Brad Mehldau

American, born in 1970, Brad Mehldau is one of the most renowned jazz pianists of his generation. Having first made a name for himself in the ranks of saxophonist Joshua Redman in the mid-Nineties, he won over audiences and critics alike with his trio recordings alongside Larry Grenadier (bass) and Jorge Rossy (drums). In this phase, his style was a post-bop with cool shades, marked by brilliant melodic flair and a systematic use of straight eighth notes (straight eight), running against the grain of the prevailing swing-based taste. His real breakthrough, however, came with "Largo" (2000), produced by Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright) and more pop-oriented. Helped along by a label change (from Warner to Nonsuch), the pianist's formula expanded into a fusion of varied influences, blending classical and electronic elements, veering depending on the release towards jazz-rock, pop, third stream, or more straightforwardly bop horizons. Besides continuing his trio work (with Jeff Ballard on drums since 2005), he has played with Pat Metheny ("Metheny Mehldau", "Metheny Mehldau Quartet") and Charlie Haden ("Long Ago And Far Away"), reworked Bach ("After Bach"), and thrown himself into a dazzling prog/nu jazz venture alongside Mark Guiliana ("Taming The Dragon", under the name Mehliana). And, in a savvy move for visibility, he has ridden the wave of jazz covers of pop songs with real class, drawing from the songbooks of harmonically adventurous artists — Beatles, Radiohead, Beach Boys, but also Nirvana and, more recently, Gentle Giant, Yes and Rush. Other significant albums in his career include "Highway Rider" (in Esbjörn Svensson Trio territory) and the ambitious "Finding Gabriel" with Ambrose Akinmusire, winner of the 2019 Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Album.