Brad Mehldau Trio Returns with 'Seymour Reads the Constitution!', Available May 18 on Nonesuch
“The pianist Brad Mehldau has led this iteration of his pace-setting trio … since 2005, and it has evolved into a graceful powerhouse, equally savvy about groove and harmony.”
– New York Times
“Three musicians who share a common aesthetic … in which gestures are stated softly and with utmost subtlety ... When music-making becomes this transparent, listeners can relish details of texture and voicing.”
– Chicago Tribune
Nonesuch Records releases the Brad Mehldau Trio’s Seymour Reads the Constitution! on May 18, 2018. The pianist and his longtime trio, which includes drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier, perform three Mehldau originals combined with interpretations of pop songs (Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson), jazz tunes (Elmo Hope, Sam Rivers), and one work from the American songbook (Frederick Loewe’s “Almost Like Being in Love”). Seymour Reads the Constitution! is available for pre-order now at iTunes and the Nonesuch Store, where an instant download of the album track “Spiral“ is included with purchase. The album also can be heard on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Trio’s previous release, Blues and Ballads (2016), received critical acclaim, with the Guardian saying, “Mehldau is a genius (and a still-improving one) at taking predictable materials to unpredictable destinations … These are old songs subjected to an old jazz method, but brought scintillatingly into the here and now.” Mehldau released the solo album After Bach earlier this year, comprising the pianist/composer’s recordings of four preludes and one fugue from J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, each followed by an “After Bach” piece written by Mehldau and inspired by its WTC mate. The Financial Times said of After Bach, “As each piece gathers momentum, fresh melodies emerge, change shape and are developed anew over voicings that shimmer, fade and rumble to a peak. And, following Bach, Mehldau’s improvisations unfold with an iron inner logic, a reminder … that Bach, in his day, was admired more for his abilities as an improviser than for his written scripts.”
Brad Mehldau’s Nonesuch debut was the 2004 solo disc Live in Tokyo. He has since released seven albums with his trio: House on Hill, Day Is Done, Brad Mehldau Trio Live, Ode, Where Do You Start, Blues and Ballads, and Seymour Reads the Constitution!. His collaborative records on the label include Love Sublime, Highway Rider, Metheny Mehldau, Metheny Mehldau Quartet, Modern Music, Mehliana: Taming the Dragon, Nearness with Joshua Redman, and Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau. His additional solo albums on Nonesuch include Live in Marciac and the eight-LP/four-CD 10 Years Solo Live, which the New York Times says “contains some of the most impressive pianism he has captured on record.”
Brad Mehldau Trio, Seymour Reads the Constitution!
1. Spiral
Written by Brad Mehldau
2. Seymour Reads the Constitution!
Written by Brad Mehldau
3. Almost Like Being in Love
Written by Frederick Loewe
4. De-Dah
Written by Elmo Hope
5. Friends
Written by Brian Wilson
6. Ten Tune
Written by Brad Mehldau
7. Great Day
Written by Paul McCartney
8. Beatrice
Written by Sam Rivers