sort of thing.
Although, as YouTube goes, it's a better usage than many others I've employed. The mask I chose
for this track, "Lampwick Grows Old," takes its inspiration from the Pinocchio story, and provides
the right amount of humor and humility. It should also be noted, regarding the title, that "Sphere"
is Monk's middle name. How cool is that! This may be the most accessible track on the CD.
9.
Chromatisome Swing
(4:08)
This song was intended to be an homage to Oscar Peterson, who died in 2007 when I was recording
this album. Oscar Perterson is Jazz giant. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke
Ellington, but simply "O.P." by his friends. I never mastered stride piano, at which O.P. was
the best, but try to make up for it with other techniques. O.P. is one of those demigods who
always has more to teach. The "Golden Goggles" expression, which exudes very high expectations,
represents my hope Oscar would've enjoyed this song's use of several Jazz influences. Sometimes
our subconscious desire to impress can lead us to push ourselves in constructive ways.
10.
Holding Breath with Ophelia
(7:06)
This track is based on the original prelude and opening scene from what would become
Runners In A Dream, my musical (written with Randyl Appel)
set in the Holocaust. The opening was completely rewritten before anyone saw the show, but several
of these themes found their way into other songs. This is the longest track in the CD, it
describes an epic tragedy. Ophelia is torn apart, goes mad, from a series of disastorous
fallouts from misread moments, crushing passions, ill-advised actions, being overrun by the
chaos of her subconsious. The mask, "Surviving Under Water," is a likely observer of Ophelia's
final moments. He may seem like a cynically creature, making fun of her weaknesses, but that
may only be, as they say, a mask. We sometimes mock what we fear the most.
11.
Let Me Play With Those Horns, Amalthea
(4:40)
This is the instrumental version of a song I included in my 2008 release,
A
Bit of Light, on which I sing and play keys, McBoy plays guitar, and Bill Barner plays clarinet. It
was recorded prior to this solo piano version, even though 13 Masks came out a year earlier. I wrote this
in my living room in Manhattan, but chose a new setting for this solo piano version:
Amalthea ("tender goddess") is the foster-mother of Zeus, a goat-nymph who suckled the infant-god
in a cave. Amalthea's skin, after she was killed and skinned by the grown Zeus, became the magically
protective Aegis, worn like a sash. (A vivid metaphor for the historical transfer of religious power
from the goddess to the god.) My song, however, takes place before all that, when Amalthea could still
leap like a happy mother goat along the cliffs of Mount Olympus.
12.
I Sail On (into deeper waters)
(5:58)
I first recorded this song on my album
Morning Whipsers. But
as I kept playing it, I began altering certain passages and wanted to try recording it again.
Also, a friend of my, Troy Paiva, helped arrange a
Progressive Rock version, which gave me even
more ideas. I added a wildly dissonant intro. I thought I has suubstantially improved it. However,
after the passage of a few more yeras, I think my version on
Morning Whipsers
remains a better version. I would, at least, remove the intro if I ever reissue
13 Masks. This version also seems
a tad too long, and sometimes makes me want to scream. The mask "Incoming Waves" captures my
current feelings toward the piece. Or, it could just be a merman watching my sailboat as it cascades
through the waves. Regarding the mask, I also hope to have those kind of impressive eyebrows, some day.
13.
The Last Mask Falls Away
(4:11)
I knew the title to this final piece before I began writing it. It's an homage to all those who
helped define New Age piano back in the late 1970s, early 1980s. I can still remember hearing Liz
Story for the first time, stunned that someone else was playing the kind of music I was developing.
This song has a sense of reach, touch, discovery, and movement out of isolation that I felt when
hearing others play would, in a few years, be called New Age music. The music was to be a sauve,
a way forward, a homage to hymns and quietude, an expression of internal longing. The lion mask,
"Finding Courage," may seem, at first blush, to not be so apropos. But, keep looking...
