Brad Mehldau Replaces Andre Previn at Blue Note Jazz Club, 6/6-8

Pianist Brad Mehldau will replace pianist André Previn at Blue Note Jazz Club, Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8, as part of the 2014 Blue Note Jazz Festival. Previn was initially scheduled to perform with bassist Christian McBride during that time frame and has had to postpone the engagement due to unforeseen circumstances.

Mehldau and McBride will now present the world premiere of a rare duo collaboration, billed as "Brad Mehldau & Christian McBride" (produced by Jill Newman Productions). Mehldau and McBride share a rich history (dating back to their prolific work together as part of saxophonist Joshua Redman's quartet in the 1990s); however this marks a special engagement for the two musicians. The Previn-McBride duo collaboration will be rescheduled at a future date, to be determined.

One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau has forged a unique path, which embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism, and pop allure. From critical acclaim as a bandleader and solo artist to major international exposure in collaborations with Pat Metheny, Anne Sofie von Otter, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Renee Fleming, Britten Sinfonia, and Joshua Redman, Mehldau continues to garner numerous awards and admiration from both jazz purists and music enthusiasts alike. His forays into melding musical idioms, in his trio (with Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums) and solo settings, has seen brilliant re-workings of songs by contemporary songwriters like The Beatles, Cole Porter, Radiohead, George and Ira Gershwin, and Nick Drake, alongside the ever evolving breadth of his own significant catalogue of original compositions. With his affection for popular music and classical training, Mehldau has become "universally admired as one of the most adventurous pianists to arrive on the jazz scene in years (Los Angeles Times)."

Bassist extraordinaire, composer, arranger, educator, curator and three-time GRAMMY Award winner, Christian McBride, has been one of the most important and omnipresent figures in jazz for over 20 years. Beginning in 1989, this Philadelphia-born bassist moved to New York City to further his classical studies at the Juilliard School, only to be snatched up by alto saxophonist, Bobby Watson. Since then, McBride's list of accomplishments has been nothing short of staggering. He has worked with the best of the best in the jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and neo-soul worlds. In 2000, he was named Artistic Director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In 2005, he was named the co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and also the second Creative Chair for Jazz of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. McBride currently leads several bands that fully embrace the straight ahead acoustic jazz tradition, including his Inside Straight quintet, Big Band, and Trio (each having recorded for Mack Avenue Records).

WHEN: Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8, 2014; Two shows nightly at 8:00PM & 10:30PM
WHERE: Blue Note Jazz Club 131 W. 3rd Street (between 6th Ave and MacDougal St.) New York City
COST/RESERVATIONS: $55 - Table, $35 - Bar Call 212-475-8592 or visit www.bluenotejazz.com.

ABOUT BLUE NOTE JAZZ CLUB: Blue Note Jazz Club, based in the heart of Greenwich Village, is a New York City cultural institution and one of the premier jazz clubs in the world. Jazz is undoubtedly America's music, and while Blue Note strives to celebrate the music's great history, the club is a place where progression and innovation - the foundation of jazz - are encouraged and practiced on a nightly basis. Blue Note is open for concerts 365 days a year.