Chrissie Hynde has today revealed her new track, “Meditation on a Pair Of Wire Cutters.” The track is a new interpretation of the original by the legendary jazz musician Charles Mingus, and comes ahead of the release of Hynde’s new album Valve Bone Woe on September 6 via BMG.

Valve Bone Woe features 14 tracks written by a stunning array of classic songwriters and innovators, including Brian Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Hoagy Carmichael, John Coltrane, Nick Drake, Ray Davies and Rodgers and Hammerstein.  

Hynde, together with the LA Philharmonic, will perform much of the album at a special concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 6. Chrissie will also be performing as part of the BBC’s Proms In The Park in Hyde Park on September 14. Further information on this show is available here. 

Valve Bone Woe was recorded with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble at Air Studios in London.

About the album, Hynde says:

“A few years back when I saw an obit in the paper for the valve-trombonist, Bob Brookmeyer, I mailed my jazz sax-playing brother, saying ‘R. I. P. Bob Brookmeyer.’ Terry, a man of few words, responded with ‘Valve Bone Woe,’ a kind of Haiku beatnik prose. 

“I thought that was a perfect title for the album I’d been working on with producer Marius de Vries. After we’d recorded ‘I Wish You Love’ for the Eye Of The Beholder soundtrack I’d often expressed a desire to do more along those lines. What eventually emerged was the idea to do what we refer to as our Jazz/Dub album, the one you’re now holding in your hand.

“I’m not hugely interested in branching out into other musical genres, being a devout rock singer as such, but jazz is something I grew up around (thanks to my bro) and I’ve always had a soft spot for it. I often bemoan what I regard as a decline in melody in popular music and I wanted to sing melodies. Plus, I have a penchant for cover songs, it’s the surprise of singing something that I didn’t think of writing myself that turns me on. 

Jazz got side-lined by Rock & Roll in the 60’s, but now the demise of rock seems to be heralding in a newfound interest in it, the most creative and innovative musical forms of the 20th century. I’m happy to jump on the bandwagon.”