Other than the album's genre-crossing premise, there's nothing
particularly gimmicky or flashy about bluegrass singer/songwriter Chris
Thile and jazz pianist Brad Mehldau's 2017 Nonesuch collaboration, Chris
Thile & Brad Mehldau. Simply put, Thile and Mehldau deliver a set
of deeply engaging, organically realized songs that perfectly balance
their respective jazz and bluegrass skills. Given that they seemingly
come from polar ends of the musical spectrum, the collaboration may feel
like an odd choice at first. However, after hearing this debut, one
might be hard-pressed to imagine a more compatible duo to emerge from
their generation than these two distinctive mavericks. The similarities
have always been there; both musicians started out as purist arbiters of
their prospective roots-based genres, but later transitioned into
leading proponents of their own progressive, harmonically nuanced
musical ideologies. Thile broke the mold when he started incorporating
pop, folk, and traditional bluegrass with Nickel Creek, a permutable
instinct later underlined with his nods to rock and fusion with the
Punch Brothers. Similarly, while Mehldau is often justifiably compared
to jazz icons like Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, his reconceptualization
of alt-rock hits by Radiohead and Nirvana, combined with his deft
improvisational skill, long marked him as a gentle jazz radical. This
inkling that both artists shared a philosophical and aesthetic
sensibility is apparently exactly what motivated executive producer and
label president Robert Hurwitz to introduce the two to each other after a
Punch Brothers show several years prior to this album. Subsequently,
Thile and Mehldau began playing together casually, purportedly
developing a strong rapport. Based on the songs here, that rapport
sounds effortless, as they warmly intertwine both their instruments and
voices on covers like a rambling take on Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice,
It's All Right" and an evocative reworking of Joni Mitchell's "Marcie."
One minute, Mehldau is framing Thile's yearning vocals in soft, velvety
chords and the next, Thile is comping with furious intensity on his
mandolin as Mehldau launches into a cascading solo. The duo's original
songs are also quite fascinating, particularly the Eric Clapton-esque
"The Old Shade Tree" and the poetic, classically inflected "Noise
Machine," inspired by the recent birth of Thile's first child. These are
deeply hued, literate songs, as personal as anything either artist has
done, yet delivered with an almost startlingly robust virtuosity. Even
when they defy expectations, as when Thile sets down his mandolin for a
piano-accompanied reading of the standard "I Cover the Waterfront," or
when they eschew lyrics for an instrumental version of Elliott Smith's
"Independence Day," there's a palpable sense of real listening, of
generously shared creativity. Ultimately, it's that synergistic spark
that makes Thile and Mehldau's collaboration sound less like a one-off
experiment and more like the start of a lasting partnership. Matt Collar
1 The Old Shade Tree 6:27 
Brad Mehldau fans should be used to his shapeshifting ways by now. Rightfully acclaimed for his jazz trio recordings, it is the balance of his catalog that delivers a rounded portrait of the musician, from Largo and The Highway Rider to Mehliana: Taming the Dragon, and more. But Finding Gabriel marks his most idiosyncratically expansive release yet. Its thematically linked compositions were inspired by a close reading of Old Testament sources -- Daniel, Hosea, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Job -- while considering our current sociopolitical era. He also experimented with the Oberheim OB-6 analog synth while composing, an instrument whose possibilities were new to him. It's used alongside acoustic and electric pianos, organ, xylophone, mores synths, and voice. His celebrated cast of guests includes trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, violinist Sara Caswell, saxophonist Joel Frahm, drummer Mark Guiliana, vocalists Becca Stevens, Kurt Elling, and Gabriel Kahane, and small string and horns sections. In addition to ensemble pieces, three tunes are performed by Mehldau as a one-man band.
Alone Together, Lee Konitz's first recording for Blue Note, is a special event. The saxophonist teamed up with legendary bassist Charlie Haden and young lion pianist Brad Mehldau, and the trio's interaction on this set of relaxed bop is astonishing. On paper, the music on Alone Together -- a collection of standards -- should just be straightahead cool bop, but all three musicians are restless and inventive, making even the simplest numbers on the disc vibrant, lively and adventurous. It's a wonderful record, one that makes a convincing argument that Konitz remains a vital force even as he reached his seventieth year. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1 Alone Together 13:48
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
2 The Song Is You 12:54
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
3 Cherokee 10:59
Ray Noble
4 What Is This Thing Called Love? 11:32
Cole Porter
5 'Round Midnight 12:49
Bernie Hanighen / Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams
6 You Stepped Out of a Dream 12:54
Nacio Herb Brown / Gus Kahn
Credits :
Bass, Producer – Charlie Haden
Painting – Kenneth Knowland
Piano – Brad Mehldau
Saxophone, Producer – Lee Konitz
This follow up to an earlier CD (Alone Together) with Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden took place exactly one year later at the same venue, L.A.'s Jazz Bakery. Like the first release, the trio takes their time exploring each tune, whether it's the leader's opening blues or a favorite ballad like "What's New" or "Body and Soul." This stimulating set is highly recommended! Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1 Another Shade Of Blue 10:50
Composed By – Lee Konitz
2 Everything Happens To Me 12:15
Written-By [Uncredited] – Matt Dennis, Tom Adair
3 What's New 15:49
Composed By – Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke
4 Body And Soul 17:29
Composed By – Edward Heyman, Johnny Green, Robert B. Sour
5 All Of Us 11:27
Composed By – Brad Mehldau, Charlie Haden, Lee Konitz
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Producer, Liner Notes – Lee Konitz
Artwork, Painting – Kenneth Noland
Bass, Producer – Charlie Haden
Piano – Brad Mehldau
Like 1999's Voice in the Night, The Water Is Wide features Charles Lloyd in the company of one of his dearest friends, drummer Billy Higgins, who would pass away less than a year after the album's release. Guitarist John Abercrombie also remains on board, but Lloyd extends the group's generational span by recruiting two younger players: pianist Brad Mehldau and bassist Larry Grenadier. The album begins with a straightforward, elegant reading of Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia." Lloyd goes on to lead his ensemble through two lesser-known Ellington pieces, "Black Butterfly" and "Heaven"; Strayhorn's "Lotus Blossom"; two original ballads, "Figure In Blue" and "Lady Day"; and Cecil McBee's "Song of Her," a track from Lloyd's 1968 classic, Forest Flower. It's a glorious amalgam of sound: the leader's unique, glissando-laden phraseology, Mehldau's harmonic nuances, unerring rhythmic backbone from Grenadier and the majestic Higgins -- and only occasionally, pointed and eloquent guitarism from Abercrombie. The session ascends to an even higher level with the inclusion of two spirituals, "The Water Is Wide" and "There Is a Balm in Gilead." The latter features just Lloyd and Higgins, starkly setting the melody against a hypnotic drum chant. In addition, Lloyd's closing "Prayer," written for Higgins during a life-threatening episode back in 1996, features just the composer, Abercrombie, and guest bassist Darek Oles. (Oddly, Oles' credit is relegated to the fine print.) These tracks, most of all, resonate with personal meaning and profundity. David R. Adler
Tracklist :
1 Georgia 6'36
Composed By – Hoagy Carmichael
2 The Water Is Wide 5'01
Traditional
Arranged By – Charles Lloyd
3 Black Butterfly 4'35
Composed By – Duke Ellington
4 Ballade And Allegro 3'45
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
5 Figure In Blue 5'12
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
6 Lotus Blossom 5'37
Composed By – Billy Strayhorn
7 The Monk And The Mermaid 8'34
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
8 Song Of Her 7'36
Composed By – Cecil McBee
9 Lady Day 7'28
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
10 Heaven 4'14
Composed By – Duke Ellington
11 There Is A Balm In Gilead 5'12
Traditional
Arranged By – Charles Lloyd
12 Prayer 4'20
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Design, Photography By [Photos], Painting – Dorothy Darr
Double Bass – Darek Oles (pistas: 12), Larry Grenadier
Drums – Billy Higgins
Executive-Producer – Manfred Eicher
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Piano – Brad Mehldau
Producer – Charles Lloyd, Dorothy Darr
Tenor Saxophone – Charles Lloyd
Text By – Robinson Jeffers
The December 1999 sessions that produced The Water Is Wide yielded enough material for a second album. Hyperion With Higgins is the result, and its title reflects the sad fact that Billy Higgins, Lloyd's friend and soul mate and the session's drummer, passed away not long after the music was put to tape. The music's spiritual quality is heightened by the after-the-fact dedication. Quite unlike The Water Is Wide, Hyperion With Higgins is comprised entirely of Lloyd's original compositions, although the same lineup is featured: Lloyd, Higgins, John Abercrombie, Brad Mehldau, and Larry Grenadier. After a couple of fairly straightforward jazz pieces ("Dancing Waters, Big Sur to Bahia" and "Bharati"), the quintet delves into two longer works: "Secret Life of the Forbidden City" and the Coltrane-esque "Miss Jessye." They then romp through the title track, a spirited mid-tempo blues, before tackling the album's centerpiece: the five-part "Darkness on the Delta Suite," an ambitious, free-leaning melange of Eastern and rural blues connotations (with a brilliant solo interlude by Abercrombie). The last two pieces -- "Dervish on the Glory B" and "The Caravan Moves On" -- depart almost completely from jazz vernacular. The former recalls the upbeat, folk-like drone of the sunset portion of "Forest Flower," while the latter, featuring Lloyd on taragato, evokes not only the Middle Eastern desert, but also the inexorable march of time. Thus does a fitting homage to the departed Higgins conclude this exceptionally focused, all-original statement from Charles Lloyd. David R. Adler
Tracklist :
1 Dancing Waters, Big Sur To Bahia (For Gilberto and Caetano) 5'51
Charles Lloyd
2 Bharati 6'59
Charles Lloyd
3 Secret Life Of The Forbidden City 10'03
Charles Lloyd
4 Miss Jessye 10'21
Charles Lloyd
5 Hyperion With Higgins 7'19
Charles Lloyd
6 Darkness On The Delta Suite: Mother Where Art Thou/Robert Johnson On The Bank Of The Ganges/Perseverance/Till The River Runs Free/Peace In The Storm 12'39
Charles Lloyd
7 Dervish On The Glory B 8'23
Charles Lloyd
8 The Caravan Moves On 8'32
Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Double Bass – Larry Grenadier
Drums, Percussion – Billy Higgins
Executive-Producer – Manfred Eicher
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Photography By – Dorothy Darr
Piano – Brad Mehldau
Producer – Charles Lloyd, Dorothy Darr
Tenor Saxophone, Tárogató [Taragato], Maracas – Charles Lloyd
Three years passed between the release of the Brad Mehldau's Day Is Done and this live outig. What's so significant about this is simply that the former record marked the debut of drummer Jeff Ballard, who had replaced longtime kitman Jorge Rossy. Ballard is a more physical, busier, and more energetic drummer, allowing for Mehldau and bassist Larry Grenadier to up the ante in terms of dynamic and rhythmic options. Day Is Done offered a number of wonderfully contrasting moments where Mehldau, a big pop music fan from all eras, wove a tapestry from Burt Bacharach and John Lennon to Nick Drake and Colin Greenwood, from Paul Simon to Chris Cheek, as well as inserting a few of his own compositions. House on Hill was released the following year, but the material preceded the arrival of Ballard and was recorded as part of the sessions for 2004's Anything Goes. This trio has also recorded with Pat Metheny on two dates in 2006 and 2007. This is the first live date to feature the group on its own, and it is a very healthy helping.
The emphasis is on inventive blues/ragtime guitarists on this CD. First there is a previously unreleased alternate take of Blind Blake playi...
