Ode

Submitted by nonesuch on
genre
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

The Trio—"a graceful powerhouse, equally savvy about groove and harmony" (New York Times)—performs 11 previously unreleased songs composed by Mehldau. Many were written as tributes, or “odes,” to real and fictional people, like the late saxophonist Michael Brecker, a character from the film Easy Rider, and the guitarist Kurt Ronsenwinkel. "Ode is an often scintillating and always joyful listen from beginning to end," says MusicOMH. The Chicago Tribune finds Mehldau "in prime form as composer, improviser and bandleader." The Montreal Gazette says: "This may well be his most interesting, absorbing album to date." The Financial Times calls it "benchmark piano-trio jazz." 

Description

Nonesuch releases an album of original songs from the Brad Mehldau TrioOde—on March 20, 2012. The record, which is the first from the trio since 2008’s live Village Vanguard disc and the first studio trio recording since 2005’s Day Is Done, features 11 previously unreleased songs composed by Mehldau. The trio comprises Mehldau on piano, Jeff Ballard on drums, and Larry Grenadier on bass.

Ode is a collection of originals that I wrote specifically for my trio with Larry and Jeff,” says Mehldau. “I feel that what they bring to the music in the performance here is inseparable from the tunes themselves.” Most of the songs, he explains, “are tributes to someone else, and I began to think of them as odes, or poems that might be sung; in our case here it’s the singing only without all those pesky words.” Subjects include the late saxophonist Michael Brecker (“M.B.”), a character from the film Easy Rider (“Eulogy for George Hanson”), and the guitarist Kurt Ronsenwinkel (“Kurt Vibe”).

Mehldau moved to New York City in 1988, studying at the New School and playing in a number of different combos—including a stint in Redman’s quartet—before becoming a bandleader himself. His trio, which tours the world extensively, made eight acclaimed recordings for Warner Bros., including the five widely praised Art of the Trio albums with former drummer Jorge Rossy, which Nonesuch released as a boxed set in December 2011.

The pianist’s time with Nonesuch has been equally productive, beginning with the solo disc Live in Tokyo and including the three trio records Day is Done, House on Hill, and Live as well as a collaboration with soprano Renée Fleming, Love Sublime; a chamber ensemble album, Highway Rider; and two collaborations with label mate Pat Metheny, Metheny Mehldau and Quartet, the latter of which also includes Ballard and Grenadier. In addition to the Art of the Trio box set, Mehldau’s other two Nonesuch releases last year showcased other facets of his varied career as it enters its second decade: his live solo performances on Live in Marciac and his collaborations with genre-crossing musicians on Modern Music, with composer/pianist Kevin Hays and composer/arranger Patrick Zimmerli.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Brad Mehldau
All tracks except 3, 8 & 10 recorded November 17, 2008
Tracks 3, 8 & 10 recorded April 19, 2011
Recorded by James Farber at Avatar Studios, New York, NY
Assistant Engineers: Akihiro Nishimura (2008), Fernando Lodeiro (2011)
Mixed by James Farber at Sear Sound, New York, NY
Assistant Engineers: David Schoenwetter, Chris Allen
Mastered by Greg Calbi Sterling Sound, New York, NY
Production Coordinator: Tom Korkidis

All songs composed by Brad Mehldau

Design by John Gall
Photography by Augusta Quirk

Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz

Nonesuch Selection Number

529689

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
Album Status
Artist Name
Brad Mehldau Trio
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Brad Mehldau, piano
Larry Grenadier, bass
Jeff Ballard, drums

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597962840BUN
Label
MP3
Price
11.00
UPC
075597962833
Label
FLAC
Price
12.00
UPC
075597950847
  • 529689

Track Listing

News & Reviews

  • Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, has announced its 2023–24 concert season, including performances by Brad Mehldau (both solo and with his Trio), Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kronos Quartet, Rhiannon Giddens with Silkroad Ensemble, and Attacca Quartet.

  • Brad Mehldau has published his debut book, Formation: Building a Personal Canon, Part I, out now on Equinox Publishing. "It's an autobiographical bildungsroman of sorts, tracing my musical and personal formation up until the age of twenty-six," he says. "Along the way, it gives a picture of what the New York City jazz scene felt like in the late 1980s and early ’90s." Joshua Redman says: "His music is nothing short of magic—an impossible wonder of ecstatic and empathic creative communion, to which I myself have borne witness, time and time again. Now, in this probing and provocative memoir, Brad finally shares with us some of the secrets (or at least the stories) behind the casting of his innumerable spells. A worthy read for anyone intrigued by the genesis of genius.”

  • About This Album

    Nonesuch releases an album of original songs from the Brad Mehldau TrioOde—on March 20, 2012. The record, which is the first from the trio since 2008’s live Village Vanguard disc and the first studio trio recording since 2005’s Day Is Done, features 11 previously unreleased songs composed by Mehldau. The trio comprises Mehldau on piano, Jeff Ballard on drums, and Larry Grenadier on bass.

    Ode is a collection of originals that I wrote specifically for my trio with Larry and Jeff,” says Mehldau. “I feel that what they bring to the music in the performance here is inseparable from the tunes themselves.” Most of the songs, he explains, “are tributes to someone else, and I began to think of them as odes, or poems that might be sung; in our case here it’s the singing only without all those pesky words.” Subjects include the late saxophonist Michael Brecker (“M.B.”), a character from the film Easy Rider (“Eulogy for George Hanson”), and the guitarist Kurt Ronsenwinkel (“Kurt Vibe”).

    Mehldau moved to New York City in 1988, studying at the New School and playing in a number of different combos—including a stint in Redman’s quartet—before becoming a bandleader himself. His trio, which tours the world extensively, made eight acclaimed recordings for Warner Bros., including the five widely praised Art of the Trio albums with former drummer Jorge Rossy, which Nonesuch released as a boxed set in December 2011.

    The pianist’s time with Nonesuch has been equally productive, beginning with the solo disc Live in Tokyo and including the three trio records Day is Done, House on Hill, and Live as well as a collaboration with soprano Renée Fleming, Love Sublime; a chamber ensemble album, Highway Rider; and two collaborations with label mate Pat Metheny, Metheny Mehldau and Quartet, the latter of which also includes Ballard and Grenadier. In addition to the Art of the Trio box set, Mehldau’s other two Nonesuch releases last year showcased other facets of his varied career as it enters its second decade: his live solo performances on Live in Marciac and his collaborations with genre-crossing musicians on Modern Music, with composer/pianist Kevin Hays and composer/arranger Patrick Zimmerli.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Brad Mehldau, piano
    Larry Grenadier, bass
    Jeff Ballard, drums

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Brad Mehldau
    All tracks except 3, 8 & 10 recorded November 17, 2008
    Tracks 3, 8 & 10 recorded April 19, 2011
    Recorded by James Farber at Avatar Studios, New York, NY
    Assistant Engineers: Akihiro Nishimura (2008), Fernando Lodeiro (2011)
    Mixed by James Farber at Sear Sound, New York, NY
    Assistant Engineers: David Schoenwetter, Chris Allen
    Mastered by Greg Calbi Sterling Sound, New York, NY
    Production Coordinator: Tom Korkidis

    All songs composed by Brad Mehldau

    Design by John Gall
    Photography by Augusta Quirk

    Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz