Anything Goes

Brad Mehldau | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B00017HWAI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,139 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

MEHLDAU BRAD ANYTHING GOES

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43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Standards of excellence, March 8, 2004

By 

Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anything Goes (Audio CD)

Yes, anything does go here, but not in the way you might think. I was prepared for a postmodern, deconstructionist approach, where standards are mercilessly torn apart and then gloriously reconstructed. And if anyone around could do it, it would be these guys, the reigning postmodern piano trio champs.

But they fooled me. They've done something different, something a lot riskier and much more difficult to pull off: They've taken a very careful look at these tunes and uncovered previously unthought of approaches. Each tune is probed for its emotional center, and then, once it is found, is constructed in such a way as to bring that out optimally. For example, with the fairly well known Monk tune, "Skippy," they quite precisely delve into its bop roots, revealing a depth of understanding of this quirky genius as more than merely someone who wrote melodically, harmonically, and rhythmically tricky tunes but someone who was at the very heart of the bop revolution.

Perhaps the most remarkable cut on the disc is their wacky take on the Charlie Chaplin standard, "Smile." Featuring an enticing left hand piano figure, the melody is initially given to Larry Grenadier on bass. When Mehldau finally states the melody about three and a half minutes into the piece, he does so in a rather tentative, herky-jerky, sprung-rhythm way, emphasizing their total understanding of the inherent irony of the piece. Thus, this is no mere deconstruction; rather it is a kind of smart overstatement, designed to highlight an aspect of the tune that too often gets overlooked, or, if touched on, doesn't get handled properly.

Nearly as revelatory is their reading of "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." Here, there's a kind of off-kilter nostalgia that spookily adds a soupcon of weariness to the usual straightforward understanding of this piece's trajectory, turning it away from one of mere happiness and turning it into one of gratitude and hard-won joy though quiet celebration. Thus, their performance exhibits a profoundly nuanced understanding of the hidden ambiguity lurking just below the surface of this piece, vaulting it out of its usual precincts of felicity into a more realistic and subtle understanding of what lifelong commitment to a partner means.

The overall vibe here might be mistaken for world-weariness, but that's not it. It's something deeper, something hard to put into words, something that resembles resignation, but is more like seeing things through after the glow's worn off. And the mood, though a little on the somber side, also contains more than just a bit of solemn joy

A controversial aspect of this group has been its typical inclusion of contemporary tunes such as, on this disc, "Everything in Its Right Place," by Radiohead. The question arises: Do they include tunes like this merely to broaden their appeal to a younger audience, hook in new listeners, and thus sell a lot more records? To put it crassly: Is this anything other than a marketing ploy?

I don't think marketing has a whole lot to do with it. These are pretty young guys who probably've listened to Radiohead quite a bit over the years, and have come to appreciate them as artists. The fact that including songs by them turns out to be a clever move marketing-wise doesn't mean that was their motivation. And even if it was, so what? Shouldn't jazzers be allowed to grab a piece of that huge pop-music pie? Anyway, they're certainly not the only ones doing it. What about Herbie Hancock's New Standards disc, or The Bad Plus's cover of Aphex Twin or Blondie or Kurt Cobain?

But there's more to than just than that. Part of it is that as artists you really have to like and to have listened to the music. Otherwise, you won't be able to get proper access to it, and it'll come out sounding like parody or cynicism. But not only do you have to like it, you have to see its possibilities for improvisation. And since you're probably going to be connecting with an audience much wider and more diverse than Radiohead fans, you'd better make sure that the tune you cover and how you do it has musical integrity per se.

In any case, this is a thoroughly remarkable, the most mature and accomplished (in my opinion) from this brilliant trio. I too am looking forward to their upcoming disc of new material, but I don't think this one should be downgraded because it is essentially a standards disc. It's what they do with these standards that makes it so entirely engaging.

An outing not to be missed.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Trio's Studio Recordings, February 25, 2004

By 

Dale Chapman (San Ramon, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anything Goes (Audio CD)

For starters, let me admit that I'm a huge fan of the Brad Mehldau Trio. I believe they are the best mainstream trio on the circuit. While I prefer the dynamics and on-the-edge precarious qualities of their live performances (especially the 5th trio album, "Progression"), I believe this is the best of the trio's studio performances committed to tape.

The previous reviewer nailed it when he said that Brad seems to have eschewed his flashy virtuosity on this set. In its place, he has offered up a measured performance with an eye toward mood and structure. But while it's worth while to address Brad's individual contribution, his trio is less about individual contribution than it is the ensemble. Within this context, I especially want to call out Jorge Rossy's drumming. I caught 4 of this trio's 8 sets this past Autumn at Yoshi's in Oakland, and at the first of these sets I recall thinking that Rossy was the "weak link" in the band. By the time the 4th set ended, I found myself paying most attention to Rossy. What did I hear? I heard a very unselfish player with an incredible economy of articulation. He doesn't "overcrowd" the space, but constantly shifts the color, emphasis and signature of his approach. He constantly rotates his sticks to leverage the resulting shift in timbre of his shots. He plays all "pieces" of his kit (cymbals, heads, rims and stands) to create a variety of rhythmic support. One can see the wheels in his head turning as he navigates through each number, creating an ever-changing use of space, accent and beat. This new album - "Anything Goes" - provides an excellent opportunity to appreciate Rossy's skills in the comforts of your home (which is not to say that Yoshi's is uncomfortable by any means...and when you go, don't pass up the maguro sashimi salad with miso vinegarette accompanied by a tall bottle of Sapporo to wash it down!).

If you're unfamiliar with Brad's trio, this would be an excellent point of entry. Do not expect the experimental modernism of Jason Moran (Brad did this a couple years ago with "Largo" and we didn't like it) or the brazen puckishness of the Bad Plus. This band plays a mainstream brand of lyrical jazz that emphasizes beauty over theatrics, and meliflous arching lines over sharp angles. But while this band may not be advancing modern jazz into any new territory, please do not dismiss this golden art as sentimental or anachronistic. The Brad Mehldau Trio is legitimate, is "now", and is bloody gorgeous.

The exciting thing is that Brad is still only in his early 30s, and one gets the impression that he is only now hitting his stride. Buy this, buy his older albums, and buy his next one that will be every bit as good.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Linear Progression, April 2, 2004

By 

Thomas C. Zink (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anything Goes (Audio CD)

This latest in what's becoming a long line of amzing albums from Brad Mehldau can be challange, though a challenge that ultimately pays off for the listener. But be warned. If you see song titles like "Get Happy" or "Smile" and think "I love those songs, I remember singing them in my barbershop quartet group," this CD is probably not for you. Better to start off with one of his earlier efforts (like "Introducing..."), and work up to this one.

An awsome talent from his even first CD, Brad's albums show a continual progression in complexity and maturity, and this effort (unfortunately his last with Warners as they have dropped their entire jazz catalog) is in some ways his most complex. He seems to reach inside these songs ("Smile" in particular) and pull out harmonies that most musicians (myself included) couldn't imagine. He seems to capture both an optimism and anguish in "Smile" that perfectly mirror the song, and which have for me never been equaled by other artist's interpretations of that song. And yet this is not purely musical athletics. His technique and harmonic knowlege are almost unequaled, but it is his musical asthetic which make him so special an artist in my opinion.