MUSIC

“New American Hymnal is strong and commanding…Meder has created compelling compositions and brought together a great quartet performing non-religious songs of worship which directly address our American civic and cultural experiment.” - Anna Steegmann

‘New American Hymnal’ makes the Jazziz Editor’s Choice for late October 2023 releases, alongside albums of Samara Joy, Aaron Diehl, Joey Alexander, John Scofield, and others.

John Chacona for AAJ writes: "Hymn tunes are having a bit of a moment…Meder goes a step further by making the communal nature of hymn-singing a metaphor for the current state of society in the United States…Sing Hallelujah!”

S. Victor Aaron writes: “Meder has made records touching on the topic of religion. These aren’t religious records, they are pondering, probing and practiced records…the whole quartet seems to be having so much fun just testifyin’ that you could almost forget there’s a thoughtful melody being played, here…”

From France Musique 'Jazz Bonus': "The music of 'Unamuno Songs and Stories' follows the jazz tradition while drawing influences from a wide range of sources, including Bach chorales, blues, minimalism and the piano works of Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz."

"Century Rag” from Unamuno Songs and Stories is featured on Apple Music’s premiere editorial playlist Jazz Currents (as of December 2021).

“…some elegant and mature stuff found here…” reads a new review of Unamuno Songs and Stories from Felipe Freitas in JazzTrail. Read the full review here.

“Exile” from Unamuno Songs and Stories was featured on Nate Chinen’s weekly “Take Five” piece for WBGO Jazz. See the piece here, featuring a beautiful art video by Adrien H. Tillmann.

Cindy Breeding-Gonzales of the Denton Record and Chronicle beautifully writes about the meaning behind Unamuno Songs and Stories, from the conception of the music to the challenges of speaking truth to power in 21st century America. Read the full piece here.

Unamuno Songs and Stories places on the Europe Jazz Network Radio Chart: “…the ideas of Spanish Civil War-era philosopher Miguel de Unamuno as his muse palette to describe the current political spectrum around us. And deep down, we feel the sophisticated romance he exposes as an award-winning jazz pianist of recent years."

“I Look for Religion in War” featuring Philip Dizack, from Unamuno Songs and Stories, was premiered on Something Else Reviews along with a write-up from S. Victor Aaron: “…carries the weight and passion of a full orchestra…Without uttering a word, the music drives home the point that human conflict has become the god that mankind often worships.” See the full review and video here.

Jazziz editor Matt Micucci premieres the first single (featuring Miguel Zenón) from the upcoming album Unamuno Songs and Stories on his New Release Cheat Sheet and Editor’s Playlist, alongside tracks from Esperanza Spalding, Joshua Redman, and others. See the full piece here.