music
March 30, 2026
‘I’m an old bastard looking back’: the bizarre renaissance of piano-jammer Bruce Hornsby
The AOR jazzer behind smash hit The Way It Is veered off into the avant garde. But he’s having sudden mainstream acclaim. ‘Well,’ he says as he releases yet another album, ‘it’s nicer than being ignored’
TL;DR
- Bruce Hornsby's new album, 'Indigo Park,' features more autobiographical lyrics than his previous work.
- Hornsby, who had a hit with 'The Way It Is,' has experienced a period of high productivity in his 70s, releasing four studio albums in five years.
- He blends his respect for American rock and folk with an interest in atonality and chromaticism.
- Hornsby has a history of political satire, having written songs critiquing Reagan and Donald Trump.
- He tests new music by playing it for friends and gauging his own reaction, describing it as 'hearing music through other people’s ears.'
- The album is influenced by dreams and reflections on his late father, Robert Hornsby.
- Hornsby continues to tour extensively, both solo and with his band, the Noisemakers.