Biography

“Midón has a beautifully controlled baritone that can express anything from tenderness to passion… And the guy can play.” — The Guardian

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Raul Midón is on an undeniable roll. After GRAMMY® Award nominations for his two previous Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group releases – Bad Ass & Blind and If You Really Want, each for Best Jazz Vocal Album – he returns with his 11th studio album and fourth for the label: The Mirror, to be released March 13, 2020. The Mirror finds Midón breaking new ground for himself, including two entrancing solo spoken-word pieces (“If I Could See” and “One Day Without War”). The album also features studio meetings with such veteran jazz colorists as vibraphonist Joe Locke (“A Certain Café”), as well as a songwriting collaboration with top pianist Gerald Clayton, “Deep Dry Ocean.” Another highlight is the road-weary jazz ballad “Cold Cuts and Coffee,” while title track “The Mirror” beguiles with its easy tropical groove, lyrical sophistication and Midón’s flowing electric guitar. As National Public Radio set the stage before his captivating edition of its “Tiny Desk Concert” broadcast: “Raul Midón lives in a world of sound. Blind since birth, Midón’s interpretation of his surroundings is borderless. He sings with the passion of the best classic soul singers, and his instrumental chops stand alongside the most accomplished jazz musicians.”

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About The Mirror, Midón says: “I produced and pored over this album like I do all my records – they really are me in that sense. So it’s important that I surprise myself and my listeners. Take the spoken-word pieces, for instance. I grew up listening to artists who were rappers before rap, like Gil Scott-Heron, so I’ve always wanted to take that sort of approach to something. I think hearing me speak the words over the music makes it especially personal – which is particularly true with ‘If I Could See,’ where I’m talking about something very intimate for me.” On that lyrical theme, one of the album’s vocal gems is “Disguise,” a cleverly romantic number that finds Midón singing about his powers of perception: “I know you see things a different way / But for me it’s not the way you look / But what you have to say… Don’t stare at my eyes / There’s nothing there to surmise / You know that I’m wise / Because I can hear through you.”

About the ace musicians who join him on The Mirror, Midón says: “The song ‘A Certain Café’ is about how time can seem to stop in certain moments and you never forget it. Because I’ve worked with Joe Locke live and in the studio a few times, I knew his vibes would be ideal for giving the track that nostalgic shimmer. I’ve loved Joe’s sound since I first heard him in the 1970s. I also loved the virtuoso Manhattan Transfer since I was a kid and having that group’s Janis Siegel add her backing vocals to ‘I Love the Afternoon’ – along with Lauren Kinhan, another one of the world’s great harmony singers, who’s from New York Voices – was a real treat for me.” Midón discovered the talents of trumpeter Gary Alesbrook via Instagram, when the young English musician posted his transcription of one of the singer’s trademark virtual “mouth trumpet” solos. “When I heard Gary do that on Instagram, I thought it was cool – but I also realized that he is a wonderful trumpet player,” Midón says. “I’m so glad that I could get his horn for this record, on ‘Disguise’.”

For “Deep Dry Ocean,” Midón put words to what he calls a “mysterious melody” by jazzer Gerald Clayton, a past partner on the road and in the studio. But along with the atmospheric tunes, tropical grooves and jazz ballads, The Mirror also includes the soul-inflected “I Really Want to See You Again” and a track with a contemporary pop feel, “You’re the One.” Yet even this flirty number finds Midón slipping in something new. “I haven’t been a political songwriter,” he says, “but with ‘You’re the One,’ even though it’s a love song, I weave in my thoughts about what we’re all having to live through: ‘Nothing but chaos, madness and pain / Courage and wisdom are held in disdain / A commander-in-chief with sh*t for a brain / With love, we can conquer the shame.’ Yeah, those lyrics are from the heart – real talk… I aim to be as true to myself lyrically and musically as I can be and hope it reaches people. I feel fortunate to have a diverse audience all around the world that cares about hearing me sing and express myself. With this new album, I’m excited to have my listeners go on another ride with me.”

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  • April 2023

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