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Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?

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Posted on July 14, 2021 at 16:11:27
andy evans
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Posts: 4382
Joined: October 20, 2000
 Brad Mehldau..... a very personal style. Sweet and sour....

Any fans here? I'm doing some listening and while it's clever stuff it doesn't invite you in very easily.

 

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RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 14, 2021 at 17:13:22
GEO
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  Since: September 9, 2000
 I like him.

 

Got a lot of his stuff, posted on July 15, 2021 at 13:41:55
Dave Pogue
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Posts: 11689
Location: DC Area
Joined: October 9, 2001
 One of my favorite pianists.

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 18, 2021 at 15:45:27
Frank_Locke
 On 3 separate occasions over the last dozen years or so I've listened deeply to a bunch of Brad's recordings and I can't understand why he receives so much attention. He can obviously play jazz but I can't figure out what people are hearing that makes him so revered.

I watch the YouTube live streams from Small's club in NYC regularly. Most nights feature a pianist, usually little known or unknown. I'd say most nights whoever is playing impresses me more than Brad.

What is the harmonic innovation that he's know for? I'd genuinely love to understand so I can join the club.

 

"I can't understand why he receives so much attention", posted on July 19, 2021 at 05:43:35
andy evans
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Posts: 4382
Joined: October 20, 2000
 Indeed, I'm not surprised by this reaction. It seems to me that he has made a name by being a bit different....
- different repertoire including pop songs
- different arrangements, he's a composer/arranger
- bitter-sweet chords and harmonies with notes that are discordant to the "jazz" ear.
- interesting use of counterpoint rather than just melodic lines over chords.

Whether this all adds up to a rewarding musical experience I don't know. I listen to his work with interest but I'm rarely moved by any of it as a whole. It's a bit empty. On the other hand, I'm not moved much by many other clever pianists who play with more head than heart. Where has the soul gone out of piano playing? Where are the new generation Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Ahmad Jamal......? Do we have to look at synthesiser players now, like Zawinul and his heirs?

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 19, 2021 at 11:38:46
GEO
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Contributor
  Since: September 9, 2000
 I like this albun

 

Thanks - that's lovely!, posted on July 20, 2021 at 04:15:23
andy evans
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Posts: 4382
Joined: October 20, 2000
 Brad in a more lyrical mood. He can do the seductive jazz chords if he wants to as well as the more discordant harmonies. Bottom line, he's a very good pianist. And an individual voice in a piano landscape that's mostly fairly predictable.

Like Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett he's refined his trio sound with like-minded musicians. However, Larry Grenadier is no Eddie Gomez or Gary Peacock, unfortunately, so there are limits to how good the trio can be.

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 20, 2021 at 05:01:57
Cpwill
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Posts: 1096
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  Since: October 24, 2008
 I picked up that album a month or so ago for a Jazz of the Iberian Peninsula show I did on my radio program a few weeks ago. I am not a huge Brad fan, but I liked the album A lot of good Jazz coming from Catalonia. Spain and Portugal too.

Ciao,


"Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it." - Yogi Berra.

Cpwill

 

RE: "I can't understand why he receives so much attention", posted on July 20, 2021 at 05:08:06
Cpwill
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  Since: October 24, 2008
 I think there is tons of soul and emotion in many a young piano players: Isaiah J. Thompson, Victor Gould, Micah Thomas, Keith Brown, Theo Hill, Marc Cary, Sam Harris, Joey Alexander, Arcoiris Sandoval to name a heaping handful.

Ciao,


"Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it." - Yogi Berra.

Cpwill

 

Here's one of my fave Mehldau tracks. , posted on July 20, 2021 at 06:48:54
D Harvey
Manufacturer

Posts: 5563
Location: SE Michigan
Joined: May 30, 2001
 Mehldau made his named on his "The Art Of The Trio" recordings in the 90's. The linked track more or less sums up the things that made him exciting to me at the time--a dark lyricism combined with truly remarkable contrapuntal facility. Things get pretty dazzling at around 4 minutes in. His selection of pop repertoire was noteworthy at the time and has become a mainstream hallmark of jazz in the years since.

