Juan Nelson was a mainstay of ‘THey Innocent Criminals”, the group that accompanies Ben Harper in the studio and on tour. This 17th opus bears witness to this sadness but also to the fight against racism or climate change.
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A “testimony” and an “celebration”, these are the two facets of Ben Harper’s latest studio album, in the words of the artist. In this 17th opus, available Friday July 22 and entitled Bloodline Maintenancethe musician tackles contemporary subjects, such as the impact of systemic racism on American society, climate change and the threat of nuclear war.
Through these ten titles, recorded with The Innocent CriminalsBen Harper also wanted to pay tribute to the band’s bassist, Juan Nelson, his recently deceased friend: “He was an absolute maestro, one of the most unique musicians I’ve ever met. We used to be a quartet, now we’re six musicians. He wasn’t just a bassist, he played keyboards, horns. He was truly multi-instrumentalist.”
Rock, folk, blues, jazz… Ben Harper and his musicians also give pride of place to gospel, a constant in the career of the American artist: “From the first note I heard. It played a major role in the production of the majority of my records”. Bloodline Maintenance is, “an artistic accomplishment that sets him apart from others”, he says. “But also, as a confidence for you and for all our listeners, there is a small source of frustration. Because it took me so long to come up with this record”.
Ben Harper will be in concert on July 28 in Carcassonne, July 29 in Gignac and July 31 in Colmar.
Ben Harper confides in Elodie Suigo, on the occasion of the release of the album “Bloodline Maintenance”
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