Customer Reviews

Day Is Done

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

. . . Is there a better (jazz) pianist alive?

No.

What makes him so great? He's got the whole package. It starts with his complete assimilation of the entire spectrum of jazz piano from Fats Waller and Earl Hines to Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. On this disc, he casually, even insouciantly, trots it out as needed. It continues with his rhythmic conception that encompasses the entire range of jazz pianisms, from swing to bop to free to world and beyond. What amazes about all this lightly worn virtuosity is that it never comes across as mere academico-historic prowess; there's always a bright and glorious accessibility about this music. But we're just scratching the surface with these observations. There are a lot of smart, knowledgeable keysman with similar talents.

What sets Mehldau apart is a serendipitous magic that has to do not only with the selection of entirely compatible bandmates, but an unknown, unquantifiable quality that also enables him to discover, reconfigure, and give fresh meaning to standards and pop gems even as he works in his own startling originals. Mehldau perhaps makes his greatest and most lasting musical impression as song-selector, -conceptualizer, and -executional architect/band leader. It's not merely that he has chops to burn, although that is certainly the case; it's that he finds unusual and serendipitous musical contexts to unfold and display his genius that other pianists fail to locate.

Proof? Just look at his two wildly, astonishingly original takes on Beatles tunes, "Martha My Dear" and "She's Leaving Home." First of all, I generally think the vast majority of jazz renditions of Beatles tunes suck. There's usually either too much reverence or pointless reconfiguration that leads nowhere. Not here. "Martha My Dear," taken as a solo (ad)venture, is scarcely recognizable, what with its reharmonization, obscured melody, and wild rhythmic workout, yet it brims and bursts and bubbles with the authentic heart of the original. "She's Leaving Home," on the other hand, although transformed into a valse triste, retains the wistful melancholy of the original, taking on an almost unbearable poignancy entirely appropriate to its thematic center and eventually working itself up into a legitimately bloozy lament weirdly contiguous with the original, but wholly unexpected and gloriously transformational.

Moreover, Mehldau's range simple astounds. His take on Chris Cheek's marvelous composition, "Granada," conjures the entire history of Andalusia, Spaniards and Moors, even as it unfolds a striking beautiful and mysterious melodic sensibility. The Paul Simon classic, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," almost as unrecognizable as "Martha My Dear," nevertheless snaps and crackles with a smart-mouthed jauntiness entirely apropos to the original, although displaying melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic sensibilities once again unexpected though absolutely apposite.

The addition of drummer Jeff Ballard to the trio, who has leant such thrilling percussive moves especially to numerous Jazz Composers Collective projects, notches the proceedings up several levels. As great as Jorge (Jordi) Rossy is, Ballard tops him. He's got such a sure rhythmic sense, such percussive drive, that he constantly gooses the proceedings into new and unexpected territory.

Mehldau just goes from strength to strength. If you want to experience the absolute finest of the younger crop of jazz pianists, look no farther than this remarkable disc.

Much of the repertoire on this album is drawn from the years just before and after the pianist's birth (1970). We get Bacharach's "Alfie" (from the Michael Caine film of 1966), two Beatles tunes, "She's Leaving Home" from Sgt. Pepper's (1967) and "Martha My Dear" from The White Album (1968), Nick Drake's "Day Is Done" (1969), and Paul Simon's hit "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (1975). Balancing out this intriguing time warp are such more contemporary items as another Radiohead song, saxophonist Chris Cheek's "Granada," and two Mehldau originals. The set concludes, eclectically, with something approaching a more traditional jazz standard, "No Moon at All" from 1947, which has been covered by such luminaries as Basie, Nat King Cole, and George Shearing but not by everyone under the sun. It makes a splendid closer here.

For the most part, in other words, this is unconventional jazz material, and Mehldau does not neglect to make the most of that opportunity, bringing to bear his unique sensibility, which somehow synthesizes the harmonic sophisticiation of Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms, the best stylings of modern jazz piano, and the hooks of the popular composers whose songs he utilizies as vehicles. For Mehldau, refreshingly, there are no generic barriers, only good music.

Much comment on this disc will inevitably focus on the lineup change, with Jeff Ballard replacing Mehldau's long-time drummer Jorge Rossy, who has recorded with the trio since Introducing (1995). Ballard, however, has played with bassist Larry Grenadier for a while (in the trio Fly), so it's not surprising he fits into this unit so well. In fact, Ballard comes out swinging, with propulsive support on "Knives Out," surely one of Mehldau's most exciting recordings to date.

The group offers a pretty straightforward, lyrical reading of "Alfie" before Mehldau launches into one of his most effective solos yet, a heavily embellished version of "Martha My Dear." For me the real highlights are the title track, another extremely haunting re-working of a Nick Drake song, and the other Beatles tune, "She's Leaving Home." Both are developed in extremely sophisticated, satisfying ways. I love how in the latter recording a window suddenly opens on the simple, poignant theme just before the conclusion. Unforgettable. Of the Mehldau originals, "Turtle Town" seems the more memorable, with its odd twists and turns. One other point: Mehldau himself produced this album. The sound is great, and there are no annoying fade-outs such as marred some of the earlier recordings.

