Fanfare Magazine interview, copyright © 2014 by Fanfare, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
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Playing What He Hears: Tobin Mueller
BY CARLA MARIA VERDINO-SÜLLWOLD
“As I get older, I just want to play what I hear.” The composer/jazz pianist is talking
about the creative process that has led him to produce a spate of original, colorful, and
distinctively different recordings in the past eight years. “I want to get things down while
I can,” Tobin Mueller confesses, referring to health issues which have influenced his decision
to spend much of his time in the recording studio and to self-produce his four last albums.
The resulting projects —
Rain Bather,
Midwinter Born,
Thirteen Masks, and
Impressions of Water and Light — have
revealed delightfully diverse facets of the artist’s fertile imagination.
Fanfare was able to speak to Mueller from his Connecticut home about these releases, his upcoming
projects, and his long and versatile career as a musician, poet, photographer, and playwright.
Let’s start by talking about your most recent release,
Impressions of Water and Light. You
described the music in this CD as “Neoclassical Post Impressionist Pastoral Jazz.” Can you
explain that moniker and talk a little about your process of creating these arrangements and compositions?
I called it that a bit tongue in cheek, but Impressionist music is essentially
pastoral — gentle wind, running brooks, the play of light on water. But it also experiments with
pre-jazz harmonies, modes, lack of resolutions. There is a dreamy context, and I wanted to retain
that poetic aspect. I originally thought that all the arrangements would have a jazz feel to them,
but as I began playing the pieces, I found myself retaining more of the Impressionist style than I
thought I would. So I began to think of the whole project as evolutionary — as the combining of
Neoclassical and jazz roots, Impressionism, and New Age all together. I played what I heard and let
the music lead me.
I tried to pick [Impressionist] pieces that already had a potential-jazz feel to them.
Ragtime was being shaped in this country while Ravel and Debussy were writing in Europe.
Debussy, especially, took inspiration from ragtime on a few occasions. But jazz would take
inspiration from Debussy, as well. There are sections in Gerswin’s Rhapsody in Blue,
for example, that could have been taken from Debussy. Plus, the whole sense of rethinking form and harmonic
resolution played into the freer thinking jazz composers. When I was a child, I listened to
Debussy and Gershwin, side by side, the way other kids listened to Elvis. Debussy was my
grandfather’s favorite composer and Gershwin my mother’s. Also, I heard piano pieces such as
Debussy’s La cathédrale engloutie orchestrated for orchestra, which,
as a youth, made it easier to hear the parallels to Gershwin.
As for the process, I began by reinterpreting the actual [Impressionist] music. I attacked
each arrangement by first playing the sheet music, but sometimes I didn’t get too far before I
started improvising. My intent wasn’t to make it so different that you couldn’t tell what the
melody was. Nor was I trying to quote exactly, but rather rearrange and expand off of the
original music. For example, in Jeux d’eux, it sounds as if I am playing Ravel's opening theme,
but I’m actually not. I had played the piece for about a week and I thought “How can I change
anything; it’s so perfect?” So I put the music aside and began to play from memory. I tried to
capture the emotion, but played a different melody and chord progression. The only place in that
piece where I quote the original is in the middle section, and, ironically, it sounds as if I am
making that section up.
How did you put it all together and what made you decide to produce such an attractive
booklet with Impressionist paintings to accompany the music?
I included the art to help the listener imagine what Debussy, for example, might have
been looking at when he conceived Rêverie. I wanted to show the kinds of inspiration the
original Impressionist composers might have had from the visual Impressionists who preceded
and influenced them.
I love art; it is very much part of my life. I manage a visual art web site; I am
surrounded by art in my home; many of my friends are painters; I am a photographer. I
have written for the stage where I am interested in telling a very specific visual story.
Since I often imagine art while playing, I thought it would be nice to pair the music with
paintings. Since the project was about Impressionist music, using Claude Monet, Renoir, Mary
Cassatt, Jean Frédéric Bazille and Paul Signac was a no brainer. It was very enjoyable finding
matching works of art.
