Ride into the Sun is a studio album by American jazz pianist Brad Mehldau. It was recorded on January 24–28, 2025 and released on August 29, 2025. The album includes ten compositions by singer-songwriter Elliott Smith and four of Mehldau's own, which he says are "inspired by, and reflect, Smith's oeuvre". The title of the album was inspired by the lyrics to Smith's "Colorbars": "Everyone wants me to ride into the sun. But I ain't gonna go down, Laying low again, high on the sound."
Reception Frank Housh of All About Jazz wrote, "Ride into the Sun's 16 tracks are bursting with great music, love and respect. The album—like Smith's music, like life itself—is beautiful and sad." Jon Turney, writing for UK Jazz News, said, "If you know and like Smith's songs, I'm fairly sure you'll like this. If you care for Mehldau's work, and are curious about what inspires him, you’ll likely enjoy it too but perhaps, as I did, only intermittently." Ride into the Sun was nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award in the category of Best Alternative Jazz Album.
Track listing
Personnel
Brad Mehldau – piano, producer (all tracks) Daniel Rossen – acoustic guitar (3, 10, 12, 14, 16), lead vocals (3, 12), backing vocals (10), resonator guitar (12) Chris Thile – mandolin (3, 14), lead vocals (14), backing vocals (3) Felix Moseholm – acoustic bass (3, 6, 12, 14) John Davis – acoustic bass (1, 11), electric bass (2, 10, 15, 16), engineering, mixing Matt Chamberlain – drums (1–3, 6, 10–16), percussion (2, 13), screams (2) Orchestra: (1–3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16) Dan Coleman – producer (all tracks), conductor (1, 2, 7, 8, 11, 15, 16) Jill Dell'Abate – contractor Jackie Thompson – copyist Jessica Han, Alex Sopp (flute solo on 15) – flute Agnes Marchione – clarinet Adrian Morejon – bassoon Eric Reed – horn Christina Courtin, Ellen DePasquale (violin solo on 1), Laura Frautschi, Joanna Maurer, Derek Ratzenboeck, Austin Wulliman – violin Mario Gotoh, Dov Scheindlin, Nadia Sirota – viola Michael Haas, Sophie Shao (cello solo on 16), Caitlin Sullivan – cello David Grossman – bass (orchestral)
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Ride into the Sun Chart (2025) Peakposition Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) 9
Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance for Ride into the Sun Chart (2025) Peakposition German Jazz Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 4
References
External links
"Brad Mehldau salutes songwriter Elliott Smith on 'Ride Into the Sun – review by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, September 12, 2025