Out Now: Pino Palladino and Blake Mills Explore Minimalism on New Album That Wasn’t A Dream
At long last, the new album from Pino Palladino and Blake Mills is out. That’ Wasn’t A Dream sees the iconic bassist and producer following up on their 2021 collaboration, Notes with Attachments, by exploring textures with a minimalist approach. Palladino, who has changed the face of bass with his work with artists like D’Angelo and John Mayer, explains that stripping back the layers created more atmosphere.
“It came to light, really, that if we could make something work with the least possible ingredients, space could become the centerpiece,” he said.
The duo is joined by Chris Dave, Abe Rounds, Dory Bavarsky, Steve Jordan, and Pino’s son, Rocco Palladino, on the album. But as a press release notes, That’ Wasn’t A Dream feels like a “deepening of the core relationship between Palladino and Mills.”
The roles are blurred as Palladino picks up the guitar on the opening track, “Contour,” and Mills plays some low end with the fretless baritone sustainer guitar. “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.”
As such, the music is a deeply cohesive experience.
Check out Palladino doing the work on multiple basses for “Taka”:
Another standout bass track is the polyrhythmic “Somnambulista,” which builds from an angular bass line and doubled vocal/guitar melody into one of the thickest arrangements of the entire record.
That Wasn’t A Dream is out now on digital services including Apple Music and Amazon Music. Palladino and Mills will be on tour this fall to support the album, so don’t miss a rare opportunity to catch them live.
That Wasn’t A Dream Track Listing:
- Contour
- I Laugh In The Mouth Of The Lion
- Somnambulista
- Taka
- What Is Wrong With You?
- Heat Sink
- That Was A Dream
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.
