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Product Description
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.
In a Nonesuch Store Exclusive, orders of the album through nonesuch.com include as a bonus track a demo Mehldau recorded for Brion early on in the album's development, in which Mehldau explains how he'd like for the title track to unfold and offers a run-through on piano. Also included, as with almost all orders in the Nonesuch Store, is the complete album as audiophile-quality 320 kbps MP3's.
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 François Rauber in his work with Jacques Brel, and Bob Alcivar in his work with Tom Waits.'
Jon Brion also produced Mehldau's 2002 album '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.''
Highway Rider Reviews
Highway Rider Reviews
| 41 of 44 people found the following review helpful  Highway Rider through a variety of landscapes, This review is from: Highway Rider (Audio CD) This double-CD release from Brad Mehldau offers a variety of settings: Brad solo piano (one track); duet between Brad and Joshua Redman on tenor sax (one track); Mehldau trio (Larry Grenadier on acoustic bass and either Jeff Ballard and/or Matt Chamberlain on drums and/or percussions) (three tracks); Mehldau trio plus Joshua Redman (three tracks); Mehldau trio plus Joshua Redman and a chamber orchestra (five tracks); two tracks with the chamber orchestra only. Settings assorted as to describe a variety of landscapes, from joyful atmospheres to dark scenarios in a continuous up and down of sounds and musical ideas (all Brad original compositions). A musical travel between the easier pieces in trio and with Redman (in some ways vaguely recalling their Moodswing 1994 recording) to the slower and often shady orchestral parts. If you like the more conventional jazz releases of Mehldau (solo, trio, duo and quartet with Pat Metheny, duo with Joel Frahm 2004 Don't Explain) and you were... Read more 22 of 22 people found the following review helpful A profound iconic work that will go down as one of the most important recordings in the history of jazz, By Matthew (Green Bay, WI) - See all my reviews This review is from: Highway Rider (Audio CD) Brad Mehldau has been hailed as one of the greatest jazz pianists since he came on the scene in the 90's and for good reason. His largest audience came with the 2002 release "Largo", a genre bending album, that got him the most attention and introduced a new audience (although polarizing some fans...likely the same kind of people who whined when Dylan plugged in) to Mehldau's work. The experimentation on the record was exciting and fresh, but he was soon back to his more traditional style with the self-assured straight-ahead (yet very rewarding) album "Anything Goes"(2004).Now after numerous trio recordings, solo outings and collaborations, Brad Mehldau and Jon Brion bring us "Highway Rider", the highly anticipated sequel to Largo. Highway Rider is an album that really needs to be appreciated without any distractions, and preferably on nice equipment. This album was very uniquely recorded and sonically sounds different than almost anything I've ever heard. The... Read more 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful A Artistic Peak For Mehldau, By Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Highway Rider (Audio CD) This album represents Brad Mehldau's fine ability as a composer,player & orchestrater. Mehldau is joined once again with producer Jon Brion who's first record with Melhdau 2001's Largo in my opinion was a semi success. I believe this time around with Highway Rider the nine years of experience & several classical pieces Melhdau has written have given him the right tools to tackle a wide ranging project such as this. Highway Rider presents the listener with a wide variety of musical settings, solo piano, piano trio,trio with orchestra, & trio with orchestra with guest saxophonist Joshua Redman. Mehldau is working with familiar personal his regular working trio with Larry Grenadier on bass & Jeff Ballard on drums. Drummer Matt Chamberlin worked on the Largo album returns to add his touch to a few tracks & after a long hiatus Mehldau brought sax man Joshua Redman in on tenor & soprano. After several hearings I'v come to conclude that this album is a watershed for Mehldau a definite... Read more |
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