| Ode | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
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.
| Aggregate 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]
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 | |
Larry Grenadier is an American jazz double bassist.
Bradford Alexander Mehldau is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Jeff Ballard is an American jazz drummer. He has played with Ray Charles and Pat Metheny and played periodically with Chick Corea in many groups such as Origin and the Chick Corea New Trio. He also played with many New York–based jazz musicians such as Reid Anderson, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner, Miguel Zenon and Eli Degibri. He has also played with the Joshua Redman Elastic Band.
Metheny Mehldau is a jazz album released in 2006 by Nonesuch Records. Most of the album is a duet between guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau. On two songs, they are accompanied by drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier.
Metheny Mehldau Quartet is a jazz album by guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau, released in 2007 by Nonesuch Records. It features bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard.
Blues and Ballads is a studio album by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau. It is a piano trio recording, with Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. Mehldau received a Grammy nomination at the end of 2016 for Best Improvised Jazz Solo on the album's "I Concentrate on You".
Art of the Trio 4: Back at the Vanguard is a live album by American pianist and composer Brad Mehldau released on the Warner Bros. label in 1999.
Progression: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 5 is a live album by American pianist and composer Brad Mehldau released on the Warner Bros. label in 2001.
Day Is Done is an album by the Brad Mehldau Trio released on the Nonesuch label in 2005. The album was Mehldau's first to feature Jeff Ballard, who replaced the Mehldau Trio's original drummer Jorge Rossy.
House on Hill is an album by American pianist and composer Brad Mehldau released on the Nonesuch label in 2006. The album was mainly recorded at the sessions which produced Anything Goes (2004) and is the first album entirely composed by Mehldau since Places (2000).
Brad Mehldau Trio Live is a live album by American pianist and composer Brad Mehldau's Trio released on the Nonesuch label in 2008.
Live in Marciac is a live album by American pianist and composer Brad Mehldau released on the Nonesuch label in 2011. The album consists of 2 CDs and a DVD featuring Mehldau's performance at Jazz in Marciac in France in 2006.
Where Do You Start is an album by the Brad Mehldau Trio released on the Nonesuch label in 2012.
Mehliana: Taming the Dragon is an album by Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana released on the Nonesuch label in 2014. Mehldau's solo on "Sleeping Giant" was nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo in the 2015 Grammy Awards.
10 Years Solo Live is a recording by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau. It contains solo piano tracks from 19 concerts in Europe during the period 2004–2014.
Walking Shadows is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman. It was released in 2013 by Nonesuch Records.
Seymour Reads the Constitution! is an album by pianist Brad Mehldau. The trio recording, with Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums, was released by Nonesuch Records in 2018. The pianist reported that the melody and name of the title track came from a dream, during which actor Philip Seymour Hoffman read to him. The album received two Grammy nominations at the end of 2018.
RoundAgain is a studio album by Joshua Redman's quartet, consisting of himself on saxophone, Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. The album was released on July 10, 2020 by Nonesuch Records label.
Jacob's Ladder is an album by Brad Mehldau. It was recorded in 2020 and 2021 and released by Nonesuch Records in 2022.
Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles is a solo piano album by Brad Mehldau. It was recorded in September 2020 and released by Nonesuch Records on 10 February 2023.
