Warren Haynes’ ‘Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey’ Gets Release Date & New Preview

Warren Haynes detailed his new live album, Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey, due out on September 18 via Evil Teen Records in the U.S. and Provogue/Artone Label Group in Europe. The guitarist previewed the 16-track collection today with “Raven Black Night (Live).”

Warren Haynes captured Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey when he debuted the live orchestral project in 2019 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. The 64-piece Asheville Symphony Orchestra joined Warren alongside bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Jeff Sipe and saxophonist Greg Osby as well as Edwin McCain and Jasmine Muhammad on backing vocals.

Haynes co-produced the album with Don Was with mixing by Bob Clearmountain (David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones). Warren also worked with several arrangers including David Campbell (Adele, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé), Jim Gray (Barbra Streisand, Imagine Dragons), Tom Matta (Aretha Franklin, Art Garfunkel), Vince Mendoza (Sting, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell), Sean O’Loughlin (Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan) and Chris Walden (Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder).

Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey features songs from across Haynes’ illustrious career including songs from the canons of Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead and solo material. Previewing the album today is “Raven Black Night (Live),” a stripped down track originally appearing on Gov’t Mule’s second album, Dose. Warren detailed the new orchestral version:

“I had come up with this arrangement that went from ‘Raven Black Night’ into ‘Silent Scream Pt. 2’ and back into ‘Raven Black Night.’ The way those two things married together is really cool, and the way the orchestra accepted that challenge was really amazing. I think the way those two songs work together kind of lend themselves to orchestration, in some ways, more than anything else on this recording. They sound like the orchestration completes the thought, like the orchestration sounds like part of the composition, which is a tall order and very high praise indeed. I love the arrangement for the piece and really enjoyed singing ‘Raven Black Night’ in that light, because the original recording had no drums and was very stripped-down. It had a little percussion thing in the middle and no bass. Whereas this arrangement is just full-bodied, full orchestration – the opposite of the original – and it really takes it to a place that completes it and turns it into another thing.”

Watch the official performance video for “Raven Black Night (Live)” below:

Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey

1. Dreams & Songs (Part 1)
2. Dreams
3. Banks Of The Deep End
4. Spots of Time
5. Broken Promised Land
6. Thorazine Shuffle
7. It Makes No Difference
8. Terrapin Station > Slipknot! > Terrapin Station
9. Raven Black Night > Silent Scream > Raven Black Night
10. Just Another Rider
11. Black Peter
12. Instrumental Illness
13. One
14. Shakedown Street
15. Whipping Post
16. Dreams & Songs (Reprise)