Happy Birthday to Brad Mehldau, who turns 40 years old today. Mehldau celebrated the big day a few hours early when he joined singer/songwriter/guitarist John Mayer on stage during Mayer's sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl last night. The two "wowed the crowd with a collaborative set as the sun went down over the outdoor venue," Contact Music reports, playing songs by Hendrix, Blind Faith, Led Zeppelin, Mayer, and The Verve.
 
Mehldau's next scheduled performance is a set with the Brad Mehldau Trio— featuring Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums—at the Petrillo Band Shell in Chicago's Grant Park on September 5, part of the 2010 Chicago Jazz Festival. It marks Mehldau first appearance at the festival, now in its 32nd year, and the last scheduled Trio date for some time. Following the Chicago event, the pianist heads to Japan for three solo dates at the Billboard Live venues in Tokyo and Osaka.

Grenadier and Ballard join Mehldau again, along with Joshua Redman and Matt Chamblerain, for the world premiere performance of Mehldau's Highway Rider at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis in November. The featured musicians, all of whom appear on the recent Nonesuch recording of the piece, will be joined by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and conductor Scott Yoo for the event.

For more information on Mehldau's upcoming performances, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour. To pick up a copy of Highway Rider, with the complete album included as high-quality MP3s and an exclusive bonus demo MP3 from Mehldau, head to the Nonesuch Store.