Released in 2025 via Nonesuch Records, Brad Mehldau’s Ride into the Sun is a deeply personal and beautifully constructed tribute to Elliott Smith, blending jazz, chamber music, and singer-songwriter intimacy into a cohesive and emotionally resonant work. Across reinterpretations of Smith’s songs, as well as a selection of originals and carefully chosen covers, Mehldau crafts an album that feels both reverent and distinctively his own.
The record opens with Between the Bars, reimagined as a delicate trio piece where Mehldau’s piano gracefully traces Smith’s melancholy harmonies while adding subtle rhythmic phrasing and improvisational depth. Throughout Ride into the Sun, Mehldau explores Smith’s harmonic world his distinctive blend of major and minor modalities through tracks like Waltz #1 and Say Yes, transforming them into luminous meditations marked by space and emotional clarity.
Instrumentation is rich and varied. Mehldau’s piano remains the album’s core, joined at times by bassist Felix Moseholm, drummer Matt Chamberlain, and guests such as Daniel Rossen and Chris Thile. Strings and chamber arrangements, conducted by Dan Coleman, expand the music’s scope without overshadowing its intimacy. The result is a fluid interplay between minimalism and orchestral color, between quiet introspection and expansive soundscapes.
The album’s production is pristine and balanced, emphasizing warmth and depth. Mehldau’s original compositions such as Ride into the Sun: Conclusion extend the emotional arc beyond homage, offering new reflections that echo Smith’s spirit while expressing the pianist’s own voice.
Ride into the Sun is not a flashy record. It asks for patience, rewarding attentive listening with layers of nuance and emotion. Mehldau’s interpretations never attempt to outshine their source; instead, they illuminate the inner life of Smith’s songs through subtle transformation and empathy.
Ultimately, Ride into the Sun stands as one of Brad Mehldau’s most moving and ambitious works a meditation on loss, influence, and the quiet beauty of connection between two distinct yet kindred musical souls.
