''Formation: Building a Personal Canon, Part One'' is an autobiographical book by
Brad Mehldau
Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Quar ...
. It describes the first 26 years of his life, stressing the influences on his musical and personal development. The book, characterised by Mehldau as a non-fiction
bildungsroman
In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is imp ...
, was published by
Equinox
A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears zenith, directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" ...
in 2023.
Background
Brad Mehldau
Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Quar ...
's career as a pianist and composer began in the early 1990s.
After building a reputation as a jazz improviser, he expanded into other areas such as classical, folk and electronic music.
Mehldau described ''Formation'' as "an autobiographical
bildungsroman
In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is imp ...
of sorts, tracing my musical and personal formation up until the age of twenty-six". He recounted that much of the material for the book had been on a computer for at least 15 years, but that he took a long time to identify and form a story based on it.
Publication and reception
''Formation'' was published as a hardback and ebook by
Equinox
A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears zenith, directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" ...
on 15 March 2023, priced at GBP£30 or US$50.
Reviewers mentioned the book's blending of literary styles,
allusions to a wide range of musical and literary influences and the disturbing nature of some of its content.
Ted Panken
Ted Panken is an American jazz journalist who has written for ''Down Beat'', ''Jazziz'', and ''Jazz Times''.
From 1985 to 2008, he broadcast jazz and creative music on radio station WKCR. He has written more than 500 liner notes and has contrib ...
, writing in ''
Down Beat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...
'', described Mehldau's book as: "an unflinching account of his turbulent first quarter-century, recounting and intersectionally contextualizing, in searing, transparent detail, the circumstances that framed the establishment of the musical relationships and tonal personality that he has elaborated and refined ever since".
''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' reviewer concluded: "Readers of this poignant memoir will discover what Brad Mehldau learned to see during the long course of his formation."
Future work
The book is the first in a planned two-part series.
The second "will focus more directly on the jazz canon itself".
See also
*
List of jazz biographies
This is a list of English language book-length biographies and autobiographies of notable jazz musicians. The list is alphabetical by subject. Within subject, books are listed alphabetically by author. A list of related works contains books of rel ...
References
{{Brad Mehldau
2023 non-fiction books
American autobiographies
English-language books
Jazz books