Mehldau-Frisell Notes.Indd
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CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS Sunday, January 22, 2006, 7 pm Mehldau’s second solo piano recording, Live Zellerbach Hall in Tokyo, was released in 2004. Day Is Done, the fi rst recording featuring his new trio, was re- leased by Nonesuch in September 2005. It in- cludes interpretations of songs by Lennon and McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Paul Simon and Nick Drake, among others, as well as two original com- positions by Mehldau. Bassist Larry Grenadier received a B.A. in (l–r: Jeff Ballard, Brad Mehldau, Larry Grenadier) English literature from Stanford University. After relocating to Boston, he toured the United States Like many of his contemporaries, pianist Brad and Europe as a member of Gary Burton’s band. Mehldau began his career with intense classical He then moved to New York, where he has per- training long before he was exposed to jazz. He formed with Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, Pat began experimenting with the piano at age four Metheny and John Scofi eld, among others. When and began formal training at six, which continued not working with Brad Mehldau, he tours and re- until he was 14. cords with the Pat Metheny Trio. Brad Mehldau Trio Since arriving in New York in 1988, Mehldau Drummer Jeff Ballard grew up in Santa Cruz, Brad Mehldau, piano has collaborated with many of his musical peers, California. He toured with Ray Charles from 1988 including guitarists Peter Bernstein and Kurt Larry Grenadier, bass until 1990, when he settled in New York. Since Rosenwinkel and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. Jeff Ballard, drums then, Ballard has performed and recorded with In 1995, he formed his fi rst trio with bassist Larry Lou Donaldson, Danilo Perez, Chick Corea and Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, which toured Joshua Redman, among others. In addition to his the world and released six recordings. In 2005, work with Brad Melhdau, Ballard co-leads Fly, a Rossy was replaced by drummer Jeff Ballard. collectively led trio with Larry Grenadier and ten- In addition to these projects, Mehldau has or saxophonist Mark Turner, and performs with worked with numerous leading jazz musicians, in- Joshua Redman’s Elastic Band. cluding a rewarding, two-year membership in sax- ophonist Joshua Redman’s quartet, recordings and In a career spanning more performances with Charlie Haden and Lee Konitz than 25 years and over 150 and recordings as a sideman with Wayne Shorter, recordings—including 25 John Scofi eld and Charles Lloyd, among others. albums of his own—guitar- He is the subject of the French documentary Jazz ist, composer and bandlead- Collection: Brad Mehldau. er Bill Frisell has established Mehldau has also contributed to several re- himself as a visionary pres- cordings outside of the jazz idiom, including Willie ence in American music. Nelson’s Teatro and singer-songwriter Joe Henry’s He has collaborated with a Bill Frisell Quintet Scar. His music has appeared in several movies, in- broad range of artists, fi lmmakers and legendary cluding Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and Wim Bill Frisell, guitar musicians. But it is his work as a leader that has Wenders’s Million Dollar Hotel. He also composed garnered increasing attention and accolades. Ron Miles, trumpet an original soundtrack for the French fi lm, Ma Born in Baltimore, Bill Frisell played clarinet Gregory Tardy, tenor saxophone and clarinet femme est une actrice. throughout his childhood in Denver, Colorado. Tony Scherr, bass Recently, on a commission from Carnegie His interest in guitar began with his exposure to Kenny Wollesen, drums Hall, Mehldau composed a set of songs for sopra- pop music on the radio. Th e Chicago blues soon no Renée Fleming, based on poems from Rainer became a passion through his exposure to the work Th is performance is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the members of the Maria Rilke’s Th e Book of Hours: Love Poems to God of Otis Rush, B. B. King, Paul Butterfi eld and Cal Performances Producers Circle and Friends of Cal Performances. and Louise Bogan’s Th e Blue Estuaries. Th e duo Buddy Guy. In high school, Frisell played in bands premiered these works at New York’s Zankel Hall Cal Performances thanks our Centennial Season Sponsor, Wells Fargo. covering pop and soul classics, James Brown and in May 2005. 