The changing quality of light animates the Impressionist painters’ work. How is that
flickering, transcendence, even transparency part of your music?
Impressionism was meant to capture a transient moment, to convey a complexity of emotions,
to have the quality of an unfinished I'm-in-the-process technique. If a classical painter were
to stop at a certain point in his process, his painting would almost look like an Impressionist
work. By showing the transitory nature of surfaces, they spoke to something deeper. The Impressionists
perfected that sense of the moment. Their work requires the viewer’s personal subconscious or
pre-conscious interpretation.
The piano is a personal, single-person instrument, like being a solitary painter. It is also
good at sounding like glinting light, particularly in the high notes and in the colors it can
produce. I like the way some of these [Impressionist] composers understood the shifting focus of
light and emotion; they looked at a theme from many angles. Much of their music seemed from a
specific point of view, like painting, yet they were not merely telling a story, but also their
thinking (and feeling) within the story.
Some of the choices on the disc are obvious—Debussy, Ravel, Satie, for example—but why
John Alden Carpenter?
Tango Américaine is not really an Impressionist piece. Carpenter was writing ragtime and
classical works and art songs, but often brought an element of Impressionism into play. In
the middle of his tango there is a surprising section which could have been written by Debussy.
It’s as if the two dancers stop and look at each other, share this intimate moment, and then
go back to finish the tango. It shows how even in 1924, after most composers had abandoned
Impressionism, it was still impacting here and there. Carpenter is also the only American
composer I included.
What were the influences on your “Christmas album,”
Midwinter Born?
I wanted to stay away from modern carols. I wanted to present a non-commercial
non-religious aspect of Christmas, if that makes any sense. I chose old French and
English carols and personalized them more than modernized them. I was influenced by
modal New Age jazz and hymns, but also other styles. I think Bill Evans and Dave
Brubeck were main influences, but I drew from my life's musical experiences more
than any specific genre.
What is it about the music of Christmas that has such a perennial appeal?
Christmas music reaches back into your childhood, to your fundamental longings
and memories. It’s about birth, starting over, forgiveness, hope. It is full of
magic and mystery, tradition and memory. I worked on the project in the summer, so
that made the music relevant in a different sense, not just as a holiday album. We
live in a culturally fractured world. Christmas music is one of the few remaining
shared musical languages we have.
If Midwinter Born
is one of your most accessible albums, you have said Thirteen Masks
is one of your least. Why?
Thirteen Masks jolts the listener. I used these ghoulish old German masks as a
departure point, pairing a mask to each piece. I tried to write music that I might
think of right before I fall asleep — at that point where I am thinking of something
else and music interrupts my thoughts. I was going back to where my imagination was
leading me and not to where the chord progression should go. “Chaos of the Subconscious”
was my working title.
My musical imagination has always worked like that, but most musical forms require
more discipline and rule-following. Thirteen Masks was my way
of divorcing myself from my
musical career and starting over. I listened to inner voices, ignoring all external
producers, directors, collaborators and agents. It was an experiment that had lasting
benefits, even if reviewers found it jarring.
When I started piano lessons in third grade, I was given a John Thompson book of pieces to
learn. One was “The Fairy Court.” It had this processional quality, but I would wonder “What
happens after they process in? Do they sit down and start to eat? Does the jester start
performing? Do they dance or is there a fairy lullaby?” I would sit at the piano and play
for hours in a kind of stream of consciousness. Even as a child, I leaned toward musical
theater storytelling.
These three CDs are solo piano albums. How was the experience of Rain Bather, an ensemble recording, different?
It was much more complicated: writing charts, organizing so many people. And, of
course, it is expensive to record a large group, so I had to push myself even when I
didn’t feel well. (Mueller suffers from A1AD, a genetic protein deficiency disease
which especially affects the lungs, exacerbated by his volunteer work in the aftermath
of 9/11.) If I am writing for other people, I try to highlight their talents. Think of
Count Basie: his band did not exist so he could show off; he had many clever solo moments,
but he was showcasing his musicians and the arrangements, not himself.