Overall, this is a fantastic album that builds on the pianist's past triumphs while achieving a distinctive sound of its own. It's very unlikely to do anything but thrill confirmed Mehldau fans. I hope it brings many more into the fold, because for my money this guy is just about the best thing happening in contemporary music. (And I hope he soon records the song cycle he has written, based on poems by Louise Bogan and Rilke, for Renee Fleming--with Fleming herself, of course.)

Actually, there are plenty of other Jazz pianists who are every bit as good as Brad Mehldau. The real virtue of Mehldau is that he is not constrained by some notion of "Jazz" or labels, rather he has and is working on a unique expression in music that includes and extends beyond the current trend in Jazz pianism that brings to mind the late and great Kenny Kirkland.

Mehldau's treatment of such pieces as "Martha My Dear" recall Bela Bartok or Charles Ives more so that a Fats Waller or most any "ism" in music today. Mehldau's choice of material to arrange is telling as well. Instead of doing yet another arrangement of a Jazz standard, he has chosen familar yet unknown material in a Jazz context and has used this as a means to explore and play with different sounds and sonorities that one does not usually associate with Jazz. The quietly seathing, chromatic sluring of octaves and unusual dissonance in "Knives Out" cuts in a way that is disquieting and expressive -- such is uniquely Mehldau in its voice. Considering such, it disservice to consider him the "best" Jazz pianist around, rather he is a musician that has developed an unique voice in the music that is striking and worth listening to. Only after listening to what has come before in music can one really appreciate the uniqueness that Mehldau offers.

This CD is a good selection for those interested in where Jazz is going nowadays.

pianist brad mehldau has succeded again in crafting a beautiful studio album with his updated trio. a well structred line-up of tunes continues the mehldau tradition of reharmonizing popular and folk tunes for improvisiational diolougue. wonderful songwriters such as paul simon, nick drake, the beatles, and radiohead all make an appearence here and the album is filled out with two mehldau originals and two standards. mehldau also played producer on the album and the recording quality of the group is better then ever, revealing the piano with great clarity and capturing grenidier's wonderful tone better then ever before.

jeff ballard, the new drummer, provides a unique change of pace for mehldau, playing with a slightly more agressive, on-the-beat approach that gives the trio a different rhythmic intensity as opposed to jorge rossy's wonderful, space-oriented playing that graced mehldau's previous trio recordings.

highlights of the album include radiohead's 'knives out' which was a powerful one-take in the studio. it comes across with a wonderful intensity and captures the phrasing of the tune perfectly. larry grenidier's bass playing is also featured nicely on the the odd meter exploration of simon's '50 ways' and the haunting but uptempo reading of drake's 'day is done'.

all in all, an exceptional release by one of our generation's most inovative and exciting pianists who continues to thrive and reinvent the trio setting.

I actually obtained "Day is Done" about 4 days before it was released from a friend of mine. Jeff Ballard, the new drummer for the trio gives Mehldau's group a very different feel but very fresh and new...I like him a lot. Every track on the CD is amazing. My favorites are "Knives Out", "Martha My Dear", and Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover". Also the ballad "Alfie" by Burt Bacharach is short but leaves you appreciating just how great the melody of the tune is. If you have I-tunes you can download two more tunes that aren't on the CD which are very good too. I highly recommend this CD to any fan of "piano trio" Jazz, or any Jazz fan in general.

First off, let me say that Jeff Ballard is a monster on drums. Right out of the gate you can hear the difference between his attacking style versus the more spacious playing of former drummer Jorge Rossy. As a big fan of the Mehldau trio, I was a bit worried because Jorge was SO perfect a fit for so many years and it was hard to imagine Brad with another drummer. After listening obsessively to "Art of the Trio vol. 2", "Progressions- AOT 5", and "Anything Goes", I was almost beginning to feel like I could predict what I was about to hear due to the familiarity with the trio's chemistry. So in a way, Ballard's different approach is nice, not because he is any "better" but simply because he just plays "different" than Master Rossy.

This album is fantastic. The Radiohead tune is blistering (probably more so than anything Brad has done in a studio setting to date). Alfie is very lovely. Martha has never been my favorite Beatles tune, but Mehldau gives it enough spin to make it very interesting. Day Is Done is superb! Really builds in momentum towards the end, and again highlights Jeff's groovey approach. Granada has a very cool progression that is very exotic. 50 Ways is excellent, and She's Leaving Home is probably my favorite overall tune of the entire set (I have been re-playing it over and over.) Both of the originals are nice too though I still don't know them well enough to get into details right now.

All in all, this is a really innovative album. It sorta picks up where "Largo" left off, adding alot of groove, and even pop elements to keep jazz fresh. I wish more artists would take this approach to help jazz evolve. Can't wait to see this trio in Santa Barbara early next year. I imagine they will really rip in a live setting.

Note: people who enjoy this album may want to check out the Joshua Redman album that Brad and Larry played on with Brian Blade on drums (can't remember the name but it has a blue cover, and a SMOKIN' rendition of Elenor Rigby.) It's a bit smooth-jazz sounding at times, but most of the album is highly innovative in the same spirit as Day Is Done.

