The Art Of The Trio, Recordings: 1996-2001

With the release of The Art of the Trio, Vol. 1 in 1997, Brad Mehldau solidified his standing as the pre-eminent pianist of a young generation of rising jazz musicians and struck out on what would become one of the more notable recording endeavors in jazz. In the years following, Mehldau, along with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, released a series of recordings under the Art of the Trio title, culminating with the two-CD The Art of the Trio, Vol 5: Progression in 2001. As a whole, the series follows not only the growth of the band as a working unit, but also the development of Mehldau's compositional and improvisational voice, tracking his rise from wunderkind to superstar within a matter of years. Now, Nonesuch is reissuing the entire Art of the Trio series in a box set, bringing all the individual releases together in one package for the first time. The box set also includes The Art of the Trio: Recordings: 1997-2001, a new CD of never-before-released material. The box set also includes a bonus disc of never before released material recorded live at The Village Vanguard, as well as an in-depth essay by The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson.