We greatly encourage you to watch Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil, a short documentary that highlights the creative process behind his forthcoming release Well, I Should Have…* (learned how to play piano).

Well, I Should Have…* was recorded and mixed by Mark Desimone at Soundtrack NY, except for “Amy’s Song” (The Bum Steer),” which was mixed by Loren Bouchard (Bob’s Burgers, Home Movies). Jon Benjamin (you may know him from his roles in Bob’s Burgers, Master of None, Wet Hot American Summer and Archer) is accompanied by Scott Kreitzer (saxophone), David Finck (bass), and Jonathan Peretz (drums). Additionally, the track, “Deal With the Devil”, features Aziz Ansari (Master of None) and Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers) (see AV Club premiere).

Well, I Should Have…*  was recorded on the same day the documentary was filmed. Benjamin says of the album:  “We all start from the same place and build from there, gathering references, structures, techniques, modes, nuances, etc. and, as artists, we strive to build something purposeful. Well, I Should Have…* is the culmination of hours (almost 3) of conception with the goal to bring something, in the tradition of the great vanguard jazz artists like Miles Davis, Roach, Mingus, Monk, et al, close to pure spontaneity. Jazz is the ocean…I am just one wave forming one curl, crashing once onto some remote beach somewhere in time. And that wave makes a small imperceptible change in the slope of the sand, upon which at some point in time a baby turtle will walk across, leaving his trail for just an instant, before the tide washes it clean. That’s a pretty cool analogy. More to the point, I do not play piano and I made this jazz album.

Some tell me, “Hey, Jon, tone it down.” Some even say, “Really, Jon?” A few have said, “Get the fuck away from me or I’ll fucking punch you in the face.” I know the risks in making this album. I know what it is like to do something that no one else would think to do. Most would call this reckless. I call it jazz. What you are about to experience is an aural auto-de-fe. I am the ‘jazz daredevil.’”

Well, I Should Have…* (is an actual record) and can now be purchased digitally and on LP through the Sub Pop Mega Mart and Bandcamp. The album will also be available Friday, November 27th through iTunes (preorder), Amazon, and Google Play.

Tracklisting:

1. I Can’t Play Piano, Pt. 1

2. I Can’t Play Piano, Pt. 2

3. It Had to Be You

4. I Can’t Play Piano, Pt. 3

5. I Can’t Play Piano, Pt. 4 (Trill Baby Trill)

6. Amy’s Song (The Bum Steer)

*Secret Bonus Track