Produced by Tom Lunt, 512 embraces traditional pop, folk, and gospel styles more directly in a collection of four standard tunes, along with a free improvisation and a side long fantasia on a gospel standard. Making a departure from the free-wheeling soliloquies of Eggelston’s debut Musik (2017), which he also produced, Lunt invited musicians Sam Amidon and Leo Abrahams to collaborate on 512. This is what led to Brian Eno performing bells on “Improvisation,” the elegant introduction to 512’s piano-driven palette. It is gentle yet thrilling; guided by Eggleston’s serene piano and Eno’s subtle percussion, “Improvisation” evokes an off-the-cuff alchemy, stretching in unexpected ways across its 3 minutes.
512 was produced in one day in 2018 in Memphis, and is named after the room in which Eggleston sat down to record. Per his lifelong tradition, many of the tracks on 512 feature Eggleston’s take on beloved American songs, including “Ol’ Man River,” “Over the Rainbow,” and “Onward Christian Soldiers.” The resulting 512 is a sparse, stark work of an American icon holding a mirror to the music that has shaped his country, and in turn, himself. “I’ve never heard anything like it,” Eggleston said, grinning. “It’s very modern.”
Alongside Eno on today’s “Improvisation,” 512 also features contributions from Amidon (fiddle/banjo), Matana Robers (saxophone), Abrahams (organ/synthesizer/electric guitar), Mikele Montolli (bass), and Seb Rockford (drums). 512 was mastered by Michal Kupicz, and features six new compositions and improvisations performed by Eggeleston on the piano.