Customer Reviews

House on Hill

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the last recording of the Trio as we used to know it, and I love it. If you are a Brad Mehldau-fan only because he occasionally covers Radiohead, this might be over your head .But if you loved PLACES or Elegiac Cycle and love the original compositions that one can find on all of Mehldau's previous releases, go for it. These songs are truly beautiful and as with all of his originals: they grow on you intensly. Jorge Rossy plays his [...] off here. If you loved Art of the Trio, this is a gorgeous swan song for the first Mehldau Trio which should not fail in your collection.

Having seen Jeff Ballard perform with Joshua Redman a few years back, I couldn't help but wonder what he would sound like playing with Brad Mehldau and Larry Grenadier. I imagined the three of them locking into a super-tight groove (but with plenty of finesse and grace)--which is exactly what we hear on a track like "Artis" (from _Day Is Done_). And like many listeners, I am absolutely into the "new" trio. Jorge Rossy was there from the start, however, and it is only fitting that Nonesuch sanctioned the release of this wonderful session.

Now, the reviews have been very mixed, and I'll confess that some of them have left me scratching my head, since to my ears _House on Hill_ beautifully captures the trio as they were evolving in 2002. The perfomances are immaculate (but not "bloodless"--at least not in my opinion), and Mehldau was clearly growing (even more) as a composer. It is also an effectively paced recording. So what's not to like if you're a fan of the Brad Mehldau Trio? I was also happy to to read Mehldau's words again. (Mehldau is an extraordinarily gifted writer and thinker, and I personally enjoy it, say, when he takes on those critics who seem to insist that he sounds like Bill Evans, which of course he doesn't.) Perhaps some might find his musings on jazz composition and improvisation pretentious, but the fact of the matter is that he has earned the right to reflect on the creative process from his own point of view. Finally, it is impossible not to miss Jorge Rossy after listening to this recording (his loose-limbed approach to the kit was a big part of this trio's sound) even while we're at the same time looking forward to the next phase of Mehldau's eventful artistic journey.

all of Brad's CD's won't be stand outs that gain immediate "5 star" status from most reviewers, but when later viewed in the context of an entire career opinions might change. As a document of original material played by the original trio not long before they changed drummers, House On Hill deserves appreciation from thoughtful listeners who view Mehldau's CD efforts as episodes in a life in music, not as a series of possible "5 star" albums. I suppose "Songs" approaches that, but is that what we really want or expect from someone like Brad Mehldau? This is probably not his "Kind of Blue". So what? It's a fine album, full of wonderful, challenging music from a "serious" (in the best sense of the word) recording artist that you need to listen to over time as part of an ongoing work to understand its place in that continuum. That won't always get 5 stars from some people but it gets my enthusiastic 5 stars because I am defintely on board for the long ride.

A good disc, but not alot of unique moments. This highlights alot of songs that show off Brad's talent for repeating patterns while letting drummer Rossy taking artistic license with the beat, it truly is a tribute to Rossy. "Boomer", "Backyard", and "Happy Tune", and "August Ending" all are great examples of this. There's some solid melodies, but after repeated listens I still have yet to find a track that resonates with me.

That being said, the songs begin to meld together because of this similarity, which is a step back in my opinion from some of his work which is more dynamic (Art of the Trio 4 & 5, Places), experimental (the odd "Largo" experiment), or accessible ("Art of the trio 2", "Day Is Done"), or purely emotional (the solo "Live at Tokyo").

Just a few words. When I first listened to this recording I was intrigued but not overly enthusiastic. I found myself drawn back to it, though, and the more I listened to it the more I heard. At first, there seems to be a certain sameness to the pieces - the Meldauian "Weltschmerz" sound, I suppose. But I would liken its eventual effect to entering a dark room (perhaps one's attic) and gradully, as you become accustomed to the change of light, objects begin to take form out of the shadows... a doll, an overcoat, artificial flowers, etc. Whatever is in your imagination. The music here is similar to an alternative universe with its own complex laws and geography that the visitor is lost in until he discovers the strange terrain for himself. This is not the cd for the listener who has never heard Mehldau - for that I would reccomend "Day Is Done". This, however, is fascinating, evocative music that rewards repeated, attentive listening. Mehldau is an incredible pianist who has carved out his own jazz/classical hybrid approach to improvisation. I consider him the strongest stylist on piano since Keith Jarrett.

This music is challenging and a bit esoteric. The compositions are rich and full of unexpected harmonic twists and turns. We have come to expect this from Mehldau. The energy level is slightly muted, much like "Places" another recording of completely original music. It may take repeated listening to get inside of this music.

Brad Melhdau is a brilliant and unique musician. it is extremely difficult to create a singular voice as a pianist. He has done this more than most musicians who have come out of the jazz resurgence of the 90's.

All of Mehldau's CD's are recommended, but this might not be the first one to buy if you've never heard him before. Try Art of the Trio Vol. 4, or Anything Goes.

That said, it certainly has its charms, especially from a highly technically accomplished standpoint: No one, I think, will be able to gainsay the level of pure musical brilliance achieved by Brad and his original trio mates, Larry Grenadier (bass) and Jorge Rossy (drums), regularly made manifest on this, in many ways, remarkable disc.

Unfortunately, despite its mastery of the arcane mysteries of high-level improvisational music-making, there seems to be something lacking. Soulfulness, perhaps? Yes, the music, for all its technical brilliance, seems a little bloodless, sort of like, maybe, Brad's MFA dissertation summarizing the history of jazz.

This strikes me as one of those discs that our most gifted jazz musicians occasionally have to get out of their systems--it's certainly very challenging music and probably loads of fun to play, but it leaves even the informed listener scratching his head disconcertedly, having hoped for more friendly music and being handed a musical snake--albeit, strikingly beautiful--when what he wished for was, simply, bread.

Certainly worth acquiring, but more admirably than listenable. For piano trio jazz that absolutely will not disappoint, check out Frank Kimbrough's latest, Play.

This is, I think, the first Brad Mehldau Trio's finest album. It was outdone (just) in energy and spirit by the second trio's Day is Done (and, now, in ambition and creativity by Highway Rider), but the fact that this is a collection of original compositions--rather than a mix of originals and arrangements of pop tunes--makes House on Hill more risky, and possibly more satisfying, than Day is Done. "August Ending," "Bealtine," "Boomer", and "Fear and Trembling" are stand-out pieces, but no track on this disc is dull or filler. The only filler (as is so often the case with Mehldau's albums) is Mehldau's lengthy, pretentious reflection on composition in the liner notes. (Day is Done and Highway Rider are blessedly free of philosophical disquisition, letting the music speak for itself.) Skip the lecture and go straight for the music. It's well worth it.

Pure delight. This is not blues, not crooner, not bluegrass, this is pure jazz.
If you like good jazz Brad Meldhau is the man.
Forget pat Metheny, Meldhau "alone" is a ton better.
If you think about getting this CD, stop thinking and get it.
Enjoy!
:-]

2 1/2

While a solid average is still something in Mehldau's world, by all means hold out on buying this house until all other more valuable properties have been consumed. The disc starts well enough, but asides for a few invigorating themes the album lapses into muted dawdling.