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70 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brad Mehldau fully at the top of his game, as he is here . . ., September 30, 2005
. . . 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.
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh Eclecticism, October 8, 2005
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.)
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Unique Voice in music, December 2, 2005
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.
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by The Brad Mehldau Trio 
