Jeff Ballard (musician)

Jeff Ballard (born September 17, 1963) is an American jazz drummer from Santa Cruz, California. He has played with Ray Charles and Pat Metheny and plays periodically with Chick Corea in many groups such as Origin and the Chick Corea New Trio. He also played with many New York-based jazz musicians such as Reid Anderson, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner, Miguel Zenon and Eli Degibri. He has also played with the Joshua Redman Elastic Band.
He is currently a member of the Brad Mehldau Trio and co-leader of Fly, a collective trio with Mark Turner and Larry Grenadier.

• Best Debut Album, 2014, NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll, Time's Travels

As a leader or co-leader

With Jeff Ballard Trio including Lionel Loueke & Miguel Zenón

• Time's Tale (OKeh, 2014)

With Fly including Mark Turner & Larry Grenadier

• Fly (Savoy Jazz, 2004)
• Sky & Country (ECM, 2009)
• Year of the Snake (ECM, 2012)

As a sideman

With Chick Corea

• Change (Rykodisk, 1998)
• Concerto (Sony, 2000)
• Originations (Stretch, 2000)
• Past, Present & Future (Stretch, 2001)
• Rendezvous in New York (Stretch, 2003)
• 5trios – 3. Chillin' in Chelan (Stretch, 2007)

With Brad Mehldau

• Day Is Done (Nonesuch, 2005)
• Metheny/Mehldau (Nonesuch, 2006)
• Metheny Mehldau Quartet (Nonesuch, 2007)
• Brad Mehldau Trio Live (Nonesuch, 2008)
• Highway Rider (Nonesuch, 2010)
• Ode (Nonesuch, 2012)
• Where Do You Start (Nonesuch, 2012)
• Blues and Ballads (Nonesuch, 2016)

With Pat Metheny

• Metheny/Mehldau (Nonesuch, 2006)
• Metheny Mehldau Quartet (Nonesuch, 2007)

With Joshua Redman

• Momentum (Verve, 2005)

With Kurt Rosenwinkel

• The Enemies of Energy (Verve, 2000)
• The Next Step (Verve, 2001)
• Heartcore (Verve, 2003)
• Deep Song (Verve, 2005)

With Avishai Cohen

• Adama (1998)
• Devotion (1999)
• Colors (2000)