Bob Baldwin was a kid listening to pop radio in the outskirts of New York City when he fell in love with the melodies of the Beatles. For his 25th album, the pianist-keyboardist embarks upon a magical mystery tour through the hit-filled pages of the legendary group’s storied songbook, plying his trademark urban-jazz sheen to the iconic harmonies. The Red River Entertainment release that dropped last Friday (November 30), Bob Baldwin presents Abbey Road and the Beatles was produced and arranged by Baldwin who wrote an original song in tribute to the band, “Abbey Road,” along with composing new passages that add unique elements to the eleven reimagined Beatles classics.

Having issued albums that honor the landmark works of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Thom Bell, Baldwin set his sights on the Fab Four’s influential catalogue that first captured his interest decades ago.

“My childhood listening tendencies before I was ten-years-old were quite broad, including Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, the music of Motown and Aretha Franklin. On the pop side, the catchy hooks of the Beatles crept into my ear from days of listening to pop radio. For this project, I wanted to interject my own reharmonized view of the Beatles music while keeping the original melodies pure. Doing the Beatles was a different twist for me,” said Baldwin, who plays piano, keyboards, bass, drums, melodica, vocoder and plies his soothing tenor voice to the session. “It would be cool to know if Sir Paul McCartney could hear it, and more importantly, if he digs the attempt.” Continue reading →