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Pat Metheny / Brad Mehldau: Metheny Mehldau
by David Miller
What happens when two of the most distinct and polarizing musical voices of a generation meet to collaborate on a recording? One might assume there would be a litany of dissonance with patches of too-infrequent beauty, leaving the listener mulling over the potential of such a landmark collaboration. But with Metheny Mehldau, the aptly titled release by guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau, the opposite is in evidence. While showing unique styles on their respective instruments, it is quite ...
Continue ReadingPat Metheny / Brad Mehldau: Metheny Mehldau
by John Kelman
Guitarist Pat Metheny may not be old, but he's been around long enough to be considered an influential artist who can start giving something back to younger players. Pianist Brad Mehldau, still in his mid-thirties, has already established himself as one of his generation's most significant artists. Metheny has always been selective about his musical associations, but an encounter between these two musicians somehow seemed inevitable. Metheny Mehldau is Metheny's first significant collaboration with a pianist other than his long-time ...
Continue ReadingBrad Mehldau Trio: House on Hill
by John Kelman
Since drummer Jorge Rossy left pianist Brad Mehldau's trio sixteen months ago, words like “refreshed" and “reinvigorated" have been used to describe the impact of the more malleable Jeff Ballard on Mehldau's trio with bassist Larry Grenadier. But it's all too easy to forget just how fresh the original trio was, and that its swan song, Anything Goes (Warner Bros., 2004), was one of its best efforts. Sometimes different isn't better or worse, it's just different. The ...
Continue ReadingBrad Mehldau: House On Hill
by Troy Collins
Recorded between 2002 and 2005, House On Hill is the final studio album by pianist Brad Mehldau's long-running original trio. Jorge Rossy, who was recently replaced by Jeff Ballard, occupied the drum chair in the group from 1994-2004. Revitalized by new blood, Mehldau's recent album with the revised lineup, Day Is Done (Nonesuch, 2005), was widely regarded as an artistic breakthrough, rendered distinctive by Ballard's impetuous rhythmic energy. On this departing album, Rossy demonstrates an equally valid but subtler approach.
Continue ReadingBrad Mehldau: Day Is Done
by Michael McCaw
Seldom do musicians rise beyond their peers into a more rarefied air, transversing the ground between player and interpreter to influence standards and the direction where the next steps will go. Rarely, if ever, is this transition actually recorded. Nonetheless, one thing is easily identifiable with Day Is Done: Brad Mehldau has begun the transformation from musician of merit to icon.Without doubt, there is an argument to be made on both sides--and to be sure the pianist himself ...
Continue ReadingBrad Mehldau Trio: Day Is Done
by Andrew Velez
Since the early '90s, Brad Mehldau's considerable output has most consistently been in the trio format. Especially notable were the five volumes of The Art of the Trio. Making his debut here with the new unit is drummer Jeff Ballard, who replaces Jorge Rossy; Larry Grenadier holds down his accustomed spot on bass. This is “friendly music that ought never to be mistaken for shallow. The eclectic mix of tunes ranges from interpretations of the title number ...
Continue ReadingBrad Mehldau Trio: Day Is Done
by John Dworkin
More than any other artist, Brad Mehldau has tapped into today's jazz zeitgeist. Oft-times (maybe always), a cultural zeitgeist is difficult to define or encapsulate. But you know it when you see (hear) it: In walked Brad. That's part of the function, mystery, and beauty of Art. It gives form to what would otherwise be near impossible to express, releasing a certain type of inner pressure that builds up from an inability to explain oneself. His trio's new CD, Day ...
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