Flea – Honora

I am a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, and in particular, a Flea fan. I was thrilled to learn he would be releasing a jazz album focused on his first instrument, the trumpet.

Flea composed and arranged the music, and also plays trumpet and bass throughout, joined by a crew of modern jazz cats: album producer and saxophonist Josh Johnson, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Deantoni Parks. It features vocals from Flea, as well as Thom Yorke and Nick Cave. Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Atoms for Peace) and Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes) also join the band.

The album comprises six original songs—including one co-written by Flea, Johnson, and Yorke—as well as interpretations of tunes by George Clinton and Eddie Hazel, Jimmy Webb, Frank Ocean, Shea Taylor, and Ann Ronell.

Per Flea in the liner notes:

Three years ago, in 2022, as I neared my 60th birthday, I realized that if I didn’t do it now, I probably never would. So I resolved to practice trumpet every day for two years, and at the end of the two years, I would make a trumpet record, regardless of where my skill and knowledge was at. I called the great LA jazz man, my friend Rickey Washington. I knew he’d taught his son, Kamasi, and various other luminaries from the rebellious contemporary LA jazz scene that I admired so much. He agreed to teach me, and was everything I could have possibly hoped for – wise, patient, generous and loving. I’d never had a music mentor before, so to sit with Rickey at his home and absorb the traditional gifts of knowledge he shared, buoyed my heart. It was also hard as hell!

1991. Sitting in a late-night hotel room in Portland, Oregon, during the filming of My Own Private Idaho. I said to my dear friend, “I want to make an instrumental record with deep hypnotic grooves, trippy melodies layered on top, meditations on a groov……I gotta get my trumpet-playing together.” I’ve been wanting to make a record like this for the last 35 years. Time and space have finally allowed me. Thank you for listening.

I have met Rickey Washington – he was selling mercy at the first Kamasi show I attended. Incredibly cool cat. Love that he mentored Flea.

“Golden Wingship” is a brief tone-setter that signals this will be an adventure. More noise rock than jazz.

“A Plea” is a legit jazz tune with a series of short solos: bass, guitar, alto flute, trombone, trumpet, sax, percussion, and a bohemian rap from Flea. It is the most ambitious track on the album. It was the teaser single for this project (released in late 2025).

“Traffic Lights” features Thom Yorke on vocals, and it is one of Yorke’s finest vocals. Flea and Yorke have a history (Atoms for Peace). This is exactly the kind of jazz you would expect from Flea and Yorke. The second single was released in early 2026.

“Frailed” is an atmospheric piece where Flea’s Red Hot Chili Peppers’ mate John Frusciante plays trumpet and electronic drums. The song has an amazing viola solo. Some great bass grooves. Flea gets his In A Silent Way Miles groove on via the horn. This is another ambitious track. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

“Morning Cry” is straight bebop jazz. Flea has got to feel great about his prowess on the trumpet. He sounds like a legit jazz musician in both his composition and performance. It is a quartet of trumpet, guitar, upright bass, and drums.

“Maggot Brain” is a cover of the Funkadelic classic where Flea’s trumpet replaces Eddie Hazel’s electric guitar. Flea takes it nice and slow, savoring the melody.

“Wichita Lineman” is a cover of the Glen Campbell hit that Jimmy Webb wrote. It features Nick Cave on vocals. This is the only song on the album that doesn’t work for me. It is a great song, and Cave does a good job, but it feels out of place on the album.

“Thinkin Bout You” is an instrumental Frank Ocean cover. The original had a catchy melody and a gorgeous vibe. Flea captures the song’s beauty and riffs on it from a jazz perspective, using his bass and horn augmented by a gorgeous string section. In the song, you can feel the heat of the romance. This is the gem of the album. Third single.

“Willow Weep for Me” (Ann Ronell cover) is a moody, atmospheric piece that allows Flea to dance over the proceedings with his hypnotic trumpet tone. Per liner notes: “Entire track treated and mixed by John Frusciante.”

The album ends with “Free As I Want to Be,” which has an avant-garde jazz vibe and a face-melting solo from Jeff Parker. Flea runs his horn through some treatment that distorts his sound into what sounds like a trombone.

The album is a three-sided vinyl LP. It is well mastered and pressed for vinyl. On high-resolution streaming, it is 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC. It is a well-engineered album.

Overall, Flea accomplishes his goal of making a legitimate jazz album and mastering the trumpet. I am no jazz expert, but he doesn’t sound like an interloper or fanboy, but a musician successfully following his muse.