Brad Mehldau

Brad Mehldau (born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist. Besides leading his own group, the Brad Mehldau Trio, he has performed with many renowned artists, including Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Larry Grenadier, Peter Bernstein, Jeff Ballard, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brian Blade, Jimmy Cobb, classical vocalists Renée Fleming and Anne Sofie von Otter, and singer-songwriters Chris Thile, John Mayer and Elliott Smith.

Biography
Mehldau was born Bradford Alexander Mehldau in 1970 in Jacksonville, Florida. His family moved to Connecticut where Mehldau spent most of his childhood and high school. He attended William H. Hall High School in West Hartford and participated in Hall's prestigious jazz program. While a sophomore in high school, he won Berklee College's Best All-Around Musician Award. Mehldau moved to New York in 1988 to study jazz at The New School, studying under Fred Hersch, Junior Mance and Kenny Werner, and also playing with Jimmy Cobb. He went on to play as sideman with a variety of musicians, most importantly with the Joshua Redman quartet, before forming his own trio in 1994, with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, and later Jeff Ballard, who succeeded Rossy in 2005. In addition to his trio work, Mehldau collaborated with guitarist Pat Metheny, releasing two albums with him and embarking on a worldwide tour along with Grenadier and Ballard. In 2012, Mehldau teamed with drummer Mark Guiliana for a synthesizer-oriented duo project called "Mehliana", and launched a tour in 2013, alternating performances with another duo project of Mehldau's featuring Chris Thile.

Recording primarily for Nonesuch Records, Mehldau plays original compositions, jazz standards and jazz arrangements of popular music, especially rock music. With his trio, he has recorded arrangements of the music of Nick Drake, The Beatles, Radiohead and Paul Simon among others, and recorded Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" on his 2008 album, Live. Mehldau has also expressed an interest in and knowledge of philosophy, in particular of music and art. He has played and recorded solo and with co-leaders Peter Bernstein, Mark Turner, Charlie Haden, Charles Lloyd, Pat Metheny and others. In 2004, Mehldau toured with Kurt Rosenwinkel and Joshua Redman.

He cites Larry Goldings, Kevin Hays, Peter Bernstein, Mark Turner, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jesse Davis, David Sánchez and the other members of his own trio as influences. He implements his classical training by often playing a separate melody with each hand in unusual rhythmic meters. For example, he plays his arrangement of Jerome Kern's standard "All the Things You Are" on Art of the Trio, Vol. IV in A major (a half-step up from the original key, A-flat major) played in 7/4 time. On Day Is Done, he also plays Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" in 7/4. Another of Mehldau's signature techniques is to create an ostinato in his right hand whilst developing a motivic idea in his left hand (e.g. on "Live in Tokyo", during the last three minutes of "Someone to Watch Over Me", where he keeps a constant A pedal).

Mehldau cherishes Brazilian music, citing Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque and Simone.

Mehldau is married to Dutch jazz vocalist Fleurine, with whom he has recorded and toured.

Transcriptions

 * in 2003, the American publisher Hal Leonard released a collection of 6 titles (Bewitched, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, Nobody Else but Me, Prelude to a Kiss, Sehnsucht, Unrequited) transcribing the piano part of pieces played in trio.
 * in 2011, the French publisher Outre Mesure released in both English and French the complete transcription note for note of Elegiac Cycle, his first solo album, and some musical commentaries by Philippe André, the original manuscript “lead sheets” of Brad Mehldau and a long and recent interview by Ludovic Florin about the genesis of the record and where the musician stands with it now.

