Jazz Articles about Jeff Ballard

like 1,040

Highway Rider

by John Kelman
March 9, 2010

For a pianist who not only demonstrated remarkable promise, but actually began delivering on it at a very early stage in his career with what would ultimately become his five-part Art of the Trio (Warner Bros.) series, Brad Mehldau's side projects have--with the exception of the solo Live in Tokyo (Nonesuch, 2004)--met with mixed reactions. Perhaps it's because of his emergence as one of modern jazz's most distinctive and popular interpreters of both contemporary song and standard material in a ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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Jeff Ballard: A Life In Music

by Renato Wardle
October 19, 2006

For some jazz musicians, it seems as though they explode onto the scene virtually from the first day they pick up their instrument, and then proceed to land a huge name gig and the rest is history (or they are, after their 15 minutes). Other musicians spend a lifetime building and honing their craft. One gig leads to the next, one experience preparing them for the following one. Such is the case for master drummer Jeff Ballard.Ballard's gigs ...

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Ben Allison: Medicine Wheel

by Troy Collins
May 4, 2006

Bassist Ben Allison was a virtual unknown when this album was originally released by Palmetto in 1998. After Seven Arrows (Koch, 1996), this was Allison's first major release. Combining conservatory training, ethnic/world music fusions, post-bop energy and free-jazz vigor, Allison and company were on the cusp of a new movement. Listening to this recording in retrospect reveals a blueprint for the new breed of jazz improviser. Medicine Wheel is a watershed moment in end of the century East Coast jazz.

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Matt Penman: The Unquiet

by Phil DiPietro
August 14, 2002

Either Matt Penman wrote his own bio or paid a comedian friend (who knows a thing or two about the jazz world) to write it for him. It contains the following gems that lend humorous light to the how and why he eventually grew up to be a beautifully introspective, reflective composer, to wit: “The introduction by an insistent school teacher of Jazz music into the mix was of course life-altering, as now there was a legitimate reason to not ...

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Ben Allison: Medicine Wheel

by Glenn Astarita
December 1, 1998

Ben Allison asserts: “The Medicine Wheel is a mirror in which the universe is reflected. Any idea, person or object can be such a mirror". Derived from North American Indian beliefs Allison's somewhat mystical approach adheres to the overall attitude behind his music and the band's execution. The Septet aptly called “Medicine Wheel" is a conglomerate of “new jazz" musicians who yearn for new sounds and ideas while extending the capabilities of their respective musical instruments.

Medicine Wheel is: Ben ...