Via spinner…
The final studio album from former Wilco multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett will be released on July 10. In advance of its formal release date, ‘Kicking at the Perfumed Air’ will be available for free download beginning on May 24 via JayBennett.org, home of the newly established Jay Bennett Foundation. The organization, which supports music in education, will officially launch that same day, the one-year anniversary of the performer/producer’s death.
“Those of us who loved Jay lost a son, a brother, a collaborator and a loyal friend. The world lost a gifted musician, thoughtful songwriter and uniquely creative force in the studio who was always working to make music better,” Bennett’s brother Jeff said in a statement. “This album is part of a larger effort to honor Jay’s memory and enhance his legacy by exposing more people to his music and by supporting charitable efforts to make the world a better place.”
Fans who opt to download the album, which Bennett was finishing at the time of his death, will be given the opportunity to make a donation that will benefit the foundation or one of its partner charities. A percentage of sales from the physical CD will also go to the JBF.
Bennett, who owned his own Pieholden Studios in Champaign, Ill., played in Wilco from 1995 to 2001. He got his start in the band Titanic Love Affair and released a number of records in recent years as both a solo artist and as part of a duo with longtime friend Edward Burch.