With an ensemble, you have to capture the moment at its freshest. When you are performing
solo, you can play a piece over and over, but with a jazz band, , as soon as you discover
something together during the first run throughs, you have to record that before it’s lost.
Never tire out your band.
Post-production for large ensembles can also be more time consuming.
Music has been part of your life from boyhood. Did you feel you were destined
to be a musician?
My mother says no, but I am certain she groomed me to be a musician/playwright. My
grandfather had been a violinist for silent films, and my grandmother accompanied him on
the piano. With the coming of the talkies and the Depression, he lost that job and was
never as happy again in other jobs. My mother saw this as a dream he would never accomplish,
and she wanted me to achieve the goals he didn’t. She was also a frustrated jazz singer,
exchanging motherhood with pursuing a career. Her dying wish was that I should “not worry
about money, just make history.” She meant that I should fulfill my (her lost) destiny in
music, or the stage.
You have been active in so many interdisciplinary creative forms—music, theater, writing.
Can you talk about your theatre work and some of your favorite recurring themes? Your musical,
Creature, for example was based on the Frankenstein myth.
Frankenstein is one of the great modern allegories with its themes of soul, soullessness,
and science. I rewrote Creature several times for different audiences and directors and
perfected the characters to represent different aspects of our modern age. In my show, the
chorus members are spirits of the Creature’s body parts, creating a cacophony of noise that
the creature has to filter out in order to find his own voice.
When you take a well-known myth as your inspiration, your play naturally has the element
of analogy to it. The audience comes to see both the original and your reinterpretation. I
am always fascinated by the meaning these contrasts can bring to an audience.
Plus, I love progressive rock, and a technologically driven theme like
Frankenstein lends itself to that sort of music. Creature is a progressive rock opera.
And what about some of your other theatrical successes— Robin Hood
or Runners in a Dream?
Robin Hood or Freedom’s First Light
(it had several titles) was my longest-running
show. I adapted the themes — how we define freedom, and how sending young men off to war (to
the Crusades, in Robin Hood's time) changes people and society — to the post-Vietnam era.
It was easier to discuss certain aspects of these themes within a well-known "children's"
story. Robin Hood also comes at the time, historically, that the Magna Carta was written,
so I wove in some of my favorite history lessons, as well.
Runners in a Dream, which is based on my collaborator’s mother’s childhood holocaust
experience, is my most intimate musical. It was not “just” a story of surviving a
concentration camp, but how that psychological toll affected her entire life. Living in a
dream world helped her survive, but grasping reality as an adult became a burden. Ultimately,
both shows are about transcendence. After mounting large several cast musicals, I needed to
create something on a smaller scale. This story touched me deeply. And, in the end, the
girl survives, as does her son.
What do you think the function of music theater is in the modern world, and how has
Broadway and off-Broadway theater changed since you first worked there?
Musical theater has changed so much since the late 1980s.
At its best, theater can be an agent of internal confrontation. It can inspire change
or fortify something inside you. At its most banal, it is merely a tourist destination. The late
1990s saw what I call the “Disneyfication” of Broadway. Then, after 9/11, for many years it was
difficult to mount serious theater, which is what interests me the most. It was gotten much
better recently, however, and I've attended some fabulous productions in the last few years.
I think the future of theater lives in off-off Broadway and the many fabulous regional
companies out there producing new works.
You are also a poet. Of all the creative languages in which you express yourself, which
is the most satisfying and where does music fit?
My health requires that I avoid stress, and writing lyrics was always a painful process
for me. It would take me 4 to 10 times longer than composing the music. I don’t write much poetry
or lyrics any more. I still jot down ideas, poetic lines, or outline concepts for a new project,
but then stress gets the better of me and file it away. I don’t even keep a journal anymore. Heck,
even lengthy emails are annoying to write. I work mostly in the recording studio or at my piano
in my living room.
