Brad Mehldau

Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

Mehldau studied music at The New School, touring and recording while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's quartet in the mid-1990s, and has led his own trio since the early 1990s. His first long-term trio featured bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy; in 2005 Jeff Ballard replaced Rossy. These bands have released more than a dozen albums under the pianist's name.

Since the early 2000s, Mehldau has experimented with other musical formats in addition to trio and solo piano. '' Largo'', released in 2002, contains electronics and input from rock and classical musicians. Later examples include: touring and recording with guitarist Pat Metheny; writing and playing song cycles for classical singers Renée Fleming, Anne Sofie von Otter, and Ian Bostridge; composing orchestral pieces for 2009's '' Highway Rider''; and playing electronic keyboard instruments in a duo with drummer Mark Guiliana.

Aspects of pop, rock, and classical music, including German Romanticism, have been absorbed into Mehldau's writing and playing. Through his use of some traditional elements of jazz without being restricted by them, simultaneous playing of different melodies in separate hands, and incorporation of pop and rock pieces, Mehldau has influenced musicians in and beyond jazz in their approaches to writing, playing, and choice of repertoire.

Early life

Mehldau was born on August 23, 1970, in Jacksonville, Florida.Kennedy, Gary W
"Mehldau, Brad"
''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved February 9, 2014. (Subscription required.) His adoptive family was father Craig Mehldau, an ophthalmologist,McNally, Owen (February 25, 1998
"Mehldau's Art Of Thegrammy, Volume One"
''The Courant''. mother Annette, a homemaker, and sister Leigh Anne, who became a social worker. The family moved from Roswell, Georgia, to Bedford, New Hampshire, in 1975. There was always a piano in the house during Mehldau's childhood, and he initially listened to pop and rock music on the radio. His family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, when Mehldau was 10. Up to this point he had played mostly simple pop tunes and exercises from books, but the move brought him a new piano teacher, who introduced him to classical music. This new interest lasted for a few years, but by the age of 14 he was listening more to jazz, including recordings by saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Oscar Peterson. Keith Jarrett's '' Bremen/Lausanne'' helped Mehldau realize the potential of the piano as an instrument.

Mehldau attended William H. Hall High School and played in its concert jazz band. While at high school, he began transcribing jazz solos from recordings, to improve his listening skills and gain insights into improvisation. From the age of 15 until he graduated from high school he had a weekly gig at a local club, and performed for weddings and other parties, often with fellow Hall student Joel Frahm. In his junior year at the school Mehldau won Berklee College of Music's Best All Round Musician Award for school students. Mehldau described himself as being, up to this point, "a white, upper-middle-class kid who lived in a pretty homogenized environment".

After graduating, Mehldau moved to New York City in 1988 to study jazz and contemporary music at The New School, on a partial scholarship. He studied under pianists Fred Hersch, Junior Mance and Kenny Werner, and drummer Jimmy Cobb. In 1989, Mehldau was a member of saxophonist Christopher Hollyday's band that toured for several months; as a result of playing so often with one group, Mehldau was able to assimilate the music of Wynton Kelly and McCoy Tyner, his two principal influences on piano up to that point, and began to develop his own sound. Before the age of 20, Mehldau also had gigs in Cobb's band, along with fellow student Peter Bernstein on guitar.

Later life and career

1991–1998

Mehldau's first recording was for Hollyday's '' The Natural Moment'' in 1991; his first tour of Europe was also with the saxophonist during the same year. Mehldau's interest in classical music returned when he was in his early twenties, and spurred him into developing his left-hand playing technique. He led his own trio from at least 1992, when he played at New York's Village Gate. Mehldau also played as sideman with other musicians around this time. His performances with saxophonist Perico Sambeat included a tour of Europe early in 1993, and Mehldau's first released recordings as co-leader, from a May concert in Barcelona."Discography of Brad Mehldau"
linge.de Retrieved February 10, 2014. Mehldau toured for 18 months with saxophonist Joshua Redman. The association with Redman began in 1993, but they had played together for a short period the previous year. Redman and his band attracted attention, with their 1994 album '' Moodswing'' also aiding Mehldau's profile. They also played together for the soundtrack to the film '' Vanya on 42nd Street'' (1994), for which Redman wrote the music.Strick, Philip (January 1, 1995) "Vanya on 42nd Street". ''Sight and Sound''. Volume 5/1. p. 61.

