Singer, songwriter and pianist Jon Regen announces his new album Satisfied Mind (out July 11, 2023 via Symphonic), a genre- blurring tour de force that marries a myriad of musical styles alongside a cast of legends. On his tenth release as a leader, Regen weaves a wild sonic web that effortlessly links his instrumental jazz roots with pop panache, electronic experimentation and more. It’s an album as fresh as it is familiar, melding humor, heart and art into a sound all its own. 

Like his 2019 critically-acclaimed release Higher Ground, this new collection of songs was produced by Jamiroquai keyboardist Matt Johnson, and features guest appearances by luminaries like Ron Carter, Rob Thomas and Pino Palladino, plus Dave McMurray, Larry Goldings, Tim Lefebvre, Jeremy Stacey, Judith Owen, Katie Jacoby, Julia Kent, Gino Robair and others. 

“I called the album ‘Satisfied Mind’ because it’s the first time a collection of songs truly sounds like me,” Regen explains. “I love a good song and a great solo, but there are also moments on this record that are full of surprises. Plus, having my heroes like Ron, Pino and Rob come and leave it all on the mat - well, that’s the icing on the cake.” 

Regen has worn a multitude of hats in his career – from a sought-after sideman with artists like Little Jimmy Scott and Kyle Eastwood, to an acclaimed solo artist in his own right with a Number One Billboard album and a discography chock full of cameos by icons like Andy Summers, Benmont Tench and Chuck Leavell. He was also the longtime Editor of Keyboard Magazine, a writer for outlets like the New York Times and Variety, and the creator and host of the popular worldwide radio show “New York Notes” that ran for nearly 100 episodes on JazzRadio Berlin and featured guests like Bruce Hornsby, Jackson Browne, Jools Holland and others. So if anyone could pull together a captivating musical cast, it would be Regen. 

 “’Nobody But You’ was the track that got the project rolling,” Regen says. “When you’re trying to start a record, you’re always looking for a jumping-off point. When that song appeared, I knew we had the beginnings of an album. We were back in the zone of Matt and I finishing each other’s sentences.” 

The track began as a bluesy Wurlitzer piano riff recorded on Regen’s iPhone that would make its way onto the final recording. “It’s like a modern day ‘Walk on the Wild Side,’” Regen explains. “When Matt sent it back to me after working his magic, it had an attitude and swagger that was so addictive, I wrote the lyrics and cut the vocals the very same day, even while I was sick with bronchitis! Then I called up Ron Carter, who had just appeared on my radio show. Ron has been the gold standard for millions of musicians like me. The North Star. From the moment I discovered jazz, his playing was the very definition of it to me. His bass part on the track was the missing link that shot it to the moon.” 

More songs would soon follow, like “Wake Me Up” with its dreamlike chord sequence and prodigious piano solos. “That track is definitely an homage to my mentor, the master pianist Kenny Barron,” Regen says. “So much of what I do on the keyboard can be traced back to my time apprenticing Kenny. His touch, his phrasing - you can’t help but absorb that kind of grace and gravitas. I wanted to really dig into the piano this time out, because that’s where it all starts for me.” 

“Wake Me Up” is notable not only for Regen’s blistering piano work, but also for the jaw-dropping bass part courtesy of Pino Palladino. “Pino was another artist who guested on my radio show,” Regen explains. “So many of the records he played on affected me viscerally in my formative years – from Paul Young and Don Henley, to D’Angelo, Tears for Fears, John Mayer and countless others. Not long after he guested on my show, I sent him the rough idea we had for “Wake Me Up,” and soon after, he was doing what only he can do on the electric bass. It’s a sound so massive you can’t help but move to it. Who sounds like that? One person. Pino.” 

Another guest that transformed the sound of Satisfied Mind was saxophonist Dave McMurray. “I had heard Dave’s album Grateful Deadication in the middle of the pandemic and I was totally knocked out,” Regen says. “When the world was literally falling apart, here was this sonic burst of joy I truly needed. I had that album on heavy repeat for months. Dave sounded like Sonny Rollins on steroids to me, with this massive, bluesy wall of sound that grabbed you from the first note. I asked him if he’d lend his sax to the project and he agreed. Soon he was taking songs like “Nobody But You” and “Eye of the Hurricane” to another planet entirely. 