And when you create a studio recording, what acoustic are you striving for or
does it vary by project?
If I am recording a big band piece, I want to get the sense of a live big band sound
in a large venue. If I am working with a combo, I want the feeling of playing in a smaller
venue, like at the Village Vanguard. I’ll put the microphones closer and try to minimize the
room sound. I have been inspired by the film about Glenn Gould and the way he placed his eight
mikes so that he could create a stereo, reverb mix in the room itself. But when I record solo
piano, I prefer it to be very inmate, as if your head is nearly inside the piano, to
approximate the sound I hear when playing.
Your health has also placed limitations on your own singing and other practical aspects of
music making. How difficult is that for you as an artist?
Most of my career I wrote music for someone else to sing, usually stage actors, but I’ve
always liked to hear a songwriter perform his own work. I still do that at home, by myself,
but I don’t have a wide range anymore, and I am limited by bouts of coughing and fatigue.
Still, not singing doesn’t bother me that much. I love to sit at the piano and simply play,
see where my playing takes me.
And explain what you mean when you say that your work has been colored by having
“ghosts on your shoulders”?
No other event has colored my life more than my sister’s death in 1972. From the time
I was 16 to when I was about 36, she was my internal audience. I flew everything I wrote
by her, in my imagination. What I created had to be worthy of her. It was only after I took
care of my father in his dying years that I was finally able to let the weight of death go.
To paraphrase Auden, “the meaning of his death is shaped by what you do with your life.”
What future projects do you have on the drawing board?
Usually one of my albums carries me over to the next. For example, after I finished
Midwinter Born, I had a chord progression I liked but didn’t get to use, and I began playing
the melody of Clair de lune over it. That started me on Impressions of
Water and Light. And now,
I’m thinking that what I did with the Impressionist pieces, I could do with J. S. Bach. Bach
was always one of my favorite composers. I worked on his music in college. A composition like
“Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring” is such a tightly woven, structured piece and lends itself
well to my style of jazz piano. I would like to see if I can create two CDs, the first
reinterpreting Bach and the second playing my own compositions inspired by him. I think
I will call it Flow: The Music of J. S. Bach
and Tobin Mueller. The concept of “flow” can
easily be applied to Bach: When you play his works, you become so immersed in what you are
doing that you lose your sense of time and space.
Letting the music lead him where it goes, traversing the boundaries of creative languages
and dimensions has been and likely will continue to be the hallmark of Tobin Mueller’s protean art.
- Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold,
FANFARE (subsciption required to view)
To read the Fanfare Magazine review of 3 Mueller CDs, go here.
Tobin's Solo Piano Collection
Instead of Heaven - Mueller follows his upbeat jazz ensemble album
What Survives with a series of contemplative piano meditations. All original compositions using Greek myth as inspiration, this 10-track album forms a lyrical song cycle, a spiritual journey of both emotional and intellectual content. Melds modal post-bop, Romanticism, Jazz Impressionism and New Age styles. Influences include: Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Michel Camilo, as well as Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff. "Each composition is breathtaking, adding to the musical language of both modal post-bop jazz and neo-classical piano." George W. Harris,
Jazz Weekly
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.
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.
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 ensemble 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. "The greatest collection of reimagined standards in the last decade."
Tobin's Other CD Collections
Tobin Mueller's Jazz Collection
LARGE ENSEMBLE & JAZZ COMBO RECORDINGS
Jazz / Big Band / Funk
Best of Tobin Mueller, Volumes 1-2 - First two volumes of his 5-volume compilation, presenting Mueller's best Contemporary Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Blues, more. A stunning collection featuring such greats as Ron Carter, Donny McCaslin, Paul Nelson, Dane Richeson, Scott Rockenfield and Woody Mankowski. Mueller is front and center on piano, B3 organ, vintage keys. "Nothing short of excellent. Mueller has performed across the entire spectrum of jazz, creating a fabulous assortment of classics."