Mehldau graduated from The New School in 1993. He formed his first long-term trio in 1994, with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy.Hobart, Mike (October 23, 2008
"Brad Mehldau, Barbican, London"
ft.com In the following year, Mehldau recorded '' Introducing Brad Mehldau'' for Warner Bros., his first album as sole leader. It was well received, with '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' commenting that "it's as if he were aware of jazz tradition but entirely unencumbered by it." His second album for Warner Bros., '' The Art of the Trio Volume One'', was recorded in 1996 and was widely praised by critics. The title was selected by producer Matt Pierson as one that would attract attention and help to build a brand.

By the mid- to late 1990s, Mehldau was regarded by some as one of the leading jazz musicians of the day: '' Guardian'' critic John Fordham described him as "the next great keyboard star of jazz". The appreciation was not universal: some of the pianist's self-penned liner notes and interview comments, which included philosophical musings and complaints about comparisons with pianist Bill Evans, engendered dislike in some, thereby, in critic Nate Chinen's words, "leaving Mehldau with a lingering reputation for pretentiousness and self-indulgence." Many critics did, though, reassess their judgment of his main influences, which previously had often been given as Evans, an assessment that was perhaps attributable more to race than to music. Another, non-musical, similarity with Evans that was commented on was Mehldau's struggle with an addiction to heroin during the 1990s, up to 1998. Around 1996 he moved to Los Angeles, to try to overcome his problem with drugs.Himes, Geoffrey (December 2011) "1 Pianist, 2 Hands". ''DownBeat''. p. 47. Mehldau later stated: "Once I stopped using heroin, it was like a rush of creativity that had been held in check came out".

In 1996, Mehldau made the first of several recordings with saxophonist Lee Konitz and bassist Charlie Haden. Mehldau's contributions to film music continued in 1997, with an accompanist role for some of the tracks recorded for '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil''. His series of trio albums also continued, employing some of the traditional elements of jazz while not conforming to or being restricted by its norms. '' Live at the Village Vanguard: The Art of the Trio Volume Two'' consisted entirely of standards, and was recorded at a series of 1997 concerts at the Village Vanguard, and released the following year. The title again attracted attention, as concert recordings from the same club had been issued by some of the biggest names in jazz, including Evans, and saxophonists Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. The studio album '' Songs: The Art of the Trio Volume Three'' followed later in 1998, and contained Mehldau originals, standards, plus Nick Drake's " River Man", and Radiohead's " Exit Music (For a Film)". This album was chosen by Fordham as his jazz CD of the year. " lthough itmight seem to some a little introverted, and certainly distinctly classical in flavor", he wrote, "the intricacy and counter-melodic richness of a great pianist is astonishingly balanced against the more direct and open eloquence a great vocalist might bring."Fordham, John (December 18, 1998) "Brad Attitude". ''The Guardian''. p. A14.

Mehldau became established on the international jazz festival scene in the mid- to late 1990s, having played at events such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1997, and the North Sea Jazz Festival in 1998. Also in 1998, the pianist reunited with Redman for the saxophonist's '' Timeless Tales (For Changing Times)'', and played on country artist Willie Nelson's '' Teatro''. That summer, Mehldau spent a few months in Germany, developing his interest in its language, literature, and music.

