Brad Mehldau’s new album, Jacob’s Ladder, is out now on CD and digital; the vinyl is due June 17. The album features new music that reflects on scripture and the search for God through music inspired by the prog rock he loved as a young adolescent—his gateway to the fusion that eventually led to his discovery of jazz. Featured musicians on the album include label mates Chris Thile and Cécile McLorin Salvant, as well as Mark Guiliana, Becca Stevens, Joel Frahm, and others. Mojo calls it "a kaleidoscopic affair, where baroque prog-rock edifices are juxtaposed with clouds of ethereal choirs, dreamy piano interludes, and squalls of free jazz-style clarinet. Skillfully weaving these elements into storytelling sound collages, Mehldau takes the listener on a memorable musical journey."

Brad Mehldau has released a new track from his upcoming album, Jacob’s Ladder, “Tom Sawyer." The song, Mehldau’s interpretation of the Rush classic, features his Nonesuch Records label mate Chris Thile on lead vocals and mandolin as well as Joel Frahm on saxophones and Mark Guiliana on drums; Mehldau plays keyboards and provides additional vocals. You can watch the video here. This follows the recent release of the album's opening track, "maybe as his skies are wide," which builds off an interpolation of one portion of "Tom Sawyer." 

Nonesuch Records releases Brad Mehldau’s Jacob’s Ladder on March 18 on CD; a vinyl LP version is due later in the year (date TBD). The album features new music that reflects on scripture and the search for God through music inspired by the prog rock he loved as a young adolescent—his gateway to the fusion that eventually led to his discovery of jazz. Featured musicians on the album include label mates Chris Thile and Cécile McLorin Salvant, as well as Mark Guiliana, Becca Stevens, Joel Frahm, and others. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include an exclusive signed, limited-edition print while they last. You can watch a video for ‘maybe as his skies are wide’—a song that builds off an interpolation of one portion of Rush’s classic "Tom Sawyer"—here.

The members of the original Joshua Redman Quartet—Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade—who reunited to release the album RoundAgain in July 2020, twenty-six years after their album MoodSwing, will reunite once again to tour for six nights in April 2022. The tour begins with two nights in New York City, at Blue Note April 18 and The Town Hall April 19, followed by Symphony Center in Chicago, Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Koerner Hall in Toronto, and Symphony Hall in Boston. "A flawless effort," NPR exclaims of RoundAgain. "Each one of them is at the very top of his game now." 

The SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco has announced its 2021–22 concert season, and featured among the performers taking the Miner Auditorium stage are four Nonesuch artists: Joshua Redman, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Brad Mehldau, and Kronos Quartet. Tickets go on sale to members July 29 and to the general public August 5. 

Brad Mehldau’s Variations on a Melancholy Theme is out now. The recording features the pianist/composer and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, which commissioned this orchestral version of the work—a theme and eleven variations plus a cadenza and postlude. The album also includes an encore, “Variations ‘X’ and ‘Y.'" "I imagine it as if Brahms woke up one day and had the blues," Mehldau says of the piece, which combines the classical form with jazz harmonies. "While the theme evokes melancholy, I let it be used as a springboard for other happy, wild, violent, and reckless emotions as the variations progress." You can watch a video for Variation 4 here.

The Jazz Journalists Association has announced the 2021 JJA Jazz Awards nominations, including three for Rob Mazurek for the new Exploding Star Orchestra album, Dimensional Stardust; all four members of the RoundAgain quartet, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade; performers on Pat Metheny's album From This Place, including Metheny, Linda May Han Oh, and Grégoire Maret; Jeff Parker for Suite for Max Brown; and Cécile McLorin Salvant, whose Nonesuch debut album is forthcoming.

Brad Mehldau’s Variations on a Melancholy Theme is due June 11, 2021, on Nonesuch. The recording features the pianist/composer and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, which commissioned this orchestral version of the work—a theme and eleven variations plus a cadenza and postlude. The album also includes an encore, “Variations ‘X’ and ‘Y.'" "I imagine it as if Brahms woke up one day and had the blues," Mehldau says of the piece, which combines the classical form with jazz harmonies. "While the theme evokes melancholy, I let it be used as a springboard for other happy, wild, violent, and reckless emotions as the variations progress." You can watch a video with excerpts from the piece here.

"I can't overstate the tremendous beauty and mastery glimmering here," says Simon Rentner, host of WGBO's The Checkout, about Brad Mehldau's new album, Suite: April 2020. Mehldau discusses the album, which he wrote while sheltering at home with his family and recorded during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with WBGO's Nate Chinen on the latest episode of the show, which you can hear here.

Brad Mehldau gave a special solo performance without an audience in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw as part of its Empty Concertgebouw Sessions. He performed five pieces from his new album, Suite: April 2020, followed by John Coltrane's "Satellite" and Van Heusen/Burke's "Here’s That Rainy Day." You can watch the session here.

Congratulations to all of the Nonesuch nominees for the 63rd Grammy Awards: David Byrne's American Utopia on Broadway for Best Musical Theater Album; Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade's RoundAgain for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Redman for Best Improvised Jazz Solo on the track "Moe Honk"; Pat Metheny's "From This Place" for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals; and Dan Auerbach for Producer of the Year.

Brad Mehldau's new album, Suite: April 2020, is now available on CD and standard vinyl, following the release of the digital and limited-edition deluxe vinyl editions earlier this year. While sheltering at home with his family in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic this spring, Mehldau wrote twelve new songs about what he was experiencing; he was able to record them safely in an Amsterdam studio, along with interpretations of three tunes that mean a great deal to him. One thousand numbered and signed copies of the deluxe edition were sold, with a minimum of $90 from each sale donated to the Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Musician’s Emergency Fund. Brad Mehldau has several solo concerts in Europe ahead.