ORIGINAL POST (6/18/2018) - UPDATES IN BOLD: Paul Simon may be retiring from the road, but the conclusion of his acclaimed Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour on September 22 won't be the last we've heard of the legendary musician.  On tour, he's currently previewing two upcoming projects: Alternate Tunings, a long-awaited collection of previously unreleased material (date TBA), and an album entitled In the Blue Light, due on September 7 on CD and vinyl.

In lieu of a traditional tour program, Simon is offering a lavish "Limited Edition Folio" for purchase at each evening's concert (price: a reasonable $30.00).  This clothbound, hardcover, roughly LP-sized book is a fitting souvenir, but moreover, it includes a six-song MP3 download "from the forthcoming rarities collection Alternate Tunings."  The download card promises, "Drawn from Paul Simon's vast archive of recordings, this collection spans his entire career."  This anthology has been mooted for years now; a quick online search reveals discussion of the project as far back as 2003.  It's finally becoming a reality, with the following previously unreleased songs available now for download to purchasers of the folio:

1. Song for the Asking (Solo Demo) (released version from Simon & Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water, 1970)
2. Papa Hobo (Solo Demo) (released version from Paul Simon, 1972)
3. Learn How to Fall (Solo Demo) (released version from There Goes Rhymin' Simon, 1973)
4. Silent Eyes (Film Score Outtake) (released version from Still Crazy After All These Years, 1975)
5. Hearts and Bones (Solo Demo) (released version from Hearts and Bones, 1983)
6. Citizen of the Planet (Solo Demo) (released version from Simon & Garfunkel, Old Friends: Live on Stage, 2004)

These six beautiful acoustic tracks, bookended (pun intended) by solo versions of compositions associated with Simon & Garfunkel, augur well for the high quality of the complete release.  ("Citizen of the Planet" was originally intended for Hearts and Bones - the album that itself began life as Think Too Much, the S&G reunion album that never was.)  "Silent Eyes," noted as "Film Score Outtake," is a particularly fascinating offering, with Simon's ethereal, wordless vocals and guitar joined by subtle, baroque orchestration.

Alternate Tunings isn't the only project on the way from Rhymin' Simon, however.  The folio promises that In the Blue Light will arrive this September from Legacy Recordings.  Though no further information about the album is printed in the folio or otherwise available, we do know that the album title derives from a lyric in "How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns" from 1980's One Trick Pony.  Additionally, Simon mentioned from the stage of Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night that his longtime guitarist Vincent N'guini (who died last December at the age of 65) played on In the Blue Light - his final collaboration with the artist.  N'guini was first heard on a Simon album in 1990 The Rhythm of the Saints and has been featured on each of Simon's LPs since.  With Alternate Tunings also on the way and the farewell tour occurring now, it's evident that Simon has been in a reflective mood.  Perhaps In the Blue Light will find him looking back to the milieu or style of the past as well?  In a 2016 interview with American Songwriter, Simon divulged that he and veteran producer-engineer Roy Halee had been re-recording new versions of old songs.  The fruits of those sessions, including the possibility of a reworked "How the Heart...," could finally see the Light of day this September.  Whatever the case, Simon assured the enthusiastic Philly crowd that he wouldn't be turning away from music despite his onstage retirement.

Legacy has now confirmed that In the Blue Light is, indeed, an album of reimagined music from the Simon songbook.  Co-produced by Simon and Halee, the album features ten lesser-known selections drawn from There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), One-Trick Pony (1980), Hearts and Bones (1983), The Rhythm of The Saints (1990), You're The One (2000) and So Beautiful Or So What (2011).  Jazz luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis, Bill Frisell, Jack DeJohnette, and Steve Gadd join Simon on these new recordings as does yMusic, the chamber music sextet currently appearing with him on tour.  You'll find the complete 10-song track listing (with personnel) below!

Watch this space for more news on Alternate Tunings as it becomes available.  Paul Simon's Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour  continues through September 22, when it will wrap up at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens!

Paul Simon, In the Blue Light (Legacy Recordings, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)

01 One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Joel Wenhardt: Piano
Nate Smith: Drums
Jim Oblon: Guitar
John Patitucci: Bass
Edie Brickell: Finger Snaps
CJ Camerieri: Trumpet
Andy Snitzer: Saxophone

02 Love

Paul Simon: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Harmonium
Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar
Steve Gadd: Drums
Renaud Garcia-Fons: Bass

03 Can't Run But

Paul Simon: Vocal
With yMusic

Arrangement by Bryce Dessner based on the original arrangement from Rhythm of the Saints by Marco Antônio Guimarães

04 How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns

Paul Simon: Vocal
Sullivan Fortner: Piano
Nate Smith: Drums
John Patitucci: Bass
Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet

05 Pigs, Sheep and Wolves

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet
Marcus Printup: Trumpet
Dan Block: Clarinet
Walter Blanding: Saxophone
Wycliffe Gordon: Tuba
Chris Crenshaw: Trombone
Marion Felder: Drums
Herlin Riley: Tambourine

Arrangement by Wynton Marsalis

06 René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War

Paul Simon: Vocal, Electric Guitar
With yMusic

Arrangement by Robert Sirota 

07 The Teacher

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Odair Assad: Guitar
Sérgio Assad: Guitar
Renaud Garcia-Fons: Bass, Percussion
Walter Blanding: Saxophone
Jamey Haddad: Percussion

08 Darling Lorraine

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion
Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar
Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar
Mark Stewart: Acoustic Guitar
Steve Gadd: Drums
John Patitucci: Bass
With yMusic

Arrangement by Rob Moose

09 Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy

Paul Simon: Vocal
Sullivan Fortner: Piano, Celeste
Jack DeJohnette: Drums
John Patitucci: Bass
Joe Lovano: Saxophone

10 Questions For The Angels

Paul Simon: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Harmonica, Percussion
Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar
Sullivan Fortner: Harmonium, Chromelodeon
John Patitucci: Bass
Skip LaPlante: Percussion

yMusic:

CJ Camerieri: trumpet, piccolo trumpet
Alex Sopp: flute, alto flute
Hideaki Aomori: clarinet, bass clarinet
Rob Moose: violin
Nadia Sirota: viola
Gabriel Cabezas: cello