Nonesuch Releases Brad Mehldau’s Highway Rider on March 16
United States
English
Album of original compositions was produced by Jon Brion and features chamber orchestra plus Jeff Ballard, Matt Chamberlain, Larry Grenadier, and Joshua Redman
January 11, 2010 — Nonesuch Records releases Highway Rider—a double-disc of original work by pianist and composer Brad Mehldau—on March 16, 2010. The album is his second collaboration with renowned producer Jon Brion and features performances by Mehldau’s trio—drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier—as well as drummer Matt Chamberlain, saxophonist Joshua Redman, and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman. Mehldau also orchestrated and arranged the album’s 15 pieces for the ensemble. Highway Rider is available now for pre-order at www.nonesuch.com with an exclusive bonus track: Mehldau’s spoken notes and piano demo of the title track. (Please see reverse for 2010 North American concert dates.)
Although Brad Mehldau is best known as a jazz composer and improviser, he has written several long-form compositions and songs, including an orchestral piece called The Brady Bunch Variations for the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France and two Carnegie Hall commissions: Love Songs for mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and Love Sublime for soprano Renée Fleming.
“It’s so exciting to write something and have it in your head and then hear it for the first time being played by these magnificent musicians,” he says. “It’s really an emotional experience. I’m still reeling from it.”
“For me, the biggest challenge was the orchestration—which notes to assign to what instruments. I’ve been studying lots of orchestral scores for a while now—Strauss, Brahms, Tchaikovsky; a lot of big romantic stuff in particular. But while I was writing, I was also listening closely to modern orchestrators and arrangers, and there are two who have made an impact on me especially—Francois Rauber in his work with Jacques Brel, and Bob Alcivar in his work with Tom Waits.”
Jon Brion also produced Mehldau’s 2002 Largo, and Mehldau had been hoping to work with him again since then. “I knew from working with Jon on Largo that he was the guy who would find a way to put all the pieces together for this project. It was really quite a beast sonically at some points—two drummers playing at the same time, bass, sax, and piano, and then the orchestra on top of that. I wanted to record everything live whenever possible but wasn’t sure if we could do it. The first conversation with Jon about the music, that was for him a done deal—it had to be live, with the orchestra and the jazz group playing together. Jon had the foresight during the recording, and then a great deal of craft during the mixing, to bring it all together and sound like it does. And we were able to avoid what the conductor Dan Coleman jokingly referred to as ‘disco strings’—that is, adding the orchestra onto the jazz group’s performance after the fact.”
Largo was a step in a new direction for the pianist, incorporating horns, strings, vibes, and electronic instruments—as well as Brion’s unique production touches. As Brion points out, though, “This time around—having done these classical things of late, and these different commissioned pieces he’s had to write—was a completely different thing. It’s like, ‘OK, I know what I learned from doing that last one. This time I have a specific angle.’”
Brad Mehldau in Concert
January 19 and 20, Seattle WA *
Dimitrious Jazz Alley
January 22, Santa Barbara, CA *
Lobero Theatre
January 23, San Francisco, CA *
Herbst Theatre
February 5, Cambridge, MA *
Sanders Theater
April 1,2, 3, and 4, Oakland, CA **
Yoshi’s
April 5, Santa Cruz, CA **
Kuumbwa Jazz Center
April 6 and 7, Minneapolis, MN **
Dakota Jazz Club
April 8, Grand Rapids, MI **
St. Cecilia Music Center
April 10, Toronto, ONT **
Massey Hall
April 11, Kingston, ONT **
The Grand Theatre
April 15, Kennett Square, PA ***
Longwood Gardens
April 16, Saratoga Springs, NY ***
Zankel Music Center
April 17, Stony Brook, NY ***
Staller Center Recital Hall
April 28, Burlington, VT ***
Flynn Theatre
April 30, Frederick, MD ***
Weinberg Center
May 1, Roanoke, VA ***
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center
* Solo
** Brad Mehldau Trio
*** Joshua Redman/Brad Mehldau Duo
January 11, 2010 — Nonesuch Records releases Highway Rider—a double-disc of original work by pianist and composer Brad Mehldau—on March 16, 2010. The album is his second collaboration with renowned producer Jon Brion and features performances by Mehldau’s trio—drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier—as well as drummer Matt Chamberlain, saxophonist Joshua Redman, and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman. Mehldau also orchestrated and arranged the album’s 15 pieces for the ensemble. Highway Rider is available now for pre-order at www.nonesuch.com with an exclusive bonus track: Mehldau’s spoken notes and piano demo of the title track. (Please see reverse for 2010 North American concert dates.)
