Jazz Articles about Brad Mehldau

Brad Mehldau Trio: Live

by Andrew Velez
June 7, 2008

Returning to New York's Village Vanguard for another live recording, pianist Brad Mehldau's trio has Larry Grenadier (bass) returning and Jeff Ballard (drums) taking over for Jorge Rossy. Music seems to just pour out of Mehldau, as is buoyantly evident here. And often, as with Chico Buarque's “O Que Sera" or Chris Cornell's “Black Hole Sun," it flows at a dizzying pace. Much of this set's made up of Mehldau's own compositions such as “B-Flat Waltz"; the ...

Brad Mehldau Trio at Wolf Trap

by Dean Christesen
May 18, 2008

Brad Mehldau TrioWolf Trap, The BarnsVienna, VirginiaApril 30, 2008

A well-developed solo is a beautiful construction that takes time. Using time to their advantage, the Brad Mehldau Trio played an intoxicating set at the Barns at Wolftrap. The trio's latest album, Live (Nonesuch, 2008), came to life as the sense of blossoming solos on the recording was fully in flower on stage.

They played material none of which was on the latest release, performing an ...

The Brad Mehldau Trio at Nighttown

by Matt Marshall
April 18, 2008

The Brad Mehldau Trio Nighttown Cleveland Heights, OH April 3, 2008

Set One

The Brad Mehldau Trio stepped out from the hall at the corner of Nighttown's concert dining room, snaked around some tables and took up their instruments unannounced. Many in the crowd looked for verbal confirmation from an announcer or the musicians, but the boys simply started in.

Mehldau, his right shoulder pressed to chin, frowned over the ...

Brad Mehldau Trio: Live

by John Kelman
March 20, 2008

It's been three years since Jeff Ballard replaced original drummer Jorge Rossy in pianist Brad Mehldau's trio with bassist Larry Grenadier. While the trio has been busy on its own and with guitar icon Pat Metheny in support of Metheny Mehldau (Nonesuch, 2006) and Quartet (Nonesuch, 2007), it's also been three years since Day is Done (Nonesuch, 2005)-- its only release to date. Rossy's departure left a significant gap to fill, but Ballard's greater energy and dynamism has ushered Mehldau's ...

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz: Brad Mehldau

by Samuel Chell
June 17, 2007

Brad Mehldau Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz: Brad Mehldau Concord Records 2007

The pianist Marian McPartland gave an outdoor concert in my small Midwest community several summers ago, and attending the event led me to a realization about the appeal of Piano Jazz, her syndicated, international jazz show that has been running for 27 years, the longest streak of any cultural program to air on NPR. The crowd's response to her trio was at best ...

Brad Mehldau: Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Brad Mehldau

by Ken Dryden
June 11, 2007

Brad Mehldau's 1996 appearance on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz is a typically enjoyable program in this long running NPR series, featuring the then up-and-coming pianist playing at the top of his game and engaging in enlightening conversation with his host about his interests and influences. Yet another musician who initially began classical studies but gravitated to jazz at an early age, Mehldau is very soft spoken about his accomplishments. Mehldau's imaginative approach to the standard “From This ...

Brad Mehldau: Marion McPartland's Piano Jazz: Brad Mehldau

by Robert R. Calder
May 24, 2007

Part of the Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Series, this piano and conversation set, recorded in 1996, is strong on ballads, with a fresh sound from a younger Brad Mehldau. On their first date in 1958, Mehldau's father took a young lady to the Hickory House jazz club in New York and heard McPartland. They later married, and produced son Brad who appears here with the great lady jazz pianist McPartland (tickets for her 89th birthday event were ...