"Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau," released in January 2017 on Nonesuch Records, is a duo improvisation record pairing Thile's mandolin with the concert piano of Brad Mehldau — one of the most celebrated jazz pianists of his generation. The repertoire ranges from Bach to Gillian Welch to Radiohead, enacted through extended improvisation and close listening between two artists from markedly different traditions. Critics called it a meeting of masterly minds and praised its genuine genre defiance — neither straightforwardly jazz nor acoustic roots music but something in between. The album confirmed Thile's ability to hold his own alongside world-class jazz musicians and stands as a high-water mark in the crossover between bluegrass-descended acoustic tradition and the concert jazz world. Note: catalog title has a typo — "Mehidau" should read Mehldau.
Tracklist
- 1 The Old Shade Tree 6:26
- 2 Tallahassee Junction 5:54
- 3 Scarlet Town 6:03
- 4 I Cover the Waterfront 7:00
- 5 Independence Day 3:10
- 6 Noise Machine 4:53
- 7 The Watcher 5:27
- 8 Daughter of Eve 8:59
- 9 Marcie 4:50
- 10 Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright alt version 6:01
- 11 Tabhair dom do Lámh 4:21
- 12 Dark Turn of Mind 6:06