Thanks again Brad for continuing to push that envelope!

Only a couple of thoughts to add to the consensus view:
1. As Brad Mehldau Trio albums go, this one is just decent, finally falling into place with some cohesiveness around tracks #5 and #6 (the two Mehldau originals), and closing out with three strong statements. It's very hard to self-produce and remain objective. Perhaps if Nonesuch EP Bob Hurwitz would insist on bringing an outsider in, the overall product might sparkle and shine a bit more, and delight more consistently from top to bottom once again.

2. Wherever drummer Jorge Rossy is right about now, I hope that it's a really sweet gig. He brought much and little to the table at the same time, if you know what I mean (very much à la Paul Motian). Next thing we know, Billy Cobham will be replacing Jack DeJohnette in the Keith Jarrett Standards Trio. Rue that day while enjoying the second half of this. Tweak them stars to 3 and a half. Brad's still a monster.

I remember sitting in a room at the North Sea Jazz Festival a few years back waiting for Brad Mehldau. I didn't know anything about him, but being interested in Scandinavian music, his name sounded right. The first notes Mehldau played made me think that I was in for a treat, but soon I found the music to edgy and needlessly complictated, with Mehldau filling a lot of space in the periphery of the melody. Maybe it was my own ignorance, maybe it was the mood I was in, maybe it was the people I was with, I don't know; but Mehldau's music didn't work for me.
A year later I started buying albums with Mehldau on it, but not as a frontman. I found out that his playing was very usefull around someone else's solo. Mehldau lays such unexpected accents, that the piano fills up some open spaces in music you not always realise they're there. From this point my respect for Mehldau's approach to music started to grow.

Buying a jazzalbum with a lot of covers of popsongs on it, is something else tough. Why buy a jazz-album with two compositions of Lennon/McCartney, one of Nick Drake and one of Paul Simon? There is simply too much bad jazz like that, and there's so much good music you can buy, so why bother?

Well, as I discoverd in the meantime, if one person can pull it off, it has to be Mehldau. And what's the case over here? I like Martha My Dear in the Mehldau-version... Some parts sound like jazz and classical music and pop all in one good package. Mehldau's way of playing combines real good with wellknown tunes, because he can turn them into something interesting.

The cover of Day Is Done of Nick Drake is rapidly becoming one of my 150 favourite jazztunes. It's 9 and a half minutes long and it leads to a real climax, with Mehldau doing fast things, strange things, funky things, freaky things etc.
Grenadier (bass) and Ballard (drums) realy groove in this song. By the way, both are great players. At this point I especialy like Jeff Ballard's drumming.
The two compositions of Mehldau in the heart of the album leave the path of wellknown melody's off course, but that's a welcome change. Thelonious Monk comes to mind, listening to the uptempo-song Artis. Turtle Town is a ballad.
The beauty of the melody of She's Leaving Home stays in tact, but Mehldau really shows the jazz-potental of the song without making the theme to big; he keeps it small and his timing is great!
Knives Out is the first song on the album and it swings like hell: it's realy good to play it loud in your car. No Moon At All is the last song: traditional jazz to cool down with. A very subtle ending to an unexpectatly good album of one of the best piano-trio's around. I'd love to see 'm play live again!

This is Brad Mehldau's best album. The trio setting really showcases the talent of Brad Mehldau...With most trios, it's hard for the band to keep my attention. I get bored with the one melody driven instrument, whether it's the sax, trumpet, guitar or piano. This trio keeps my attention the entire time. The tunes are great. There isn't a dull moment on this album. Really listen to what Brad Mehldau is doing and you'll hear what I'm talking about. Very inspiring. Excellent versions of Radiohead's Knives Out and Paul Simon's 50 ways. The band is sick. Go buy this album.

Brad Mehldau has great talent I believe, I have listened to him for years and heard him live at the Kennedy Center. I'm a fan, a big fan. Which is why it saddens me to hear another CD like this like his Tokyo CD.

Trying to be positive and balanced: the slower stuff is, as usual, the most involving. "Alfie" "She's leaving Home" and the Nick Drake title track "Day is Done" are clever and listenable, new.

But then, there is the spikey rest.

Like a new soundtrack for a takeoff on the "Beautiful Mind", a movie in which a talented but unstable pianist goes increasingly obsessive and repeats certain note patterns over and over, louder and louder. I'm sorry, that's what most of it sounds like. (Just trying to save your money!). And there is a curious pattern of Mehldau playing passages in a completely different meter with left and right hand. Difficult, yes, Entertaining or musical, no.

Yeah he certainly "constantly gooses the proceedings into new and unexpected territory" as someone else has said, but that new territory is not very listenable. Sort of like a good meal with way too much pepper.

I resold mine after very few listenings. Except for "Anything Goes" Mehldau's better stuff continues to be his earlier recordings where the studio, probably, kept a closer watch and gave him less license to do as he pleases. It made for much more listenable, more emotionally involving music. Buy Art of the Trio 1 & 3 instead.