Grammy Producer of the Year Nominee Larry Klein talks 2019
Larry Klein just earned a Producer of the Year GRAMMY nomination (non-classical), which is his third nomination in the category since 2010. Klein has a rich GRAMMY history, with 4 wins and 8 nominations. Larry is being recognized for his work on 5 albums released over the past several months, and on top of that also produced Jeff Goldblum’s debut album that was released in November. Klein’s 2019 will be equally productive and begins with a loving tribute to the influential artist Jacques Brel. “He was way ahead of his time, he managed to deal with very deep and dark themes in the context of pop music…a real badass,” says Larry.
Klein recently posted this vintage video of Brel performing his 1959 song “Ne me quitte pas” to his Facebook page, as he put some finishing touches on this tribute album: https://www.facebook.com/larrykleinmusic/videos/702213273496667/
“I believe Brel to have been the French equivalent of a hybrid of Bob Dylan and Stephen Sondheim, who actually foreshadowed the arrival of singer-songwriter genre, and also became a filmmaker and actor. I am a huge Jacques Brel fan, so I was overjoyed at the prospect of working on re-imagining settings for his songs. We assembled an incredible group of artists that included ‘honorary French’ artist, the amazing Marianne Faithfull, Michel Jonasz, Melody Gardot, Madeleine Peyroux, Carla Bruni, Claudio Capeo, Zaz, Thomas Dutronc, Gavauin Sers, and Bernard Lavilliers.”
Klein recorded half of the album in Paris and half in Los Angeles and it’s set for a Spring 2019 release via Universal France.
This year’s Producer of the Year nod recognizes Klein’s recent work with Madeleine Peyroux (‘Anthem’), Luciana Souza (‘The Book of Longing’), Hailey Tuck (‘Junk’), Molly Johnson (‘Meaning to Tell You’) and Thomas Dybdahl (‘All These Things’), a diverse mix of jazz, pop, folk and beyond.
An award-winning producer and collaborator who also has done scoring work in film and television, Klein grew up in southern California before touring with jazz greats like Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter and working with such diverse artists as Robbie Robertson, Tracy Chapman and Neil Diamond. Klein has gained special recognition as an astute producer of female singer/songwriters. Klein has continued to explore the areas that lie between genres, circling back to his jazz roots to work with mentors like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, writing for and producing such hybrid artists as Madeleine Peyroux and Lizz Wright, exploring new areas with artists from around the world such as fado singer and Portuguese star Ana Moura, Norwegian alt-singer-songwriter Thomas Dybdahl and French pop legend Eddy Mitchell. His musical curiosity continues to lead him towards a completely eclectic array of artists and projects from every area of music.