Since his emergence on the jazz scene in the early ’90s, pianist Brad Mehldau has become well known for a supple touch on the keyboard and unique, spiky compositions, but much of his stellar reputation is built on his choice of other repertoire.
Shortly after he began recording as a leader, he surprised jazz aficionados with exceptional covers of songs by Radiohead, Soundgarden, Massive Attack and many others from rock and electronic music.
He made this material sound like a natural part of jazz, presenting it alongside more conventional fare such as the music of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Antônio Carlos Jobim and other standards.
After several recent releases that focus more on original material, he’s returned to other people’s music with his latest recording, “Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays the Beatles” (Nonesuch, Feb. 10 release), and it showcases a dramatic change in his approach.