Seymour Reads the Constitution!

The trio of Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass), and Jeff Ballard (drums) had recorded together since 2005; The pianist recounted that Hoffman "read in a measured but slightly melancholic voice, resigned and stoic all at once. Behind his voice was the melody of what became 'Seymour Reads the Constitution'. When I woke up I grabbed the initial melody before it faded away and wrote the song." Hoffman died less than two weeks later. ==Music and recording==

The album was recorded at Avatar Studios, New York City It was produced by Mehldau. "Spiral" contains "a repeated motif with downward-moving harmonies and builds into a drum-feature peak". "Mehldau re-harmonises and toys with the baroque opening line of 'Ten Tune' while Ballard is at full stretch; the piece plays out with the pianist unaccompanied, spinning variations with such purpose that they appear pre-composed." ==Release and reception==

Seymour Reads the Constitution! was released by Nonesuch Records on May 19, 2018. The AllMusic reviewer wrote that "much of the album has a balmy, laid-back quality as if it were recorded during a sunny afternoon at home." ==Track listing==

• "Spiral" (Brad Mehldau) – 8:33 • "Seymour Reads the Constitution" (Mehldau) – 8:03 • "Almost Like Being in Love" (Frederick Loewe) – 5:41 • "De-Dah" (Elmo Hope) – 8:42 • "Friends" (Brian Wilson) – 8:15 • "Ten Tune" (Mehldau) – 10:07 • "Great Day" (Paul McCartney) – 5:54 • "Beatrice" (Sam Rivers) – 8:54 ==Personnel==

• Brad Mehldau – piano • Larry Grenadier – bass • Jeff Ballard – drums ==Chart performance==