Brad Mehldau is set to launch his Highway Rider tour with the world premiere of the piece due at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis on November 5 and 6, followed by the New York premiere at Carnegie Hall on November 9. The latter is the first event of Mehldau's tenure as holder of the Debs Composer's Chair at Carnegie Hall. As such, he has published the first in a series of blog posts on the Carnegie Hall website, offering insight on composition and improvisation.
Brad Mehldau is set to launch his Highway Rider tour in just over two weeks, with the world premiere of the piece—which is featured on his latest Nonesuch album—due to take place at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis November 5 and 6. For those performances, at the New York premiere of the piece in Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, on November 9, and throughout the subsequent European tour, Mehldau will be joined by his regular Trio—bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard—as well as percussionist Matt Chamberlain and label mate Joshua Redman, all of whom appear on the album. Also performing in the US is the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and in Europe the Britten Sinfonia, both led by conductor Scott Yoo.
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The New York premiere of Highway Rider in Zankel Hall also marks the first event of Mehldau's tenure as holder of The Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at Carnegie Hall, the first time a jazz artist has held the position. As such, the pianist/composer will contribute a series of exclusive blog posts on the Carnegie Hall website throughout the 2010-11 season, offering his unique insights on composition and improvisation.
The first entry in the series has just been published. Titled Creativity in Beethoven and Coltrane, in part one, Taking Stock and Shoring Up in Opus 95, Mehldau asks the question: How do we map the total creative output of a musician over his or her lifetime? And, what's more, can such methods be applied to an improvising jazz musician? Read what Mehldau has to say in the extensive article and to see what's in store for the coming season at carnegiehall.org.
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For more information on Mehldau's upcoming tour, including links to purchase tickets, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour. And to pick up a copy of Highway Rider, head to the Nonesuch Store, where orders include an exclusive bonus demo track with the high-quality, 320 kbps available at checkout.
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