1999–2004

Mehldau's interest in figures of 19th century German Romanticism, including Brahms, Schubert, and Schumann, influenced his first solo piano release, '' Elegiac Cycle'', which was recorded in 1999 and broke the sequence of trio recordings under his name. '' Art of the Trio 4: Back at the Vanguard'' was recorded and released in the same year, presenting more performances from the Village Vanguard. The recording features standards, Mehldau originals, Miles Davis' " Solar", and another version of "Exit Music (For a Film)".Fordham, John (October 8, 1999) "Three's Company". ''The Guardian''. p. B25. Also in 1999, Mehldau was pianist for two albums by saxophonist Charles Lloyd. In the following year, '' Places'', an album containing both Mehldau solo piano pieces and trio performances, was released.Fordham, John (September 8, 2000) "Jazz CD: Releases". ''The Guardian''. p. B22. All of the tracks were Mehldau originals, and were based on his experiences of visiting and revisiting various locations worldwide. '' Progression: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 5'', the final album in that series, was another concert recording from the Village Vanguard, and was recorded in 2000 and released in 2001. Looking back on his earlier career, Mehldau commented in 2005 that "The trio created my identity". In the three or four years up to the end of 2001, his trio had toured for the majority of each year.Morrow, Martin (November 26, 2001) "Enter Prince Hamlet". ''The Globe and Mail''. p. R3.

In 2001 Mehldau expanded from playing on film soundtracks, which had included '' The Million Dollar Hotel'' and '' Space Cowboys'', to scoring, with the French film '' Ma femme est une actrice''. In the same year, he left Los Angeles. He first played with saxophonist Wayne Shorter that year, and recorded the Grammy Award-winning '' Alegría'' with him a couple of years later.

While trio performances and recordings continued, Mehldau began in the early to mid-2000s to broaden the musical settings in which he appeared as leader.Chinen, Nate (January/February 2005
"Brad Mehldau: Anything Goes"
''JazzTimes''. An early instance was his 2002 album '' Largo'', which was Mehldau's first departure from piano solo or trio albums. It was produced by Jon Brion, whom Mehldau had met at a California club that hosted weekly happenings. On the album, in addition to Mehldau's usual trio, rock musicians and instruments associated more with classical music were employed, as were experiments with prepared piano and "multiple layers of electronically enhanced sound". As of 2010, this was reported to be Mehldau's best-selling album.

The results of two further days of recording in 2002 were split over two trio albums: '' Anything Goes'', released in 2004, contained performances of compositions by others; the Mehldau originals were released two years later on '' House on Hill''. A solo piano recording from a 2003 concert, '' Live in Tokyo'', showed greater lyricism appearing in Mehldau's playing, and was released in 2004 as his first album for Nonesuch Records, an imprint of Warner Bros. In the summer of 2004 he toured Europe for three weeks with a band that included guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and Redman. That autumn, Mehldau formed a quartet, with Mark Turner on saxophones, Grenadier on bass, and Jeff Ballard on drums.

2005–2019

In 2005 Ballard replaced Rossy as the drummer in Mehldau's trio.Comiskey, Ray (February 3, 2006) "Brad Mehldau Trio". ''The Irish Times''. p. B20. This, in the view of critic Ray Comiskey, did not radically change the trio's sound, but it did give them "a harder edge and pushed Mehldau more, with bassist Larry Grenadier left more in a fulcrum role, the centre around which piano and drums cavort." Another critic, Ben Ratliff, suggested that the new trio's sound was "denser and more tumultuous", with rhythms more overt than with the previous trio. In February 2005 Mehldau performed in Hong Kong for the first time, with his new trio. Their first album, '' Day Is Done'', was recorded the following month.

Mehldau continued to expand beyond trio and solo playing. In the spring of 2005 he premiered a song cycle that he had written for classical music singer Renée Fleming. This association was based on a commission from Carnegie Hall; their 2006 recording contained music set to poems by Rainer Maria Rilke and Louise Bogan.Panken, Ted (March 2011) "Idiom Weaver: Brad Mehldau Goes Full-Throttle". ''DownBeat''. p. 26. Mehldau also collaborated with guitarist Pat Metheny from 2005 – they recorded two albums together that year, along with Grenadier and Ballard, and in 2007 went on a worldwide tour.

Another Village Vanguard recording, '' Brad Mehldau Trio Live'', was recorded in 2006 and released two years later.Fordham, John (March 28, 2008
"Brad Mehldau Trio, Live"
''The Guardian''. This also contained a variety of sources of material, including " Wonderwall" by rock band Oasis

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