Tobin's Solo Piano Collection
Of Two Minds: The Music of Frédéric Chopin and Tobin Mueller is the final addition to
Mueller's
"Masterworks Trilogy" in which he explores the intersections of classical and jazz piano. Mueller reinterprets
Chopin's most iconic piano solos (Disc 1) and uses the preludes
to inspire three original jazz piano sonatas (Disc 2). Seductive, rebellious, heroic and beautiful. Jazz influences include Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck, Keith Jarrett.
"One would be hard-pressed to find an artist with a more creative musical mind than Tobin Mueller’s." Fanfare Magazine's
2016 Editor's Choice.
Flow: The Music of J.S. Bach and Tobin Mueller is a double album featuring
Mueller's reinterpretations of Bach's greatest hits (Disc 1) plus two original jazz piano suites by Mueller
(Disc 2). Inventive, playful, joyous, beautiful, full of emotion and intelligence. Mueller embraces the sense
of timelessness one achieves when in the state of flow, bridging the centuries, letting Bach's 300 year
old manuscripts inspire through new expression. Jazz influences include Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch, Gerald Clayton.
"This may be the pianist-composer’s most ambitious and sophisticated recording. Highly recommended." Fanfare Magazine's
2015 Editor's Choice.
Impressions of Water & Light is an exploration of the cross-inspirations between Impressionist and jazz piano,
including adaptations of music by Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Satie, Ibert and Carpenter. Tobin uses the written notes as if they are light and his imagination as if
it is water, creating all new interpretations. This post-Impressionist
music illustrates the intimacy between jazz and Impressionist music. You will
never hear these works the same again. The gorgeous CD booklet is a work of art in itself, pairing an Impressionist
painting with each piece. One of the three album in Mueller's "
Masterworks Trilogy".
Midwinter Born is a collection of jazz piano interpretations of traditional
Christmas carols. Mueller captures the quiet simplicity, expectant playfulness and over-riding joy of the season. A
delightful and sometimes surprising album destined to become one of your annual holiday favorites. The 18 track album includes: First
Noel, Bring A Torch Jeanette Isabella, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Holy Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Carol of the Bells, Lo How A Rose E'er Bloom, Good King Wenceslas, Still, Still, Still and many more.
Morning Whispers is Tobin's first solo piano collection, a song cycle of
tragic beauty. Music of healing and introspection. The use of key changes,
unusual time signatures, and other variational devices makes this work involving, not merely New Age background music. Its gentle intensity, however, does not detract from its healing essence, its sense of inner joy. Influences include
Aaron Copland, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, David Lanz, Liz Story. Several of these piano pieces have since been used in film and documentaries.
13 Masks is Tobin's second solo piano collection. An exploration of the links between avant-garde 20th Century music and jazz. Tobin used illustrations of 13 medieval masks to inspire songs combining ragtime, jazz and 20th Century avant-garde
classical. Influences
include Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, Art Tatum, Scott Joplin, John Medeski, as well as classical composers Shostakovich, Ligeti, Bartok. These pieces will startle and delight.
"A truly unique album with music to really sink your teeth into."
Afterwords - Combining spoken word and
solo piano, Tobin "illustrates" his favorite works of literature with a wide variety of new
musical compositions. He pays homage to classic authors like Hemmingway, Steinbeck, Vonnegut,
Faulkner, as well as new authors Dave Eggers, Chuck Palahniuk, Aimee Bender and China Miéville. Musical influences include Oscar Peterson, Hiromi, Brad Maldheu, Fred Hersch, John Taylor, even Keith Emerson. "An astonishing work of art." Jazziz's
2017 Critics' Choice.
Afterwords: Solo Piano Bonus Tracks - For those of you who prefer music without any interruptions, seven of the best tracks from
Afterwords have been remastered with the talking edited out. Originally conceived for distribution to jazz radio stations, this Bonus Album is now avaiilable to the egeneral public. Influences include Oscar Peterson, Hiromi, Brad Maldheu, Fred Hersch, John Taylor; post-bop, stride, new age, classic jazz.