All that said, I find his body of work in total to be rather hit and miss. Those early trio records are probably still as good a place to start with him as any.

dh

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 20, 2021 at 09:29:55
GEO
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  Since: September 9, 2000
 Great music coming from there! Cuba as well!!

 

RE: Here's one of my fave Mehldau tracks. , posted on July 20, 2021 at 09:31:36
GEO
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 Those Art of the Trio records were excellent. I like the early stuff...-.his later stuff is hit or miss.

 

RE: "I can't understand why he receives so much attention", posted on July 20, 2021 at 09:33:20
GEO
Audiophile

Posts: 4749
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  Since: September 9, 2000
 That's a great list! Aaron Diehl and Emmet Cohen should be on that list also. Simona Premazzi and Carmen Staaf too!

 

Oh great!, posted on July 20, 2021 at 09:45:57
D Harvey
Manufacturer

Posts: 5563
Location: SE Michigan
Joined: May 30, 2001
 ... He said sarcastically...More names to research.

Seriously, thanks as ever for your eternal commitment to the new!
dh

 

RE: "I can't understand why he receives so much attention", posted on July 20, 2021 at 10:37:36
Cpwill
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Posts: 1096
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  Since: October 24, 2008
 Christian Sands, Miki Yamanaka, Gerald Clayton, Kris Davis, Sullivan Fortner, Vijay Iyer, and the beat goes on.
"Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it." - Yogi Berra.

Cpwill

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 20, 2021 at 10:45:26
Cpwill
Audiophile

Posts: 1096
Location: DC
Joined: December 22, 2003
Contributor
  Since: October 24, 2008
 My playlist from 1 and 8 July are on the stations website. Go to the Programming drop down menu, hit playlists, scroll to Morning Brew & Union City Radio - Classic Jazz Edition - Thur, and select those dates. The 8 July show is still on the archive for one more day. It can be found in the same way except hit archives from the drop down menu
"Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it." - Yogi Berra.

Cpwill

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 20, 2021 at 14:36:22
GEO
Audiophile

Posts: 4749
Joined: April 7, 2000
Contributor
  Since: September 9, 2000
 Thanks!! Listening to Matt Jodrel now.

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 20, 2021 at 14:43:38
GEO
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Posts: 4749
Joined: April 7, 2000
Contributor
  Since: September 9, 2000
 Nice list!

 

RE: "I can't understand why he receives so much attention", posted on July 20, 2021 at 14:44:46
GEO
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Posts: 4749
Joined: April 7, 2000
Contributor
  Since: September 9, 2000
 Have been recently listening to Miki and Sullivan Fortner. All those names are excellent. Was going to mention Gerald Clayton too!!

 

RE: Oh great!, posted on July 20, 2021 at 14:45:54
GEO
Audiophile

Posts: 4749
Joined: April 7, 2000
Contributor
  Since: September 9, 2000
 Let me know what you end up liking!

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 20, 2021 at 14:51:48
GEO
Audiophile

Posts: 4749
Joined: April 7, 2000
Contributor
  Since: September 9, 2000
 Another name

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 21, 2021 at 00:02:57
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15524
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Big fan here. His catalog is excellent.

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 26, 2021 at 18:32:55
George6
Audiophile

Posts: 182
Joined: November 18, 2012
 Lots of good jazz pianists mentioned here, esp. Emmet Cohen and Christian Sands. One that flies under the radar is Tamir Hendelman, who has recorded with the Jeff Hamilton Trio.

Did no one mention Bill Charlap??

Just four years older than Mehldau and vastly more accomplished. The link is to a live recording of "Autumn in New York", probably with the most 'mood' of any version ever recorded.

If you check out other tracks from this CD, you'll hear that he also swings like a MF.

 

RE: Brad Mehldau - a fan or not?, posted on July 28, 2021 at 02:50:24
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15524
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Another +vote for Bill Charlap as well.

 

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