As leader

 * Introducing Brad Mehldau (1995, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. I (1997, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. II &mdash; Live at the Village Vanguard (1997, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. III &mdash; Songs (1998, Warner)
 * Elegiac Cycle (1999, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. IV &mdash; Back at the Vanguard (1999, Warner)
 * Places (2000, Warner)
 * Deregulating Jazz (limited edition) (trio) (2000, Warner)
 * The Art of the Trio, Vol. V &mdash; Progression (2001, Warner)
 * Largo (2002, Nonesuch)
 * Anything Goes (2004, Warner)
 * Solo Piano &mdash; Live in Tokyo (2004, Nonesuch)
 * Day Is Done (trio) (2005, Nonesuch)
 * House on Hill (trio) (2006, Nonesuch)
 * Live (trio) (2008, Nonesuch)
 * Highway Rider (2010, Nonesuch)
 * Live in Marciac (solo) (2011, 2CD+DVD, Nonesuch)
 * Ode (trio) (2012, Nonesuch)
 * Where Do You Start (trio) (2012, Nonesuch)

As co-leader

 * with Jordi Rossy, Mario Rossy, Perico Sambeat: New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 1 (1993, FSNT)
 * with Rossy, Rossy, Sambeat: New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 2 (1993, FSNT)
 * with Rossy Trio: When I Fall in Love (1993, FSNT)
 * with MTB (Mark Turner, Peter Bernstein, Larry Grenadier, Leon Parker): Consenting Adults (1994, Criss Cross Jazz)
 * with Lee Konitz and Charlie Haden: Alone Together (1997, Blue Note)
 * with Konitz and Haden: Another Shade of Blue (1999, Blue Note)
 * with Fleurine: Close Enough for Love (1999, EmArcy)
 * with Joel Frahm: Don't Explain (2004, Palmetto)
 * with Renée Fleming: Love Sublime (2006, Nonesuch)
 * with Pat Metheny: Metheny/Mehldau (2006, Nonesuch)
 * with Metheny, Grenadier, Ballard: Metheny/Mehldau Quartet (2007, Nonesuch)
 * with Anne Sofie von Otter: Love Songs (2010, Naïve)
 * with Konitz, Haden and Paul Motian: Live at Birdland (2011, ECM)
 * with Kevin Hays, (composed and arranged by) Patrick Zimmerli: Modern Music (2011, Nonesuch)

As sideman

 * Allen Mezquida: A Good Thing (1992, Koch Jazz)
 * Grant Stewart: Downtown Sounds (1992, Criss Cross Jazz)
 * Joshua Redman: Moodswing (1994, Warner)
 * Chris Potter: Moving In (1996, Concord)
 * Joshua Redman: Timeless Tales for Changing Times (1998, Warner)
 * Scott Weiland: 12 Bar Blues (1998, Atlantic)
 * Chris Cheek: Vine (1999, FSNT)
 * Charles Lloyd: The Water Is Wide (2000, ECM)
 * Charles Lloyd: Hyperion with Higgins (2001, ECM)
 * John Scofield: Works for Me (2001, Verve)
 * Charlie Haden with Michael Brecker: American Dreams (2002, Verve)
 * Walt Weiskopf: Man of Many Colors (2002, Criss Cross Jazz)
 * Perico Sambeat: Friendship (2003, Act)
 * Wayne Shorter: Alegría (2003, Verve)
 * Darek Oleszkiewicz: Like a Dream (2004, CryptoGramophone)
 * Kurt Rosenwinkel: Deep Song (2005, Verve)
 * Chris Cheek: Blues Cruise (2005, FSNT)
 * Michael Brecker: Pilgrimage (2006, Telarc)
 * Harvey Mason: With All My Heart (2004, Bluebird) for one track
 * Fleurine: San Francisco (2008, Sunny Side)
 * Joe Martin: Not by Chance (2009, Anzic)
 * Eli Degibri: Israeli Song (2010, Anzic)

Soundtracks

 * Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
 * Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
 * Space Cowboys (2000)
 * Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
 * Ma femme est une actrice (2001)
 * Unfaithful (2002)
 * Ils se marièrent et eurent beaucoup d'enfants (2004)
 * The Lake House (2006) "When It Rains" and "Young at Heart"

TV appearances as performer

 * SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions (2004)