Flea puts his own instrumental spin on Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You,” which is accented by strings arranged by Bright Eyes’ Nate Walcott and upright bass from Anna Butterss. It will be found on his debut solo album, Honora, due March 27 on Nonesuch.
“When that record came out, it really blew me away,” Flea says of Ocean’s 2012 debut, Channel Orange. “I listened to it 10 million times. It was something I just couldn’t stop listening to. I loved it so much and still do. Just one of those real watershed moment records for me. ‘Thinkin Bout You’ is one of the many great songs on that record, andI thought it would be fun to play on trumpet. Then I went to Nate Wolcott, who plays keyboards on Honora on several tunes. He did that string arrangement for me. He stepped up to the plate and really did something beautiful. I just wanted to get the honest beauty of the melody because it’s a great song.”
Honora also features guest spots from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Nick Cave across its six Flea originals and covers of George Clinton and Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain,” the Jimmy Webb-penned “Wichita Lineman” and the Ann Ronell-written “Willow Weep for Me.”
Flea is backed on Honora by some of the top players from the left-of-center jazz world, including Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker, drummer Deantoni Parks, longtime David Byrne percussionist Mauro Refosco, flute player Rickey Washington, trombonist Vikram Devasthali and vocalist Chris Warren.
He’ll support Honora with 10 spring shows, beginning May 7 in Chicago. He is also expected to appear at some summer U.S. music festivals that have yet to be announced.
