Bruce Hornsby and the experimental chamber ensemble, yMusic, have come together to form a new project, dubbed BryhM. They’ll release their first album, Deep Sea Vents, on March 1st via Zappo Productions / Thirty Tigers. As a preview, the lead single,”Deep Blue,” is out today.

First meeting at the Eaux Claires Festival in 2016 — where they performed back-to-back sets — Hornsby and yMusic have been collaborating for several years now, releasing tracks and appearing live together. Deep Sea Vents, though, will be their first full-length collaborative effort, and if the single “Deep Blue” is any indication, fans can expect the album’s 10 tracks to present inventive arrangements, blending funk, folk, soul, and orchestral instrumentations.

For example, “Deep Blue” is carried by its funky bassline, but colored by melodic interjections from pianos, strings, and even an electric sitar. Speaking about the track Hornsby said: “yMusic may be the funkiest, groovingest chamber group in all the land! Plus, I’m making my recorded debut as an electric sitarist on this piece — I have a limited range and not much ability, granted, but I feel it added a wry, exotic, and soulful texture to the song, so why not?”

Explaining the meaning of the track, Hornsby said: “In eighth grade we had a poetry section in English class, and Stephen Crane (The Red Badge Of Courage) was on the list. For some reason some of my friends and I thought two of his poems were a scream, so we never forgot them, and I couldn’t get them out of my mind after creating this track so just started singing them — voilà. The rest fairly much wrote itself, and Rob [Moose] and CJ [Camerieri] took over from there.”

Moose and Camerieri are both members of yMusic, along with Nadia Sirota, Gabriel Cabezas, Hideaki Aomori, and Alex Sopp. The group was first founded 16 years ago, and has since collaborated with other major artists, such as John Legend, Paul Simon, and more. Moose co-produced Deep Sea Vents along with Hornsby, and the album will feature guest appearances by jazz greats Branford Marsalis, Mark Dover, and Chad Wright. Pre-orders are ongoing, and you can check out the artwork and tracklist below.

Get Bruce Hornsby and yMusic Tickets Here

Meanwhile, Hornsby and yMusic are gearing up to take BryhM on the road later this year for a 15-date tour kicking off on March 7th in Urbana, Illinois. Check out the full list of dates below, and grab tickets here.

Deep Sea Vents Artwork:

What's your reaction?