22 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 23 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS other dance material. Later, he studied music at the Marc Ribot, with instrumentalists being specially Born in New Orleans, Drummer Kenny Wollesen University of Northern Colorado before attending selected for each program. Th e concerts took place Gregory Tardy began his grew up in Santa Cruz, Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he in former industrial spaces that were converted musical career studying California, lived briefl y in San studied with John Damian, Herb Pomeroy and into performance venues in the Ruhr region. clarinet before turning to Francisco early in his career Michael Gibbs. Frisell spent 1978 in Belgium, Frisell’s latest album, East/West, was released by tenor saxophone, on which and has lived and worked in where he concentrated on composition. During Nonesuch in August 2005. Th e two-CD set cap- he explored many musical New York for many years. this period, he toured with Gibbs and made his tures live trio performances with drummer Kenny styles, especially falling in He has performed regularly fi rst recordings with German bassist Eberhard Wolleson and bassist Tony Scherr at New York’s love with jazz. Tardy has with Bill Frisell as a member Weber. Frisell moved to the New York area in 1979 Village Vanguard, as well as a show with Wolleson worked with Elvin Jones, of his trios, the New Quartet and stayed until 1989. He now lives in Seattle. and Krauss at Yoshi’s in Oakland. A companion re- the Neville Brothers, Ellis and the septet, with which Frisell’s numerous recordings demonstrate a cording, Further East/Further West, featuring addi- Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Tom Harrell, Andrew he appeared on the album Blues Dream. He broad range of musical infl uences. His catalog, tional tracks by the trio, is available via download Hill, Dave Douglas, John Patitucci, Jay McShann, has played with John Zorn, Marc Ribot, John including 20 recordings for Nonesuch, includes at www.songtone.com. Frisell’s 2004 Nonesuch Wynton Marsalis, Steve Coleman, James Moody Medeski, Tom Waits, John Scofi eld, Jesse Harris everything from original Buster Keaton fi lm scores CD, Unspeakable, won a 2005 Grammy Award for and Rashied Ali, among others. His recordings and the Ferdinandos, Sean Lennon, Mitchell to arrangements for large ensemble with horns Best Contemporary Jazz Album, and he was again as a leader include Serendipity, Hidden Light and Froom, Big John Patton, John Lurie, Jim Hall, (Th is Land, Blues Dream), compositions originally voted Best Guitarist in the 2005 Down Beat critics’ Abundance. He plays both tenor saxophone and Jessica Williams and Myra Melford. In addition written as soundtracks to Gary Larson cartoons poll, after having won in 1998 and 1999. clarinet in the Bill Frisell Quintet. to his live performances with Frisell, he currently (Quartet), interpretations of works by classic and tours with trumpeter Steven Bernstein’s Sex Mob, contemporary American composers (Have a Lit- A Denver, Colorado, native, Tony Scherr was born in New and occasionally with Zorn’s Electric Masada. He tle Faith) and collaborations with bassist Viktor trumpeter Ron Miles has Haven, Connecticut, and is a self- also leads his own band, Th e Wollesens. Krauss and drummer Jim Keltner (Gone, Just Like played with Bill Frisell in a taught musician. He is best known a Train, Good Dog, Happy Man). number of recording and live as a bass player (both acoustic and Over the years, Frisell has collaborated with situations, including Frisell’s electric), but he also plays slide Paul Motian, John Zorn, Ginger Baker, the Los celebrated quartet of the and electric guitar. Tony has lived Angeles Philharmonic, Marc Johnson, Ronald mid-1990s; the trio (with in New York for many years. He Shannon Jackson and Melvin Gibbs, Marianne Jenny Scheinman) that per- stays busy recording and touring Faithful, John Scofi eld, Jan Garbarek, Lyle Mays, forms in Frisell’s multimedia with many bands, including Sex Mob, Jesse Vernon Reid, Julius Hemphill, Paul Bley, Wayne collaboration with artist Jim Woodring, Mysterio Harris and the Ferdinandos, Joey Baron’s Killer Horvitz, Hal Willner, Robin Holcomb, Rinde Sympatico; the septet; and with the band that in- Joey and the Maria Schneider Orchestra. Tony Eckert, the Frankfurt Ballet, fi lmmaker Gus Van terpreted Frisell’s arrangements of songs by Elvis has also performed with John Scofi eld, John Sant, David Sanborn, David Sylvian and nu- Costello and Burt Bacharach, resulting in the re- Lurie and the Lounge Lizards, Dakota Staton, merous others, including Bono, Brian Eno, Jon cordings Blues Dream, Quartet and Th e Sweetest Woody Herman, Chris Brown and Kate Fenner, Hassell and Daniel Lanois on the soundtrack for Punch. Ron has released two recordings as a leader Slowpoke, Al Grey, Jon Faddis, the Vanguard Jazz Wim Wenders’s fi lm Million Dollar Hotel. for Gramavision, Woman’s Day and My Cruel Heart. Orchestra, Sophie B. Hawkins, Junior Cook, Brad In 2002, Frisell was appointed the musical More recently, he made Heaven, duo recording for Shepik and the Commuters, Wolfgang Muthspiel, director of the Century of Song series by artistic Sterling Circle, on which Frisell is his guest. His Stanley Turrentine, Steve Kuhn and Tricky. Tony director Gerard Mortier and Chief Dramaturg latest recording is Laughing Barrel, which features has contributed to fi lm scores by John Lurie, Evan Th omas Woerdehoff for the 2003–2004 seasons Brandon Ross, Anthony Cox and Rudy Royston.