Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Brad Mehldau & Joshua Redman Live at The Flynn Center

310

Brad Mehldau & Joshua Redman Live at The Flynn Center

By

View read count
Brad Mehldau & Joshua Redman
Flynn Center for The Performing Arts
Burlington, VT
April 28, 2010

Brad Mehldau is such a commanding presence as a musician, he overshadowed saxophonist Joshua Redman virtually throughout the duo's ninety-minute performance on Vermont's Flynn Performing Arts Center MainStage on April 28th. The most intense moment of the ninety-minute set arose directly from the depth of passion and detail in the pianist's playing and while his counterpart rose to the occasion as an improvisationalist, he could not match his one-time band mate.

The tone was set for the evening, for all intents and purposes, with the very first selection, a number from Mehldau's Highway Rider (Nonesuch, 2010). "The Falcon Will Fly Again" found its author as if in a trance, active body language suggesting the exertion necessary to coax the deep rumbling rhythm from the keyboard in support of the elusive melody. Redman took part, as on the studio recording, but didn't sound so clear or authoritative; instead, he played rather tentatively, glancing off notes rather than hitting them dead-center so they resonated throughout the ornate venue, as did the tones struck by his partner stage left.

That pattern continued through more original material by each man until they chose to cover Charlie Parker's "Cheryl" to the delight of the full-house that was in turns rapturous and rowdy through the course of the evening. Bouncing off the blues changes and each other, Mehldau and Redman played at the same level, albeit a playful one, for the course of the number, their smiles at its conclusion shared with each other as well as, presumably, the audience who cheered so lustily at the cold stop.

The experience was similar on "Interstate Love Song," the grunge band Stone Temple Pilots' number winsomely introduced by Mehldau as a discovery of he and Redman's when they were in the latter's band together in the Nineties. The pair didn't take great chances with this cover—truthfully, they didn't take many chances all evening—but instead alternated playing and playing with the basic riff of the tune.

Redman had found his voice at this point, his playing more enthusiastic as he was clearly warmed up. But that didn't remove the oddity of seeing him sitting side-stage during more than one Mehldau solo interval, seeming to call attention to himself with occasional vocal acclamations: a silent nod in the direction of his peer might have been preferable to avoid the sense he was unnecessarily calling attention to himself. Better still perhaps to retire behind the Steinway piano during such segments to prevent the Vermont audience from being distracted from the all-consuming musicianship of Brad Mehldau.

Not that such an occurrence is likely with the most savvy jazz lover, who no doubt relished a return to the galvanizing sensation of early in the set, just as the duo brought their performance to a close. During these moments when the pianist again elevated the force of his playing to an extent it elicited an almost physical response, it occurred, sacrilegious as it sounds, that this marquee event might have been even more satisfying had it been a solo show of Brad Mehldau's.

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Jazz article: Downtown Tacoma Blues And Jazz Festival 2025
Jazz article: Bark Culture At Solar Myth
Jazz article: Hingetown Jazz Festival 2025

Popular

Read Take Five with Pianist Irving Flores
Read Jazz em Agosto 2025
Read Bob Schlesinger at Dazzle
Read SFJAZZ Spring Concerts
Read Sunday Best: A Netflix Documentary
Read Vivian Buczek at Ladies' Jazz Festival

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.