Customer Reviews

Art of Trio, Vol 1

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Being an aficionado of the jazz piano trio, I knew I had to try out some Brad Mehldau sooner or later, and decided to start with this one, Art of the Trio vol. 1. And I am really impressed with the balance, sensitivity, and flexibility of Mehldau as well as his cohorts, Larry Grenadier on bass (who also provided very admirable support with Pat Metheny's '99-'00 trio) and Jorge Rossy on drums. Rossy's playing is perfect for this setting--sensitive, and unfailingly imaginative. I really enjoy listening to Larry Grenadier: lovely tone, great support. And Mehldau -- he coaxes colors and shapes from the keyboard; painting, and weaving, and singing too.

There's a good mix of songs here, between standards, Mehldau's own sober, intelligent originals, and a commercially-appealing read on a "modern" pop tune, the Beatles' "Blackbird."

A defining moment happened when I first played this CD--the sensitivity and skill of this trio lulled me almost into a hypnagogic state, and in "Mignon's Song," I heard so many ideas going on that by the time it was the next song, I looked at the track reference and was almost shocked that only one song had gone by. That, to me, says something. Yup--I'll definitely be scooping up the rest of the Art of the Trio albums.

You've got to be awfully confident in your musical abilities to name your album "The Art Of The Trio". You ARE following in some rather enormous footsteps (a gentleman named Oscar Peterson and his trio come immediately to mind).

However, if your name is Brad Mehldau, such confidence is indeed well-founded. The man can clearly tickle the ivories, and this album is worth the investment. As with the best jazz albums, it gets better with each listening.

Mehldau, drummer Jorge Rossy and bassist Larry Grenadier definitely latched onto the mood of the times when they recorded "The Art Of The Trio" in 1997. At the time, albums like the "Swingers" soundtrack were sweeping the country, and many Americans were rediscovering "civilized" jazz music that you could sip a cocktail to. While many degraded this music into wide collars, martinis and drunken Sinatra sing-alongs, Mehldau and his band recognized the finesse and refinement in this kind of music and applied it to their work. The wonderful result is this CD.

Mehldau's readings of standards and his original compositions are for the most part adventurous. The three musicians feed off each other with wonderfully precise movements and elegant flourishes. Although Mehldau and company occasionally succumb to sterile pop-oriented production touches, thankfully they are few and far in between.

Mehldau is particularly impressive live. He's not afraid to challenge his audience, and he's able to create a mood that suggests a real sophistication. Yes, "The Art Of The Trio" is background cocktail music, but it's good background cocktail music. I'm eager to explore the rest of his work.

As a serious fan of Bill Evans, but with little knowledge of the jazz world, I picked up the first four volumes of Mehldau's Art of the Trio recordings following a recommendation from a friend.

Volumes 1 and 3 are studio recordings; volumes 2 and 4 are live (I don't have volume 5, yet, another live volume, this one on 2 CDs). I think Mehldau is great, and I especially like the studio recordings. They are lyrical and melodic, whereas the live recordings tend more toward pyrotechnics and displays of virtuosity.

If you like the kind of music Bill Evans played, you'll certainly like volumes 1 and 3. You may prefer the live ones, especially if you're into Keith Jarrett (at least Mehldau doesn't grunt and squeal all the time). In any case, this is great music, well played and the trio has a great rapport.

Ordinarily, mellow trio music is best heard in the background. But this is so creative and interesting that it makes you sit up and listen. It's under tight control: if Glenn Gould had been a jazzman, he might have sounded like this.

Simply wonderful. in Art of the Trio Volume 1 Brad Mehldau clearly seems to inherit the cloak of the marvelous Bill Evans, argueably, the best Jazz pianist of all time. The song are deep lyrical, just beautiful. Expressions of true emotion. His bass player Paul Grenadier meshes well, placing emphasis and pushing back where needed without seeming to get into turf battles (as sometimes happened with Evans) and Jorge Rossy drums are also perfect. A well oiled machine.

The best stuff here is the standards: "Blame it on my Youth", "I didn't know What Time it Was", the bouncy "Nobody Else but Me" and "Blackbird" (I always wonder why Jazz groups don't work more with the lyrical Beatle melodies, as Jazz musicians of the past used the pop melodies of Cole Porter, and Gershwin?). But the best of all is the heart wrenching, slow "I Fall in Love Too Easily". It takes courage to publicly display this kind of deep sadness (it isn't just a tempo). There must have been a failed love affair somewhere...

The original songs are, well, not up to the level of the standards, but what can you expect? They're new. It's really it's a great record from beginning to end. Despite some sad songs, the Trio genuinely seems to be enjoying themselves in playing!

Well recorded, good harmonics on the piano.

I would love to see Brad and the Trio make another CD this good!

I saw Brad Mehldau perform at the Nice Jazz Festival, and I can therefore attest to the power this trio wields when they perform.

That being said, this is one of the more interesting albums in his catalogue. The reason for this is that this album, the first installment in his "Art of the Trio" recordings, perfectly manifests both Mehldau's gift for interpreting jazz standards as well as writing interesting, original compositions. In concert, the trio will blend songs from both categories into fascinating medleys. Here the songs are sequenced well, and you begin to grasp the depth of Mehldau's influences.

I would recommend this recording as an ideal introduction to one of the most genuine and interesting artists in jazz today.

Brad Mehldau has achieved a feat in his mid 20's that most jazz musicians never accomplish: he has his own voice, as a pianist, and as a group conceptualist. On this album Mehldau and co. (Larry Grenadier and Jorge Roissy are equally amazing) demonstrate all of the things that their chronological contemporaries miss. Far more important than technique (which Mehldau humbly displays) is lyricism, group communication, and a harmonic concept unparalleled in the jazz world of today. Mehldau draws as much from Bach and Brahms as he does from McCoy or Wynton Kelly (his self-proclaimed jazz influences), and his original compositions showcase his effort to fuse his jazz and classical roots. This is an incredible album regardless of the young age of its makers.

On his sophomoric effort as a leader, Brad Mehldau proves not only that he is well beyond his years as a pianist, but also that jazz must be presented with freshness and inhibition to truly be memorable. Mehldau has certainly learned from the masters -- Evans, Jarrett, Pieranunzi have all figured into this phenom's upbringing -- but a unique voice also emerges, and the voice is eloquent and meaningful. His choice and presentation of standards are indeed exemplary: the opener "Blame It On My Youth" is as haunting as it is exploratory, the "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" (played in an effortless 5/4) sparkles wittily and prettily while upholding its reverence to Rodgers and Hart, and the groovalicious "Blackbird" floats lightly but funkily all the way to its gospel/raggish solo piano outro. The originals are no less impressive. "Lament for Linus" is especially lovely; it is a subtle form, and the smooth but driving effect is compelling. His bandmates are superlative players. Jorge Rossy, a former Berklee College of Music trumpeter turned drummer, plays off of and into Brad's eclectic passages with the perfect combination of taste and power. I have had the good fortune to see the band live, and he is no less palpable and sensitive to his surroundings on the stage. Larry Grenadier on bass is just as intuitive and effective, playing in a personal style while maintaining the essential bottom of the band. The importance of the trio lies in imagination, timelessness, and craftsmanship of the music. Brad Mehldau's "Art" is a work worthy of its title.

it's hard for me to describe why i find mehldau's music so extraordinary. maybe it's like this, you can take a great phrase from any musician, say bill evans or john coltrane, and it all has that same punch in it. there is a certain balance to it, call it a symmetry, mixed with creativity that makes you listen in wonder. both evans and 'trane in particular have incredible opening phrases to some of their solos. take Syeeda's Song flute on Giant Steps for example. 'trane's opening line is tremendous. there is a symmetry and also an unexpected length to the line that makes it stand out among some of the best stuff ever played. you could say the same of evans' opening theme and development on track 4 of Everybody Digs. it has an 'over and above' aspect to its flourishes and development that surprises and delights. but again, there is a symmetry there amidst the chaos of improvising in the moment that is remarkable.

but with mehldau the game seems completely different. take track 1 of this album and listen to this classic ballad being played, it seems, almost 'cosmically'. he plays with a certain soul and a classic feel reminiscent of the 1950's but somehow, it feels a little different. instead of playing those old lines that tickle our bones, brad will play something that feels, almost, as if from Mars. he plays outside the lines, he undulates and deflects with his left hand confusing the meter. he stabs in between beats and cascades only to end abruptly in the middle of a triplet or other 'let. he meanders outside of normal scales and seems to almost skulk at times right on the edge of what you want to hear. but somehow through it all he is able to communicate something human, something that touches the soul.

while other players try to be 'modern', brad it seems is simply himself and that self is 'modern'. many people have compared him to bill evans which i think is apt enough. they both were, after all, white and playing piano and in a trio and attacked the piano with a deft touch. but i wonder that he is not compared more to Thelonius Monk, whose approach to piano also seemed completely out of left field, with intentionally 'flubbed' notes and stabbing phrases that sometimes ended abruptly. i feel that what brad is trying to create is something more parallel to what monk was doing back in the 60's. monk at times could be asymmetrical, loud, abrupt. he seemed to intentionally break rules and challenge the listener as to what was 'correct'. mehldau's playing feels more similar to this than to bill evans whose approach seemed more sentimental, romantic, and even a little pathetic (I am a HUGE bill evans fan, btw).

for you naysayers and new listeners, i would go into this album with an open mind. listen to it 5-6 times before you judge. you may find that he will challenge and conquer the way you thought jazz should be played.

Brad Mehldau is not my favorite pianist in the whole world, and I think calling him the next Bill Evans is merely presumptuous, but Brad, for the most part, really has it going on. He's a technically brilliant pianist, and his sound is sharp and pretty addictive. It takes a couple listens, though, to start to appreciate, because as the missus said, it all sounds the same. And on the surface, that is true, but that is where Mehldau starts to surprise, because when you think you are finished listening to this and have gotten all you're going to out of it, there's a turn you didn't hear before, or a subtle harmonic that was lost the first four times you listened to it. What I'm saying is, if you give Brad a chance to win you over, he will. This recording is a required purchase for the serious jazz music collector, but those who are late-to-jazz or piano trios could probably do better with The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 or even Billy Taylor Trio.