Sonic surprises abound on Satisfied Mind. “Gino” (named after famed Tom Waits percussionist Gino Robair who co-wrote the track with Regen), started with an electronic drum loop and ended with a startling group improvisation that simultaneously salutes Philip Glass and Gato Barbieri, again with the help of McMurray’s otherworldly saxophone. And the plaintive “For Keith” (with sympathetic accompaniment from David Bowie Blackstar bassist Tim Lefebvre and King Crimson drummer Jeremy Stacey) pays tribute to jazz giant Keith Jarrett, with whom Regen shares a May 8 birthday. “I had interviewed Keith a decade ago for Keyboard Magazine and heard through the grapevine that it was one of his favorite interviews ever,” Regen explains. “His playing has been such a touchstone for me that when I heard he was ill, that song came out almost instinctually. I actually sent it to him and his wife told me he liked it. What more can a pianist ask for?” 

Other standout tracks include the instrumentals “Everyday” and “Son Rise,” which Regen calls “modern takes on the piano trio – the place where it all started for me.” Also the affecting ballads “Hello, Old Friend” (with nods to fellow songsmith Bon Iver), and “My Song for You,” which Regen describes as “me working through my recent Paul McCartney phase with my pal Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty lending a hand!” But perhaps the most heartfelt song on the album is the Randy Newman-esque title track, which both sums up the project and Regen’s musical renaissance of late. 

“I rarely play and sing covers, but that one hits home,” Regen says. I first heard Jeff Buckley sing it when I was just getting started in my twenties, but it took a few lifetimes for me to fully inhabit the lyrics. As a guy who had kids and career success later in life, I’m still mystified and grateful for the life I lead and the music I make. And then to have Larry Goldings, who I’ve known since music camp as a kid, guest on Hammond organ – I’ve truly come full circle.”

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Jon Regen began his career as a sideman to jazz artists like Kyle Eastwood and Little Jimmy Scott. A protégé of the legendary pianist Kenny Barron, Regen released a series of acclaimed jazz recordings (From Left to Right, Live at the Blue Note and Tel Aviv), before making a left turn into singer/songwriter territory. Nearly overnight, Regen was heralded as an important new songsmith and performer, with praise from both listeners and critics alike on albums like Almost Home (2004), Let It Go (2007), and Revolution (2011). Regen also hit Number One on the Billboard Charts with his instrumental album Change Your Mind in 2013. His run of acclaimed releases continued in 2015 with Stop Time, which featured members of Elvis Costello’s Imposters, and in 2019 with Higher Ground, which included guest appearances by icons like Andy Summers of The Police, Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Chuck Leavell of The Rolling Stones and Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. Higher Ground won praise from media outlets like Rolling Stone, Billboard, Parade, Allmusic and others, and the Oakland Press named it "Album of the Week."

The Associated Press said of Regen, “His sturdy songs, pleasing tenor and seven-foot grand are a captivating combination.” The Wall Street Journal called Regen “a confident, soulful singer,” and DownBeat said “Regen’s music shoots from - and directly into - the heart.” The Philadelphia Inquirer said, “The piano man has always exuded an impeccable stylishness, a blend of earthiness and sophistication that recalls such fellow masters of the 88s as Allen Toussaint and Bruce Hornsby.” Bruce Hornsby himself also chimed-in, saying “Regen has a rare combination of elements - virtuosic playing ability, soulful singing, and a strong songwriting talent, all developing more and more as he grows and grows as an artist through the years. Give him a freaking listen!”

Regen’s new album Satisfied Mind was released July 11, 2023. Produced by Jamiroquai keyboardist Matt Johnson, the genre-bending recording features legends like Ron Carter, Rob Thomas and Pino Palladino, plus Dave McMurray, Larry Goldings, Tim Lefebvre, Jeremy Stacey and many others. It quickly won praise from critics and listeners alike. Famed UK musician and presenterJamie Cullum premiered the title track on his BBC Radio 2 show, Jazz FM made it their Album of the Week and The Telegraph gave it Four Stars, saying “Imagine walking into a shady New York bar out of the sweltering summer heat to find a young Billy Joel singing Bill Withers songs… you are witnessing virtuosos at the height of their powers. Regen has reason to be satisfied.”

Jon Regen is the Entertainment Director for GrandLife Hotels and the former Editor of Keyboard Magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Billboard, Variety, and other media outlets. He also produced and hosted nearly 100 episodes of his acclaimed radio show “New York Notes” on JazzRadio Berlin, and was featured in the Emmy Award-winning Amazon series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

Jon Regen is a Steinway Artist