Pino Palladino and Blake Mills Return with “That Wasn’t a Dream,” Reveal Tour Plans
Pino Palladino is having another big year. After collaborating with Ernie Ball on signature strings and a line of basses, the session legend has announced a new album with Blake Mills called That Wasn’t a Dream with tour dates, to boot.
The upcoming recording follows their 2021 debut, Notes With Attachments. It was recorded over two months at Sound City Studios with collaborators including saxophonist Sam Gendel and drummer Chris Dave, with whom Palladino has often worked. Where Notes With Attachments focused on layered improvisation, That Wasn’t a Dream is more about stripping back the music.
“It came to light, really, that if we could make something work with the least possible ingredients, space could become the centerpiece,” says Palladino.
That doesn’t mean there’s no exploration, of course. Mills plays a fretless baritone sustainer guitar that he developed with luthier Dunacn Price. “The fretless sustainer can sound almost like a cross between a woodwind, brass, and bowed string instrument,” says Mills. “It’s a tough instrument to control or define.”
You can hear it in the lead single for the album, “Taka,” which sees Palladino playing unison lines with Mills up on the neck.
That Wasn’t A Dream will be out on August 22nd. Palladino and Mills will be on the road in September in the States and then again in October in Europe. See below for their itinerary.
Pino Palladino and Blake Mills 2025 Tour Dates:
| Date | Location | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| September 21st | Portland, OR | Aladdin Theater |
| September 23rd | Berkeley, CA | The Freight |
| September 24th | Big Sur, CA | Henry Miller Memorial Library |
| September 26th | Los Angeles, CA | The Ford |
| October 3rd | Brooklyn, NY | Pioneer Works |
| October 7th | Cardiff, UK | Gate Arts Centre Date |
| October 8th | Utrecht, NE | Hertz at Tivolivrendenburg |
| October 9th | Brussels, BE | Centre For Fine Arts w/ ABRUPT Festival |
| October 11th | Leipzig, DE | UT Connewitz w/ Leipzig Jazz Festival |
| October 12th | Stockholm, SE | Hörsalen w/ Stockholm Jazz Festival |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
That’s just ridiculously good. Funky, original, so tasteful. Just a joy to watch and listen to.