Highway Rider

Highway Rider (2010) represents a pivotal moment in Brad Mehldau's career, marking his second collaboration with producer Jon Brion. While Mehldau is primarily known for his trio work, this double album expands his palette significantly, incorporating a chamber orchestra and reuniting him with longtime friend and saxophonist Joshua Redman. The record is structured as a narrative suite, exploring themes of travel and the 'highway' as a metaphor for life's progression. Recording took place at Ocean Way Studios, utilizing Brion's signature approach to analog textures and layered arrangements. Critics noted the album's departure from standard jazz structures in favor of through-composed pieces that lean toward 19th-century Romanticism and contemporary film scoring. It stands as one of Mehldau's most ambitious works, synthesizing his interests in pop melody, classical counterpoint, and jazz improvisation into a cohesive, cinematic whole.