Although Brad Mehldau is best known as a jazz composer and improviser, he has written several long-form compositions and songs, including an orchestral piece called The Brady Bunch Variations for the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France and two Carnegie Hall commissions: Love Songs for mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and Love Sublime for soprano Renée Fleming.
“It’s so exciting to write something and have it in your head and then hear it for the first time being played by these magnificent musicians,” he says. “It’s really an emotional experience. I’m still reeling from it.”
“For me, the biggest challenge was the orchestration—which notes to assign to what instruments. I’ve been studying lots of orchestral scores for a while now—Strauss, Brahms, Tchaikovsky; a lot of big romantic stuff in particular. But while I was writing, I was also listening closely to modern orchestrators and arrangers, and there are two who have made an impact on me especially—Francois Rauber in his work with Jacques Brel, and Bob Alcivar in his work with Tom Waits.”
Jon Brion also produced Mehldau’s 2002 Largo, and Mehldau had been hoping to work with him again since then. “I knew from working with Jon on Largo that he was the guy who would find a way to put all the pieces together for this project. It was really quite a beast sonically at some points—two drummers playing at the same time, bass, sax, and piano, and then the orchestra on top of that. I wanted to record everything live whenever possible but wasn’t sure if we could do it. The first conversation with Jon about the music, that was for him a done deal—it had to be live, with the orchestra and the jazz group playing together. Jon had the foresight during the recording, and then a great deal of craft during the mixing, to bring it all together and sound like it does. And we were able to avoid what the conductor Dan Coleman jokingly referred to as ‘disco strings’—that is, adding the orchestra onto the jazz group’s performance after the fact.”
Largo was a step in a new direction for the pianist, incorporating horns, strings, vibes, and electronic instruments—as well as Brion’s unique production touches. As Brion points out, though, “This time around—having done these classical things of late, and these different commissioned pieces he’s had to write—was a completely different thing. It’s like, ‘OK, I know what I learned from doing that last one. This time I have a specific angle.’”
Brad Mehldau in Concert
January 19 and 20, Seattle WA *
Dimitrious Jazz Alley
January 22, Santa Barbara, CA *
Lobero Theatre
January 23, San Francisco, CA *
Herbst Theatre
February 5, Cambridge, MA *
Sanders Theater
April 1,2, 3, and 4, Oakland, CA **
Yoshi’s
April 5, Santa Cruz, CA **
Kuumbwa Jazz Center
April 6 and 7, Minneapolis, MN **
Dakota Jazz Club
April 8, Grand Rapids, MI **
St. Cecilia Music Center
April 10, Toronto, ONT **
Massey Hall
April 11, Kingston, ONT **
The Grand Theatre
April 15, Kennett Square, PA ***
Longwood Gardens
April 16, Saratoga Springs, NY ***
Zankel Music Center
April 17, Stony Brook, NY ***
Staller Center Recital Hall
April 28, Burlington, VT ***
Flynn Theatre
April 30, Frederick, MD ***
Weinberg Center
May 1, Roanoke, VA ***
Shaftman Performance Hall, Jefferson Center
* Solo
** Brad Mehldau Trio
*** Joshua Redman/Brad Mehldau Duo
