Mehldau Releases Album With New Trio

  I  

Brad Mehldau has replaced drummer Jorge Rossy with Jeff Ballard in his trio’s drum chair, and with bassist Larry Grenadier he released a new trio album, Day Is Done (Nonesuch), on Sept. 27.

The album features Mehldau covering the likes of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover,” Radiohead’s “Knives Out,” the Beatles’ “Martha My Dear” and Nick Drake’s “Day Is Done,” as well as several Mehldau originals.

“After 10 very rewording years working with Jorge Rossy, I’m really pleased Jeff has decided to play with me,” Mehldau said. “Jeff is an all-around musician, but he’s also a real drummer’s drummer. He’s absorbed a lot of rhythms from different parts of the world that are fresh to my ears. Jeff also has a real refined ear and sensitivity to his approach in the trio setting that comes from years of experience as a sideman. He’s able to bring something completely new to the table on any given tune that we’re playing, yet he finds a way to blend his ideas with my existing musical identity at the same time. Jeff’s been inspiring me in my own approach as I play with him.”

The new trio will play the Village Vanguard in New York Nov. 22-27.



  • Jack_DeJohnette_by_Steve_Sussman.jpg

    ​Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.

  • Don_and_Maureen_Sickler_by_Richard_Halterman_copy_2.jpg

    Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.

  • Trio_aRT_courtesy_Trio_aRT_copy_3.jpg

    Trio aRT with its avalanche of instrumentation: from left, Pheeroan akLaff, Scott Robinson and Julian Thayer.

  • KurtElling_6.2.25_by_ElliotMandel-REV-6.jpg

    “Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.

  • Pat_Metheny_Side-Eye_III_Jimmy_Katz.jpg

    Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at ​Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.


On Sale Now
November 2025
Gary Bartz
Look Inside
Subscribe
Print | Digital | iPad