Well, I Should Have...*
Label: Sub Pop
Catalog #: 71151
*Reissued on red, white, and blue colored vinyl on July 3rd, 2020*
Jon Benjamin is a comedian, actor, & aspiring Jazz pianist recognized by many for his buttery vocal chords which have given depth and purpose to such characters as Bob from Bob's Burgers, Archer from Archer, and Coach McGuirk from Home Movies. He's also been seen gracing the sets of the national comedy treasures that are Master of None & Wet Hot American Summer. The following is a couple words from Jon Benjamin on his recent foray into the music industry:
We all start from the same place and build from there, gathering references, structures, techniques, modes, nuances, etc. and, as artists, we strive to build some- thing purposeful. Well, I Should Have...* is the culmination of hours (almost 3) of conception with the goal to bring something, in the tradition of the great vanguard jazz artists like Miles Davis, Roach, Mingus, Monk, et al, close to pure spontaneity. Jazz is the ocean...I am just one wave forming one curl, crashing once onto some remote beach somewhere in time. And that wave makes a small imperceptible change in the slope of the sand, upon which at some point in time a baby turtle will walk across, leaving his trail for just an instant, before the tide washes it clean. That’s a pretty cool analogy. More to the point, I do not play piano and I made this jazz album. Some tell me, “Hey, Jon, tone it down.” Some even say, “Really, Jon?” A few have said, “Get the fuck away from me or I’ll fucking punch you in the face.” I know the risks in making this album. I know what it is like to do something that no one else would think to do. Most would call this reckless. I call it jazz. What you are about to experience is an aural auto da fe. I am the jazz daredevil.
– Jon, New York City, July 2015
Well, I Should Have...* was recorded and mixed by Mark Desimone at Soundtrack NY, except for “Amy’s Song (The Bum Steer)”, which was mixed by Loren Bouchard (Bob’s Burgers, Home Movies). Jon is accompanied by Scott Kreitzer (saxophone), David Finck (bass), and Jonathan Peretz (drums). “Deal With the Devil” features Aziz Ansari and Kristen Schaal