Prestidigitation - The best of Contemporary Jazz Fusion. Mueller's all-star band takes on Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Frank Zappa, John Coltrane, Weather Report, Stevie Wonder, Bill Evans, Tower of Power and more. Featured soloists: Paul Nelson (Grammy-winning guitarist), David Dejesus (Birdland Jazz Band director), Ruben de Ruiter (John Patitucci Band), Woody Mankowski (
What Survives)... "A jazz-fusion tour de force. Each spin and turn opens the door to a new interpretive wrinkle that is sure to delight."
What Survives - Radio Edits - Jazz - Remastered Radio Edits of the best tracks from
What Survives - Volumes 1 & 2. Fresh and spontaneous yet expertly crafted arrangements. Contemporary Jazz at its finest. Ensemble includes: Woody Mankowski, Ron Carter, Bill Barner, Doug Schneider, Tom Washatka, Ken Schaphorst, Bob Levy, Dane Richeson, Martyn Kember-Smith and Tobin’s nephew Chris Mueller. CD contains 15 tracks; digital version includes
3 Bonus Tracks.
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, Bernstein, Berlin, Kern, Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Lennon-McCartney, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen, Billy Strayhorn 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.
WONDER - progressive rock/pop Jazz Fusion. Although this tour de force double album is mainly about the power of progressive rock, Mueller's interpretive jazz keyboards add a modal flavor to each track. Styles transcends prog and pop, with influences of jazz, classical, electronica and world music layered throughout. Features rearrangements of songs from his Audiocracy years, rock operas and stage shows, plus new material certain to blow you away.
Mickey Spleen Save the Day - Jazz Musical Theatre. This delightful recording is Mueller's educational children's musical about the human body, health and the immune system. It features his CenterStage youth Theatre Troupe performing his film noir who-done-it musical comedy. Characters include Mickey Spleen, Vinny Virus, The Lymphette Sisters and the GI Guys. Mueller wrote 8 children's musicals, but this is the only all-jazz score.
SOLO PIANO JAZZ
Instead of Heaven - Contemplative piano meditations, all original compositions using Greek myth as inspiration. 10-tracks forms a lyrical song cycle, a spiritual journey both emotional and intellectual. Melds modal post-bop, Contemporary Romanticism, Jazz Impressionism and New Age styles. Influences include: Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Michel Camilo, as well as Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff. "Uniquely breathtaking, adding to the musical language of contemporary piano." George W. Harris,
Jazz Weekly
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."
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.
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.
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 Stravinsky, 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
WONDER - progressive rock/pop fusion. This tour de force double album combines the power and virtuosity of prog with the intimate simplicity of lullabies. Track list alternates between vocals songs and instrumentals, giving time to contemplate Mueller's poetic lyrics. Styles transcends prog and pop, with influences of jazz, classical, electronica and world music layered throughout. Features appearances by Michael Hedges, Scott Rockenfield, Bob Piper (Pleiades), Anton Mueller (Audiocracy), Steve Stone, Aaron Paul, Lennon Loveday (Shadow of Nine), more...
Prestidigitation - Contemporary Prog Fusion. Mueller's all-star band takes on Frank Zappa, Yes, Happy the Man, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone and more. Featured soloists: Paul Nelson (Grammy-winning guitarist), David Dejesus (Birdland Jazz Band director), Ruben de Ruiter (John Patitucci Band), Woody Mankowski (
What Survives)... "A jazz-fusion tour de force. Each spin and turn opens the door to a new interpretive wrinkle that is sure to delight."
Audiocracy - progressive rock - A post-political neo-prog concept
album. Tobin Mueller: vocals, keyboards; Twøn: vocals, bass;
Darren Chapman: guitars; Bob Piper/Tadashi Togawa: guitars; Rob Thurman: drums.