Standard Deviations - Jazz/Blues - Although this is mainly an enemble album, half the tracks on Disc 2 of this two volume recording are solo piano arrangements. Think of this is a piano album with fabulous guest artists sitting in on 2/3s of the tunes! See
Standard Deviations project page for complete Liner Notes and several Bonus Tracks.
Tobin's Other CD Collections
Tobin's Jazz Collection
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
Standard Deviations - Jazz/Blues - Keyboardist Tobin Mueller is joined by Grammy-winner Paul Nelson (guitars), Woody Mankowski (saxophones), Lamar Moore & Mike Nappi (percussionists) to breathe new life into 33 standards in this fresh Two Volume CD. An homage to Monk, Ellington, Gershwin, Brubeck, Hoagy Carmichael, Lennon-McCartney and more. "The greatest collection of reimagined standards in the last decade."
Come In Funky Old School Funk and and small combo Jazz featuring
legendary bassist Ron Carter.
"You guys can play! These are, almost without exception, very complicated numbers in terms of rhythm and the general sync of
solos with ensemble playing, a stellar set of recordings that, I believe, adds seriously to the body of jazz that this
represents. A remarkable work in every single way I can think of. This is such a bright and happy album that is played with
a spirit of invention and joy from the first notes to the last." - Paul Page
The Muller's Wheel is a collaborative project combining the
talents of pianist Tobin Mueller and saxophonist Woody Mankowski, featuring their jazz quartet and their larger 8-pieace ensemble, playing swing to bop to fusion to funk. The
styles of Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Weather Report and more
influence this homage to the jazz greats. This is joyous music. "It reminds us of the happiness we relive when returning to our musical roots," say Mueller and Mankowski.
Rain Bather is an 80 minute long play CD featuring superlative solo performances by all-star band members. Most of the tunes are in the jazz-funk-fusion vein,
but many others try to break new ground, defying easy labels. Tobin Mueller - B3 organ, synth;
Woody Mankowski - soprano sax;
Chris Mueller - acoustic piano;
Jeff Cox - acoustic bass;
Dane Richeson - drums;
Tom Washatka - tenor sax;
Doug Schnieder - tenor sax;
Ken Schaphorst - flugelhorn;
Bob Levy - trumpet;
Sal Giorgianni - flute;
Bill Barner - clarinet.
SOLO PIANO JAZZ
Afterwords - Combining spoken word and
solo piano, Tobin "illustrates" his favorite works of literature with a wide variety of new
musical compositions. He pays homage to classic authors like Hemmingway, Steinbeck, Vonnegut,
Faulkner, as well as new authors Dave Eggers, Chuck Palahniuk, Aimee Bender and China Miéville. Musical influences include Oscar Peterson, Hiromi, Brad Maldheu, Fred Hersch, John Taylor, even Keith Emerson. "An astonishing work of art."
Of Two Minds: The Music of Frédéric Chopin and Tobin Mueller, especially
Disc 2 - Tobin plays Tobin. Three original jazz piano sonatas make up Disc 2. Each shows Chopin influences, but draws more from contemporaries Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck and Keith Jarrett.
"One would be hard-pressed to find an artist with a more creative musical mind than Tobin Mueller’s - especially one with the playing chops to fulfill his or her vision." Fanfare Magazine's
2016 Editor's Choice Award.
Flow: The Music of J.S. Bach and Tobin Mueller, especially
Disc 2 - Tobin plays Tobin. Two post-bop jazz piano suites make up Disc 2. Each shows Bach influences, but draws more from contemporaries Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch and Gerald Clayton.
"This may be the pianist-composer’s most ambitious and sophisticated recording project to date... a journey that inevitably explores the interactions of Baroque and jazz." Fanfare Magazine's
2015 Editor's Choice Award.
Impressions of Water and Light is an exploration of the cross-inspirations between Impressionist and contemporary jazz piano,
including adaptations of music by Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Satie, Ibert and Carpenter. "The listener has the sense that Mueller is having his personal conversation as a composer and pianist with these great 19th- and 20th-century composers." This is third album of "
The Masterworks Trilogy" which includes
Flow and
Of Two Minds.
