Description
Nonesuch presents Ride into the Sun, a collection by pianist and composer Brad Mehldau, featuring 10 Elliott Smith songs alongside four of Mehldau’s own compositions inspired by Smith’s work. The album also includes renditions of Big Star’s ‘Thirteen’—which Smith covered—and Nick Drake’s ‘Sunday,’ a song Mehldau associates with Smith’s “visionary godfather.”
Notable contributors include Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear), Chris Thile (Punch Brothers), bassists Felix Moseholm and John Davis, drummer Matt Chamberlain, and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman, who also conducted on Mehldau’s 2010 Highway Rider. Mehldau reflects on his connection with Smith’s music, which has long been part of his repertoire, recalling their time together at the Los Angeles club Largo.
The album showcases Smith’s signature blend of major and minor modes, an approach Mehldau admires and extends throughout the record. “‘Ride into the sun’ captures a mystical, timeless connection with Smith’s music, a feeling of riding into the sun with him,” Mehldau explains.
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