Jim James, Conductor/Composer Teddy Abrams & The Louisville Orchestra Announce The Release Of Their Collaborative Project The Order Of Nature

NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim James, acclaimed genre-bending solo artist, passionate social activist and leader of legendary rock band My Morning Jacket, and conductor/composer Teddy Abrams & The Louisville Orchestra announce the release of their collaborative project, The Order of Nature. As two of the world's most vibrant and versatile musicians, neither James nor Abrams shies away from a challenge, and with The Order of Nature they've crafted a large-scale symphonic suite that has James' evocative songs as its foundation. Abrams built a grand orchestral house on that foundation, and the result is an explosion of music that boldly synthesizes rock and classical while taking advantage of orchestral music's inherently cinematic nature. Featuring unreleased new songs from James as well as re-imaginings from his solo catalog, the album will be released October 18 via Decca Gold. The lead track, "Set It To Song," is available now with all pre-orders.

PRE-ORDER THE ORDER OF NATURE
https://DeccaGold.lnk.to/TheOrderOfNature

Lyrically, James takes a deep dive into issues vitally important to him in recent years, including equality and intolerance, human connection and acceptance. Abrams uses repeating motifs to weave the songs into a seamless whole, with the goal of capturing the idea of nature in a cinematic way and turning James' quiet demos into a majestic tapestry that conveys the album's themes of politics, the natural order and the hopelessness of hatred. They all spin off of the suite's central theme, which is James' fascination with the absence of hate in nature. Animals kill each other, but only out of hunger, while humans daily choose hate —we ignore the order of nature and that choice is wreaking havoc.

"The core idea to me is trying to reflect on the fact that nature doesn't know how to hate," says James.  "Humans are part of nature obviously, but why do we have this thing called hatred and how do we get rid of it? We're fighting nature and thinking we can prevail over nature, but we're killing each other and killing the planet."

Abrams spent months building a complex symphonic work in which the songs could breathe, writing music that captures both the quiet drama of walking alone through a snowy landscape and the urgency of trying to steer a disrupted society toward kindness.

"We're really looking at addressing things head on," says Abrams. "That was an interest of mine in working with Jim because he has a way of taking on challenging and divisive issues and presenting them in ways that everybody can relate to, even if you're from different political backgrounds."

"For me it was very inspiring, and it was also inspiring to hear what Teddy wrote," James added, "and I really enjoyed just giving him this seed of a song and just watching it flower."

The Order of Nature debuted April 6-7, 2018 as part of the Louisville Orchestra's annual Festival of American Music. The second night's performance is what you hear on this album, recorded in one take, no overdubs.

James and Abrams also today announce a three-part mini-documentary on the making of The Order of Nature. The first chapter, "Collaboration," is available now.

WATCH "COLLABORATION"

Most recently, the innovative tandem announced select performance dates that will feature local orchestras. Those dates will include the legendary Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on September 4, 2019, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA on May 12, 2020, and Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver, CO on May 15, 2020.

JIM JAMES, TEDDY ABRAMS AND THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA
THE ORDER OF NATURE
(DECCA GOLD)
RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 18, 2019

TRACKLISTING:
1. WALKING IN THE SNOW
2. HERE IN SPIRIT
3. THE HUMAN TOUCH
4. IN DEMAND
5. BACK TO THE END OF THE WORLD
6. WHO AM I?
7. OVER AND OVER
8. SET IT TO SONG
9. SAME OLD LIE

JIM JAMES AND TEDDY ABRAMS – US DATES

2019
SEPTEMBER
4 – Washington, DC – The Kennedy Center w/the National Symphony

2020
MAY
12 – Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall w/the Seattle Symphony
15 – Denver, CO – w/the Colorado Symphony

LISTEN TO THE FIRST TRACK, "SET IT TO SONG"
https://DeccaGold.lnk.to/SetItToSongVideo

FIRST CHAPTER OF MINI-DOCUMENTARY AVAILABLE NOW
https://DeccaGold.lnk.to/TheOrderOfNaturePt1

JIM JAMES
LEAD SINGER OF MY MORNING JACKET
"One of rock music's most powerful singers and one of its most fearless sonic architects."
—Rolling Stone

TEDDY ABRAMS
COMPOSER & CONDUCTOR OF THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA
"The new Leonard Bernstein."
—WQXR

ABOUT TEDDY ABRAMS:
Teddy Abrams, Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra and Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Orchestra, is an acclaimed conductor, established pianist and clarinetist, and composer.  A tireless advocate for the power of music, Abrams promotes interdisciplinary collaboration with organizations including the Louisville Ballet, the Center for Interfaith Relations, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Speed Art Museum, and the Folger Shakespeare Library. Released on Decca Gold, All In—Abram's debut album with the Louisville Orchestra—featured Abrams' original work "Unified Field" and hit #1 on the US Classical Chart.

ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA:
Aiming to be "The Most Interesting Orchestra on the Planet", the Louisville Orchestra, under the leadership of the young and multi-talented Teddy Abrams, is a tirelessly adventurous ensemble that reflects the artistic energy of its native city. Home to the Kentucky Derby, Louisville Slugger, and the center of Kentucky bourbon culture from its unique perch on the banks of the Ohio River, Louisville embodies both Southern warmth and Northern vitality. Music thrives; and the Louisville Orchestra has embraced American composers and local performers since early in its history, founding First Edition Records and commissioning, performing, and recording newly-composed music since 1948. This unprecedented long-running commissioning program, inaugurated by visionary city mayor, Charles Farnsley, and funded early on by the Rockefeller Foundation, is documented in the Gramophone Award-winning film Music Makes a City. It's second nature to Teddy Abrams to pick up and expand this legacy. Crackling with charisma, energy, and charm, Teddy brings together people of all ages and experiences like a modern-day Pied Piper. He and the talented musicians of the "LO" have rekindled a joyful fire of exploration, collaboration and creativity in a community that continues to reach fearlessly toward the future.

ABOUT JIM JAMES:
Jim James has spent the better part of almost two decades as the lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of My Morning Jacket. Through seven studio albums, My Morning Jacket has grown into one of the most acclaimed rock and roll bands in the world. In 2013, James released his debut solo record, Regions of Light and Sound of God, and 2016 saw the release of his politically charged second record, Eternally Even. James released two solo albums in 2018 -- Uniform Distortion and Uniform Clarity – and both were received with immediate acclaim. Although splitting his time between LA and Kentucky, James has little plan to remain in one place. James has continued expanding on his zealous lists of credits, lending his voice to albums by the likes of the Roots, David Lynch, Brandi Carlile and John Fogerty and partnering with other artists on numerous side projects such as New Multitudes, Monsters of Folk, and T-Bone Burnett's The New Basement Tapes. Known for his live performances, James has found himself in the touring company of those like Neil Young, Pearl Jam, and Bob Dylan – even appearing in the Dylan-inspired film, I'm Not There – and My Morning Jacket supported Roger Waters as his surprise-backing band during famed Newport Folk Festival in 2015. He has embedded himself in the world of film and television, be it through the use of his music in various projects or his long-running relationships with those in the field.  James has also established himself as a producer in his own right, producing records by Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dean Wareham, Basia Bulat, Amo Amo, and Ray Lamontagne's Ouroboros (2016), the same year in which he collaborated with NASA for the launch of their Juno Mission and Sundance Film Festival and their "Freedom of Expression" event.

SOURCE Decca Label Group

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