We’re pleased to be premiering “Conversion,” the new single from Nashville Ambient Ensemble, a group whose name tells you much of what you need to know about them. “Conversion” is from Cerulean, their new album set for release on March 19. They’re led by composer Michael Hix and feature members of Belly Full of Stars and Diatom Deli — as well as Luke Schneider, whose pedal steel album on Third Man is a favorite around these parts.

Here’s what Michael Hix had to say about how “Conversion” came together:

“On this track (and the album in general), I was inspired compositionally by the modal jazz of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Using modal jazz and bluegrass as a model, I wanted to create a non-hierarchical setting where no one player was given priority over another. On this track, the mixolydian mode and very simple chord changes provide a static foundation for the soloists to step into the foreground one-by-one. John Coltrane believed strongly in the transformative power of music – hence the title, ‘Conversion,’ is a nod to that sensibility.”

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