Midwinter Born is a collection of jazz piano interpretations of traditional
Christmas carols. Mueller captures the quiet simplicity, expectant playfulness and over-riding joy of the season. The 18 track album includes: First
Noel, Bring A Torch Jeanette Isabella, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Holy Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Carol of the Bells, Lo How A Rose E'er Bloom, Good King Wenceslas, Still, Still, Still and many more.
Morning Whispers is Tobin's first solo piano collection, a song cycle of
tragic beauty. Music of healing and introspection, these New Age and Neo-Classical pieces do more than evoke emotion: they tell stories. Influences include Aaron Copland, Bill Evans, David Lanz, Liz Story. Several of these piano pieces have since been used in film and documentaries.
13 Masks is Tobin's second solo piano collection. An exploration of the links between avant-garde 20th Century music and jazz, influences
include Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, Art Tatum, John Medeski, as well as classical composers Shostakovich, Ligeti, Bartok. "A truly unique album with music to really sink your teeth into."
Afterwords: Solo Piano Bonus Tracks - For those of you who prefer music without any interruptions, seven of the best tracks from
Afterwords have been remastered with the talking edited out. Originally conceived for distribution to jazz radio stations, this Bonus Album is now avaiilable to the egeneral public. Influences include Oscar Peterson, Hiromi, Brad Maldheu, Fred Hersch, John Taylor; post-bop, stride, new age, classic jazz.
Tobin's Rock Collection
Progressive Rock
AUDIOCRACY is an international progressive rock collective. Their poetic writing and virtuosic performances make their high energy music
life-affirming and uplifting, even considering the apocalyptic nature of their first release.
Revolution's Son has
been called "a masterpiece in the Epic Prog tradition."
Progressive Magazine gave it 4
out 5 stars. Th story follows a revolutionary who comes to The City to be a
catalyst for change and a prophet of truth. He falls into an Underground that urges a less innocent approach to
change, leading to a post-apocalyptic finish. High energy, impressionistic prog.
Alternative Rock
A Bit of Light - A progressive folk / cross-genre collection of songs Tobin's been accumulating for a decade,
A Bit of Light includes some of his favorite collaborations with
saxophonists, fiddle players and guitarists, mixing jazz, bluegrass, tango and folk-rock. World renown violinist Entcho Todorov, Grammy winner
saxophonist Danny McCaslin and L.A.'s Woody Mankowski, Enlish fiddler player Martyn Kember-Smith and guitarist John Luper provide fabulous highlights. The CD comes
with a
digital booklet in PDF format.
If I Could Live Long Enough - Previously unreleased
outtakes from earlier projects, including the 1998-1999
Rain Bather sessions, the 2004-2006 MacJams collaborations, and selected songs from two of Mueller's musicals:
Creature and
Runners In A Dream.
Featuring acoustic guitar by Grammy winner Michael Hedges, vocals by Woody Mankowski and Emily Rohm,
and some of Mueller's best songwriting. Six free Bonus Tracks available
here.
September 11 Project
September 11 Project: Ten Years Later - Music written following 9/11/2001. Tobin was asked to participate in the 10th
anniversary at Ground Zero ceremony and revisted these songs. He decided to put them out as an album instead of keep
them to myself. Since he was unable to sing at the event, after contracting a lung disorder, this music gained layers
of poignancy. Recorded in the months following the tragedy.
Tobin's Standards Collection
Standard Deviations - Jazz/Blues - The only instrumental album in Tobin's "Standards" collection. An homage to Monk, Ellington, Gershwin, Brubeck, Hoagy Carmichael, Lennon-McCartney, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Henri Mancini, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and more, featuring great players and innovative arrangements. "The greatest collection of reimagined standards in the last decade."