"A symphonic whirlwind of passion and sensations. With their tight, gorgeous arrangements,
the songs used every hertz of my sound system. The album flows from idea to idea like birds winging from
tree to tree. I predict you will return to this album time and time again, gaining new insight, just like
I did." - Progressive Magazine.
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 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.
Fusion
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, Bernstein, Berlin, Kern, Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Lennon-McCartney, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen, Billy Strayhorn and more. "The greatest collection of reimagined standards in the last decade."
What Survives - Radio Edits - Jazz - Remastered Radio Edits of the best tracks from
What Survives - Volumes 1 & 2. Fresh and spontaneous yet expertly crafted arrangements. Contemporary Jazz at its finest. Ensemble includes: Woody Mankowski, Ron Carter, Bill Barner, Doug Schneider, Tom Washatka, Ken Schaphorst, Bob Levy, Dane Richeson, Martyn Kember-Smith and Tobin’s nephew Chris Mueller. CD contains 15 tracks; digital version includes
3 Bonus Tracks.
The Muller's Wheel - Contemporary Combo Jazz - Remastered
as "Müller's Wheel," this jazz ensemble recording takes you on a joyous
history of instrumental jazz from acoustic fusion to bop, swing to funk. The happiest, hippest hour of music you'll ever hear, featuring
Tobin Mueller on piano & organ, Woody Mankowski on saxes. All original tunes that pay homage to jazz greats that came before. Released 2010; remixed and
reissued 2012.
Puzzle People - Love and loss, joy and betrayal, courage and perserverence define this spoken word offering. Each poem selected is accompanied by Mueller's original music that ranges from jazz to fusion to pop prog. The force and color of Del's readings earn this collection a high recommendation, but the synergy of Tobin's breathtaking music make this a truly compelling addition to Mueller's collected works. The CD includes 3 instrumental tracks as well.
Rock Musicals
TOBIN MUELLER: Best of the CenterStage Years - soundtrack/musicals. Compilation of 42 songs from Mueller's 9 musicals produced under the CenterStage banner.
Volume One highlights his delightful children's pop rock educational music;
Volume Two presents his rock opera and dramatic Broadway offerings. From humorous wordplay to romantic soliloquys to rock anthems, this music informs, inspires, entertains and satisfies.
Tobin's Standards Collection
Prestidigitation - Jazz Fusion Standards. Mueller's all-star band takes on Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Frank Zappa, Weather Report, Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, more. Featured soloists: Paul Nelson (Grammy-winning guitarist), David Dejesus (Birdland Jazz Band director), Ruben de Ruiter (John Patitucci Band), Woody Mankowski (
What Survives)... "A jazz-fusion tour de force. Each spin and turn opens the door to a new interpretive wrinkle that is sure to delight."
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
Children's Educational Music: CenterStage-Musicals
To Save the Planet, an environmental musical.
Danger Dinosaurs, about the exctinction of the dinosaurs and the importance of friends.
Music of the Planets, about the solar system.
Mickey Spleen Saves the Day, swing-jazz anatomy musical.
I Want to Know, about the history of science & invention.
The Sound of Money, about economics.
Say "Yes" to Life, anti-drug/pro-self musical.
Frankenspell Superstar, Tale of a Man-Made Messiah, based on Frankenstein.
Robin Hood and the Free People of the Forest, musical drama about freedom and revolution.
Tobin Mueller: The Best of the CenterStage Years, a 2-volume 44-track compilation.
TOBIN MUELLER: Best of the CenterStage Years - soundtrack/musicals. Compilation of 42 songs from Mueller's 9 musicals produced under the CenterStage banner.
Volume One highlights his delightful children's educational music;
Volume Two presents his Broadway offerings. From humorous wordplay to clever histories, romantic soliloquys to powerful rock opera duets, this music informs, inspires, entertains and satisfies.
*Available directly from Tobin Mueller.
Contact him for more information.
