Ode (Brad Mehldau album)

2012 studio album by Brad Mehldau

Ode

Studio album by

Brad Mehldau

Released| March 20, 2012
Recorded| February 17, 2008 – April 19, 2011
Studio| Avatar (New York City)
Genre| Jazz
Length| 75:22
Label| Nonesuch Records
Producer| Brad Mehldau
Brad Mehldau chronology
| Modern Music
(2010)  | Ode
(2008–11)  | Where Do You Start
(2008–11)

|
|

Ode is a contemporary jazz album by American pianist Brad Mehldau. It features Mehldau's regular trio partners, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. The album was released on March 20, 2012 by Nonesuch Records.

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 85/100[1]
Review scores
Source| Rating
All About Jazz| [2]
AllMusic| [3]
Blurt| [1]
Down Beat| [4]
Financial Times| [5]
The Guardian| [6]
Jazzwise| [7]
Mojo| [1]
musicOMH| [8]
PopMatters| [9]

The album received universal acclaim with Metacritic giving it a score of 85% from 10 reviews.[10] AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars and in its review by Thom Jurek, states "As an album, Ode reveals just how far this group has traveled together these past seven years. More importantly, it provides an exciting glimpse of what may lie on their collective horizon".[3] PopMatters reviewer Will Layman said "Ode itself does not reach for epic dimension often, and that’s cool. It seems less like a manifesto or a film than like a very fine jazz album. Though the leading jazz pianists today are making lots of impressive statements about where the music is going, maybe creating a compelling album, old school, is still one of the music's clearest callings. Ode fits the bill".[9] The Observer's Dave Gelly commented "Mehldau is so brilliant at 'recomposing' standards that his remarkable talent as a composer is often overlooked. Now, for his trio's first studio album in more than six years, he comes up with 11 absorbing new pieces".[11] BBC Music's Martin Longley enthused "All three players are articulating a ceaseless stream of fresh ideas throughout this electrically energised session".[12] On All About Jazz, Ian Patterson noted "On Ode, Mehldau further refines the relationship between composed and improvised form, infusing improvisations with a melodic, pop-like simplicity. His continuing exploration of the art of the trio is one of the joys of the contemporary jazz panorama".[13] JazzTimes reviewer Lloyd Sachs commented "Ode is the work of a trio that's firing on all cylinders while sounding like it's on cruise control".[14]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Brad Mehldau

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "M.B."| 7:46
2.| "Ode"| 6:20
3.| "26"| 7:50
4.| "Dream Sketch"| 7:25
5.| "Bee Blues"| 6:42
6.| "Twiggy"| 5:42
7.| "Kurt Vibe"| 4:54
8.| "Stan the Man"| 5:24
9.| "Wyatt's Eulogy for George Hanson"| 9:23
10.| "Aquaman"| 4:49
11.| "Days of Dilbert Delaney"| 9:01
Total length:| 75:22

## Personnel

[edit]

* Brad Mehldau – piano
* Larry Grenadier – bass
* Jeff Ballard – drums

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Ode by Brad Mehldau Trio". Metacritic. metacritic.com. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
2. ^ Kehlman, John (March 21, 2012). "Brad Mehldau Trio: Ode album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
3. ^ a b Kelman, John. "Brad Mehldau Trio: Ode (2012)". All About Jazz. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
4. ^ Macnie, Jim (July 2012) "Brad Mehldau Trio: Ode". Down Beat. p. 45.
5. ^ Hobart, Mike (10 March 2012). "Brad Mehldau Trio: Ode". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
6. ^ Fordham, John (15 March 2012). "Brad Mehldau Trio: Ode – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
7. ^ "Jazzwise April 2012 Issue CD Reviews List". Jazzwise. 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
8. ^ McAuliffe, Colm (12 March 2012). "Brad Mehldau Trio - Ode | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
9. ^ a b Layman, W., PopMatters Review, April 9, 2012
10. ^ Metacritic summary, accessed February 5, 2014
11. ^ Gelly, D., Brad Mehldau Trio: Ode Review, The Observer, March 18, 2012
12. ^ Longley, M., Brad Mehldau Trio: Ode Review, BBC Music, accessed February 5, 2014
13. ^ Patterson, I., All About Jazz Review, May 5, 2012
14. ^ Sachs, L., Brad Mehldau Trio Ode Review, JazzTimes, November 2012

## External links

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

Brad Mehldau

Studio albums|

* Consenting Adults (1994)
* Introducing Brad Mehldau (1995)
* The Art of the Trio Volume One (1996)
* Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz (1996)
* Songs: The Art of the Trio Volume Three (1998)
* Elegiac Cycle (1999)
* Places (2000)
* Largo (2002)
* Anything Goes (2002)
* House on Hill (2005)
* Day Is Done (2005)
* Metheny Mehldau
* Metheny/Mehldau Quartet (2005)
* Love Sublime (2006)
* Highway Rider (2009)
* Love Songs (2010)
* Modern Music (2010)
* Ode (2011)
* Where Do You Start (2011)
* Variations on a Melancholy Theme (2013)
* Mehliana: Taming the Dragon (2014)
* Blues and Ballads (2014)
* Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau (2016)
* After Bach (2017)
* Seymour Reads the Constitution! (2018)
* Finding Gabriel (2018)
* Suite: April 2020 (2020)
* Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles (2020)
* Jacob’s Ladder (2022)
* The Folly of Desire (2022)

Live albums|

* New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 1 (1993)
* New York-Barcelona Crossing, Volumen 2 (1993)
* When I Fall in Love (1993)
* Live at the Village Vanguard: The Art of the Trio Volume Two (1997)
* Art of the Trio 4: Back at the Vanguard (1999)
* Progression: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 5 (2000)
* Live in Tokyo (2003)
* Brad Mehldau Trio Live (2006)
* Live in Marciac (2006)
* Long Ago and Far Away (2007)
* Nearness (2011)
* 10 Years Solo Live (2014)

Books|

* Formation (2023)

Related articles|

* Discography

* Ode at Discogs (list of releases)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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