Amina Claudine Myers - Solace of the Mind (2025 Red Hook 180g Translucent Vinyl LP)

Amina Claudine Myers - Solace of the Mind Vinyl LP - 2025 Red Hook Records Limited Edition 180g Translucent Vinyl

• AACM legend's first solo album in decades - rare solo piano/organ statement from pioneering artist
• Limited edition translucent 180g vinyl - pristine Sear Sound recording, brand new 2025 release
• Gospel, blues, and avant-garde unite - Myers' distinctive synthesis of African-American musical traditions

Pianist, organist, and vocalist Amina Claudine Myers presents her first solo album in decades, ten compositions recorded at New York's Sear Sound in October 2023 (plus one home organ recording from February 2024) showcasing her distinctive synthesis of gospel, blues, and avant-garde jazz. A member of Chicago's AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) since the 1960s and collaborator with artists including Lester Bowie, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Archie Shepp, Myers performs nine tracks on solo piano and one ("Ode To My Ancestors") on organ with wordless vocals, her playing demonstrating the deep connection between African-American sacred music traditions and contemporary creative improvisation. Released in 2025 by Red Hook Records on limited edition 180g translucent vinyl, this European pressing captures Myers at age 83, her artistry undiminished and her musical vision as powerful as ever.

Myers' piano playing draws equally from gospel church traditions, blues feeling, and free jazz exploration, her touch ranging from delicate to percussive, her harmonic language moving fluidly between tonal beauty and dissonant clusters. Tracks like "African Blues" and "Hymn For John Lee Hooker" acknowledge blues traditions while transforming them through improvisational freedom, while pieces like "Sensuous" and "Twilight" reveal Myers' gift for creating atmospheric moods. Her interpretation of the spiritual "Steal Away" connects contemporary creative music with its deepest roots in African-American sacred traditions.

The sole organ track "Ode To My Ancestors" features Myers' wordless vocals alongside her organ playing, the combination evoking both church services and avant-garde exploration. Her voice, like her instrumental work, bridges tradition and innovation without diminishing either. Recorded by Chris Allen and Rick Kwan at Sear Sound (with home organ recording by Kwan) and mastered by Alex Bonney, the album captures Myers' performances with clarity and warmth. Produced by Sun Chung and released on Red Hook Records' limited edition 180g translucent vinyl with cover art by Sam Winston and photography by Crystal Blake, this album documents a living legend's continued creative vitality.