Song Of Myself - Tobin's favorite songs from The American Songbook, reinterpretted. Intimate, heartfelt,
devistatingly honest music. Complete lyrics and song notes are linked
from Tobin's
Song of Myself page. Ballads, blues, showtunes,
folk rock, jazz - the music of Tobin's roots. These are songs he's song
for decades, arrangements that have evolved and matured with him. "American Tune" by Paul Simon. "Blackbird" by Paul McCartney. Bob Dylan's "Dignity." A
Joni Mitchell and an Elton John medly. "Being Alive" from Company (Stephen Sondheim).
"Impossible Dream" from Man of la Mancha. "Oh Danny Boy." "Frozen Man" by James Taylor.
Many more, plus two original songs by Tobin Mueller.
Hard Place To Find - Tobin has released a second volume of his
favorite songs from The American Songbook. Complete lyrics and song notes are linked from Tobin's Hard Place To Find project page.
"Still Crazy" by Paul Simon. Bob Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm"
and "Bob Dylan's Dream." Richie Haven's "Paradise." "Dulcinea" from Man of la Mancha. "Alfie" by Bacharach.
"Somewhere" from West Side Story. Many more, plus one original song by Tobin Mueller. All songs have to do
with journeying, questing, searching. Released June 2nd, 2013. "Tobin Mueller is something of a Renaissance man of the arts, and 'Hard Place To Find' presents another
volume in his prolific and impressive output. More of an art-music album than a pop release, I recommend
it if you are looking for something different and deeply personal!" - Kathy Parsons,
Mainly Piano
A Bit of Light - A progressive folk / cross-genre collection of songs featuring Mueller's vocals and a long list of his best friends and collaborators, including
world renown violinist Entcho Todorov,
Grammy winner saxophonist Danny McCaslin, L.A. saxophonist Woody Mankowski, English fiddler player Martyn Kember-Smith and Texan guitarist John Luper provide fabulous highlights. The music melds jazz, bluegrass, tango and folk-rock. The
CD comes with a
digital
booklet in PDF format.
If I Could Live Long Enough - Previously unreleased
outtakes from earlier projects, including the 1998-1999
Rain Bather sessions, the 2004-2006 MacJams collaborations, and selected songs from two of Mueller's musicals -
Creature and
Runners In A Dream.
Featuring acoustic guitar by Grammy winner Michael Hedges, vocals by Woody Mankowski and Emily Rohm,
and some of Mueller's best songwriting. 6 free Bonus Tracks available
here.
September 11 Project: Ten Years Later - Music written following 9/11/2001. Tobin was asked to participate in the 10th
anniversary at Ground Zero ceremony and revisted these songs. He decided to put them out as an album instead of keep
them to myself. Since he was unable to sing at the event, after contracting a lung disorder, this music gained layers
of poignancy. Recorded in the months following the tragedy.
Poetry / Spoken Word
As Simple As Soap - Del lends his deep voice and unique
personality to Tobin's award-winning poetry. Love, fatherhood, history, death and daily meanings
are all touch on in this combination of poetry and short story offerings. Each spoken word selection is
accompanied by Mueller's visually stimulating background music that adds great emotional
depth. The force and color of Del's voice earns this collection a high recommendation; the
breathtaking and varied accompaniments make this a truly fascinating addition to Tobin
Mueller's collected works.
Afterwords - Combining spoken word and
solo piano, Tobin "illustrates" his favorite works of literature with a wide variety of new
musical compositions. Paying homage to classic authors like Hemmingway, Steinbeck, Vonnegut and
Faulkner, as well as contemporary authors such as Dave Eggers, Chuck Palahniuk, Aimee Bender and China Miéville, Mueller spins musical stories that will make you consider each book in a new light. Every track is a musical meditation, guided by entertaining and insightful quotations. The 17 tracks combine to represent the true breadth of his musical influences and accumulated experiences.
Jazziz's
2017 Critics' Choice.
