The Highway Rider is pianist and composer Brad Mehldau's second collaboration with enigmatic pop producer Jon Brion. The first was 2002's ambitious but tentative Largo. As a collaboration, The Highway Rider is much more confident by contrast. Mehldau’s most ambitious work to date, its 15 compositions are spread over two discs and 100 minutes. ~ AllMusic
A casual listen might suggest that Floratone is a new Bill Frisell project (and that would be mostly correct), except every indication is that this is a fully collaborative project between Frisell, drummer Matt Chamberlain, and Tucker Martine and Lee Townsend. Composition credits are all shared and they all appear on the front cover. Why is that notable? Because while Frisell and Chamberlain are both credited with "loops" along with their respective instruments, Martine and Townsend receive only "production" credits – no instruments. That's because on Floratone, the pure elements of sound and space are given as much attention as the music itself.
Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and poet. Classically trained on piano as a child, Apple began composing her own songs when she was 8 years old. Her debut album, Tidal, written when Apple was 17, was released in 1996 and received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single "Criminal". She followed with When the Pawn… (1999), produced by Jon Brion, which was also critically and commercially successful and was certified platinum…
The Highway Rider is pianist and composer Brad Mehldau's second collaboration with enigmatic pop producer Jon Brion. The first was 2002's ambitious but tentative Largo. As a collaboration, The Highway Rider is much more confident by contrast. Mehldau’s most ambitious work to date, its 15 compositions are spread over two discs and 100 minutes. His trio - bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard - is augmented by saxophonist Joshua Redman, drummer Matt Chamberlain, and a chamber orchestra conducted by Dan Coleman. The album is a narrative jazz suite, orchestrated and arranged by Mehldau, though it has much in common with classical and pop music, as well…
Recorded live, Largo uses innovative audio techniques yet no overdubbing. As Brad Mehldau stretches out by adding horn sections and playing the vibes, he creates a truly extraordinary sonic experience that cuts across genres from jazz to rock. Produced by Jon Brion….Brion used different microphone techniques to change the sound of the piano. Mehldau does much less "blowing" on this record and plays more songs. There is very much a conscious effort to evoke an emotional response from the listener by the "sound" of the record rather than the actual playing. In this respect, Largo is a refreshing break from so many other jazz albums that whizz by, solo after solo.
Mehldau combines inspiring originals and some unusual covers to keep the record interesting and grounded. The opening track "When It Rains," as well as "Dusty McNugget," feature particularly crisp and effective horn arrangements that serve as a pad for Mehldau to state and restate themes. Mehldau's take of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android," while a valiant effort and a fun listen, falls short of the original's intensity. On the other hand, his medley between Jobim's "Wave" and the Beatles' "Mother Nature's Son" is a success, as is a second Beatles cover on the album, "Dear Prudence."
Overall, this album is a must for Jazz fans that are interested in a break from the norm. Certainly an intriguing and gratifying listen, and one of the year's best albums so far.
This special performance is the culmination of a yearlong tour by Marianne Faithfull and pianist/ arranger Paul Trueblood. The breathy, frail, and innocent voice of the '60s, wilted by too many years of hard living, now conveys deep layers of emotion, and the rasp of her voice goes straight to the soul. This concert revisits her album 20th Century Blues and her passion for Kurt Weill, especially the songs composer for his theater collaborations with Bertolt Brecht (among them 'Alabama Song,' 'Pirate Jenny,' 'The Ballad of the Soldier's Wife,' and 'Surabaya Johnny').