Time away from the studio has apparently given Brad Mehldau time to compose, and this long-awaited new trio studio release is better for it.
Not that the deeply talented pianist doesn’t have a way with a standard, mind you, only that their first studio release in seven years only gains momentum with each new thought. You wonder what one of his typical backslides into another redux moment from Rodgers and Hart or Radiohead would have done to kill the mood. Luckily, as bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard push Mehldau well out of such comfy asides, we never have to find out. All 11 tracks are originals.
While this particular configuration of Mehldau’s trio has been active on performance stages, and was also featured on a live set issued four years ago from the Village Vanguard, they have been far less documented in the studio than was his original group — giving albums like Ode, due on March 20 in North America from Nonesuch, more of the feel of an event. You want to hear not just what they sound like, but what they’ve been thinking, and this record delivers.
From the winkingly rambunctious “M.D.” to the sweetly swinging title track, from the Monkishly offbeat “Dream Sketch” to the skittishly heavy-breathing “Stan the Man,” from the note-perfect sway of “Aquaman” to the twilight reverie of the album-closing “Days of Dilbert Delaney,” Ode moves with power and grace.
Emphasis, perhaps, on power: Mehldau began his career very much in the Bill Evans mode of contemplative piano examinations, but he’s become a much more propulsive player — with some credit, to these ears, going to Grenadier and Ballard. Tracks like “Ode” and “Dream Sketch” offer, sometimes quite literally, a river of ideas — with Mehldau furiously improvising with his right hand while the rest of the rhythm section adds their own perfectly placed asides. Inspired, Mehldau digs further back, past Evans to Lennie Tristano, on “Bee Blues” and unleashes a pounding, very Oscar Peterson-informed intro on “Stan the Man.” There are dark abstractions in “Kurt’s Vibe,” and rhythmic abstractions in “Wyatt’s Eulogy for George Hanson.”
In some ways, Mehldau has never sounded so present, so unhurriedly creative, in the music.
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This is a poor review. First off Mehldau’s last studio album was two years ago (Highway Rider), not seven. But you must have meant for this trio, so specify that.
And as great as Grenadier and Ballard are, I highly doubt they are responsible for “pushing” Mehldau from some fictional easy chair (Consider, say, Highway Rider!).
And lastly it is dumb to describe something as “quite literally, a river of ideas”. I’ll let you figure out why.
They pay you to write this stuff?
Yes, I meant the trio. Also, yes, it is my supposition that the trio format pushes Mehldau into some more creative, more challenging places on this record. Lastly, it is — to use your own phraseology — dumb to label a review “poor” simply because you do not agree with such a supposition. I’ll let you figure out why.
Nick, Thanks for your response.
Your reply that, “the trio format pushes Mehldau into some more creative, more challenging places” may be true in some respects but seams arbitrary. It would likewise be easy to say his solo efforts push him into more creativity being freed from having to play with others, or that the large ensemble works push him in his creativity as a composer, etc.
I’m more concerned over your somewhat cynical opinion in the first paragraph. In honesty, I think you wrote it to sound cool. But Mehldau fans are generally pretty smart cookies. If you make some specious statement along the lines of, “Thank God we have Larry and Jeff to prod Brad, otherwise we’d probably be stuck in Radio Head purgatory” we’re going to call you on it.
That opinion wasn’t the only reason I found your review poor. As mentioned, there is at least one factual inaccuracy. Plus your “literally metaphorically” phraseology is a little off-putting.
If I had said anything as remotely cynical as you just did (“thank God,” so on), maybe your overheated response would have made sense in context. I didn’t, and it didn’t.
I said I thought the format pushed him into new places, and I credited his long-tenured collaborators for their role in that. Simply because that opinion differs from yours does not make it “arbitrary.” I found the chamber record you mentioned far too conservative, and I haven’t connected with his more recent solo records, either. Again, I was ready to hear him focus on original content in the trio format, rather than simply reexamining moldy chestnuts and/or hipster modern pop tunes.
Seems like a reasonable stance, and just the kind of thing that our many, many smart-cookie readers — both here and throughout our lengthy syndication on AllAboutJazz.com — have come to expect from this site. Maybe it’s different from yours, but certainly it’s a long, long way away from your flippant, empty-calorie reformulation.
Here’s the thing — Brad Melhdau did all of that, in a record that feels like a sweeping return to form. And we praised him for it. Why you, apparently someone who self-identifies as a Mehldau fan, have decided to become angry about that is beyond me.
Hey Nick, Thanks again for your response.
My “reformulation” came about because, frankly, I wasn’t sure that you got the idea the first time around. I didn’t find your review poor “simply because” I disagreed with you. If I had to guess, you knew that but decided to inaccurately portray my position.
Now apparently I’m angry Mehldau has released a great new trio album of originals and that you liked it. Only problem is I’m not. These are called straw man fallacies. I know you know this. Stop being dishonest.
You also don’t need to make superfluous statements that Mehldau does well in a trio setting, or that new material is generally nice. Honestly, who would disagree with these?
The real issue I find with the content of your assertions is this: “You wonder what one of his typical backslides into another redux moment from Rodgers and Hart or Radiohead would have done to kill the mood. Luckily, as bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard push Mehldau well out of such comfy asides, we never have to find out.”
Now I don’t want to pull a “Nick” here so please tell me if my interpretation is inaccurate. It seams as though for you, Brad Mehldau has “typical backslides” in virtue of playing standards (called moldy chestnuts, seriously?) or those darned “hipster” Radio Head songs and the like. Further, If he in fact played a “backslider” it would most likely kill the mood of the album. But luckily we’ll never have to find out because Larry and Jeff dissuade him -from playing Gershwin or whatever- by pushing him into new creative bounds.
Do you see how terms like “typical backslides” are dysphemisms and how the last assertion doesn’t even make sense?
You appear reluctant to just admit you missed the mark here. I’m going to bow out of this one. But by all means conjure up the last word.
Please chill and just listen to the music. Thank you.