Dave Meder presents his new extended chamber work “New American Hymnal,” written for piano, bass, drums, and trumpet. The work is not an endorsement of any religion, nor does it deal with religious subject matter. The use of the word “hymnal” is a metaphor describing the structure of the work, referencing names of common hymn collections. In “New American Hymnal,” each song acts as a figurative meditation on a specific American cultural value. When taken together, the songs form a cycle that advances a unifying set of ideals that we might call our American “civil religion.”
Pianist, composer and educator Dave Meder is becoming one of the prominent artists of his generation. His latest album, Passage, was counted among the “Favorite Jazz Albums of 2019” from All Music Guide. Meder’s defining aesthetic is his remarkably postmodern sense of stylistic adventure, incorporating what All About Jazz describes as “a vibrant hybrid of the whole American spectrum.”
The Dave Meder quartet includes bassist Ben Tiberio, drummer Michael Piolet, and trumpeter Philip Dizack.
