Where Do You Start

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DescriptionExcerpt

The Brad Mehldau Trio’s Where Do You Start is a companion disc to the critically acclaimed Ode. Whereas Ode featured 11 songs composed by Mehldau, Where Do You Start comprises the Trio’s interpretations of ten tunes by other composers, along with one Mehldau original. "The pianist builds his improvisation like a master storyteller," says NPR's Fresh Air. The album, says the BBC, "points to Mehldau entering a new prime phase in his career." 

Description

Nonesuch releases the Brad Mehldau Trio’s Where Do You Start, a companion disc to this spring’s critically acclaimed Ode, on September 18, 2012. Whereas Ode featured 11 songs composed by Mehldau, Where Do You Start comprises the Trio’s interpretations of ten tunes by other composers, along with one Mehldau original. Ode was widely praised, with London’s Daily Telegraph, in a five-star review, saying that it “shows Mehldau’s inventive powers are as fresh as ever ... and the interplay with Ballard and Grenadier is masterly.” The Brad Mehldau Trio is Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Jeff Ballard on drums.

Brad 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 label mate Joshua 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 eight years with Nonesuch have been equally productive, beginning with the solo disc Live in Tokyo and including five trio records Day is Done, House on Hill, Live, Ode, and Where Do You Start, 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 additional 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
Tracks 3, 4, 7, 8, 10 recorded November 17, 2008
Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11 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

Design by John Gall
Photography by Michael Wilson

Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz

Nonesuch Selection Number

532029

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
075597961058BUN
Label
MP3
Price
11.00
UPC
075597961041
Label
FLAC
Price
12.00
UPC
075597949490
  • 532029

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 the Brad Mehldau Trio’s Where Do You Start, a companion disc to this spring’s critically acclaimed Ode, on September 18, 2012. Whereas Ode featured 11 songs composed by Mehldau, Where Do You Start comprises the Trio’s interpretations of ten tunes by other composers, along with one Mehldau original. Ode was widely praised, with London’s Daily Telegraph, in a five-star review, saying that it “shows Mehldau’s inventive powers are as fresh as ever ... and the interplay with Ballard and Grenadier is masterly.” The Brad Mehldau Trio is Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Jeff Ballard on drums.

    Brad 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 label mate Joshua 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 eight years with Nonesuch have been equally productive, beginning with the solo disc Live in Tokyo and including five trio records Day is Done, House on Hill, Live, Ode, and Where Do You Start, 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 additional 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
    Tracks 3, 4, 7, 8, 10 recorded November 17, 2008
    Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11 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

    Design by John Gall
    Photography by Michael Wilson

    Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz