CHRIS POTTER — The Sirens (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Sirens is Chris Potter's debut as a leader for ECM but he’s no stranger to the label. He recorded as a member of Dave Holland's band, and collaborated with Paul Motian and Jason Moran on Lost in a Dream. The saxophonist’s quintet here includes pianist Craig Taborn -- a member of Potter's electric ensemble Underground -- bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Eric Harland, and the relatively unknown David Virelles, texturing the proceedings on prepared piano, celeste, and harmonium. Creating a concept album as your first offering for a new label is a brave endeavor, but Potter rises to it. The Sirens is inspired by his re-reading of Homer's The Odyssey; he was moved by the enduring qualities of humanity in that epic, and wrote the entire album in two weeks. Potter's inherent lyricism is evident from opener "Wine Dark Sea," that offers the feel of the first romantic, tentative steps when embarking on an adventure. After a brief intro, Grenadier sets a groove articulated by Taborn, whose painterly chords offer a palette for Harland. When Potter commences the melody, that "sea" is wide open with possibility. His songlike quality is underscored by Taborn's beautiful fills and comps. Potter's tenor solo is warm, inviting, searching. "Dawn (With Her Rosy Fingers)" is introduced by Grenadier's melodic bassline and Taborn's tasteful coloration. When Potter enters, his lines become spidery, alternately inquisitive and emotionally expressive. On the title cut he plays both bass clarinet and tenor. Grenadier's bass is bowed and the sense of seductive foreboding is made plain, even as the lyric line remains mysterious and spare. The entire tune becomes a lament in revelation after the bassist's gorgeous argo solo. Potter's soprano soars in "Penelope," yet it remains, true to form, expressive of only what is necessary to communicate the music's dictates and not his considerable athleticism. The gentle sting provided by Harland and Taborn makes the tune irresistible. "Kalypso" is a taut post-bop tune with wonderful articulations from Harland, Taborn, and Grenadier locking it down even as they grow it out. The culmination of drama and sense of emotional homecoming expressed in "Stranger at the Gate" would have made it a fitting end piece -- were it not for the whispering duet between Virelles and Taborn on "The Shades" that gives the set its sense of rest and closure. Potter's vision and compositions on The Sirens never lose sight of his goal: portraying the eternal essence of humanity in the mythos of his subject; his poetic lyricism as a soloist, and his empathy as a bandleader are consummate.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1. Wine Dark Sea 8:49
 Chris Potter
2. Wayfinder 6:52
 Chris Potter
3. Dawn (With Her Rosy Fingers) 7:26
 Chris Potter
4. The Sirens 8:39
 Chris Potter
5. Penélope 7:16
 Chris Potter
6. Kalypso 8:25
 Chris Potter
7. Nausikaa 5:43
 Chris Potter
8. Stranger at the Gate 8:15
 Chris Potter
9. The Shades 2:11
 Craig Taborn / David Virelles
Credits :
Chris Potter - Soprano and Tenor Saxophones, Bass Clarinet
Craig Taborn - Piano
David Virelles - Prepared Piano, Celeste, Harmonium
Larry Granadier - Double Bass
Eric Harland - Drums

DeJOHNETTE · GRENADIER · MEDESKI · SCOFIELD — Hudson (2017) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Too often, musicians of this caliber who come together under the particular umbrella of a "project" find the end result muddied by any number of difficulties, from individual egos to production excesses. Thankfully, none of that is the case with Hudson, the collective recording by the all-star, multi-generational quartet of drummer Jack DeJohnette, bassist Larry Grenadier, keyboardist John Medeski, and guitarist John Scofield. The album title has a two-fold meaning: It signifies the geographical region in upstate New York where these players currently reside, and highlights the notion that the area has always offered a place of solace for artists -- especially musicians. The latter is reflected in the choice of covers here.

The mood throughout is loose and conversational. These guys play songs they love to discover what else is inside them. The collective's lengthy title-track opening jam emerges from a funky bass and drum vamp, and evolves into something akin to the early electric music by Miles Davis via Medeski's wonky organ and electric piano sounds and Scofield's deeply rhythmic playing style. The entire band works that vamp to the point where it becomes something wholly other. Grenadier's playing is remarkable not for what he plays, but for how his woody grooves are so deep they build a dancefloor for the others to move on. Scofield's "El Swing" is a lithe, slippery, post-bop number with a lovely melody steeped in blues. There are four covers in a row. First is a reggae-cum-soul-jazz take on Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay," where Medeski does his best Jackie Mitoo, while Scofield layers the lyric line with a biting tenderness and the rhythm section cuts deep. Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" builds on the wispy mystery in the original with a beautiful, bluesy, acoustic piano solo by Medeski, and Scofield's quotations from "Eleanor Rigby." Dylan's "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" becomes a vehicle for intimate and edgy exploration utilizing psychedelia, swing rhythms, Scofield's more angular rock abstractions -- which always return to the blues -- and Medeski's spacy chord voicings. Jimi Hendrix is represented by "Wait Until Tomorrow," in which the quartet uncover the R&B grooves underneath its rock exterior. Of the remaining originals, DeJohnette's "Song for World Forgiveness" is a highlight for its laid-back tempo and reflective but emphatic interaction between pianist and guitarist. Scofield's "Tony Then Jack" has an uptempo swagger with a knotty organ, a bouncy, walking bassline, and skittering snare work from DeJohnette, while the Band's "Up on Cripple Creek" reveals the NOLA funk at its core. Hudson is a modern update that harkens back -- in feel -- to the great Blue Note sessions of the '60s, when a group of jazz masters could come together to play good music and let off some steam. We need more records like this.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Hudson    10:57  
Jack DeJohnette / Larry Grenadier / John Medeski / John Scofield
2     El Swing    5:30  
John Scofield
3     Lay Lady Lay    8:16    
Bob Dylan
4     Woodstock    6:00    
Joni Mitchell
5     A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall    9:14
Bob Dylan
6     Wait Until Tomorrow    5:28   
Jimi Hendrix
7     Song for World Forgiveness    8:36    
Jack DeJohnette
8     Dirty Ground    3:58    
Jack DeJohnette / Bruce Hornsby
9     Tony Then Jack   5:04    
John Scofield
10     Up on Cripple Creek    5:36    
Robbie Robertson
11     Great Spirit Peace Chant    3:15
Jack DeJohnette
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Vocals – Larry Grenadier
Drums, Tom Tom [Tom-tom], Flute [Wooden Flute], Vocals – Jack DeJohnette
Guitar, Flute [Wooden Flute] – John Scofield
Piano, Electric Piano [Rhodes], Organ [Hammond B-3 Organ], Flute [Wooden Flute], Vocals – John Medeski

ETHAN IVERSON | LEE KONITZ | LARRY GRENADIER | JORGE ROSSY - Costumes Are Mandatory (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In his liner notes to Costumes Are Mandatory, pianist Ethan Iverson states plainly that this recording documents "the four of us in dialog with the Tristano school." That dialogue includes argument. Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, of course, comes directly from that school; Lennie was his mentor. At 85, Konitz is one of the music's most iconic and constant improvisers and he shines here. Of these 14 cuts, eight feature him and Iverson, with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy -- the rhythm section of Brad Mehldau's trio. The rest are trios, solos, or duets. There are numerous surprises, including two versions of Iverson's "Blueberry Ice Cream." It's a blues and Konitz doesn't usually play them. But it's where he came from -- he was a vocalist in a jump band originally, and the pianist composed it with that in mind. Grenadier's walking bassline establishes the 12-bar notion, and Iverson begins a harmonic inquiry into Tristano, while Konitz moves right into the middle of the blues with that airy, dry tone of his, speaking sparely yet insistently. "Try a Little Tenderness" is a set watermark, commencing with a ghostly piano intro that touches on gospel, allowing the hint of the melody in impressionistically before bringing it in wholesale. Konitz uses a mute on the first chorus. When the rhythm section enters behind him, he dumps it and stretches the lyric to the edge, while never losing its languid beauty. Iverson overdubs his piano, solo, on an intro version of Konitz's "It's You," in homage to Tristano's examples from the 1950s, before the band plays their own. On the latter, Iverson directly opposes Lennie by channeling Thelonious Monk -- his least favorite pianist. Grenadier's walking bassline keeps the track anchored as Rossy plays another Lennie no-no: a busy syncopated cadence, much freer than the original. Konitz also extrapolates on the lyric and makes it elastic, deconstructing it in his solo. Another gem is the alto and bass duet on "Body and Soul," which is full of deep dulcet tones by both players as they move through, around, and inside the lyric almost symbiotically. Iverson attempted in vain to get Konitz to play on the R&B standard "Blueberry Hill." But the way the pianist pulls apart the harmony beginning with the second chorus is remarkable for being simultaneously knotty and elegant. No dialogue with Tristano would be complete without a reading of Konitz's "317 East 32nd." Iverson claims the saxophonist agreed to play it grudgingly, but it is a compelling encounter nonetheless. The pianist approaches the harmonics from the back end, while the saxophonist inverts his own ideas of its lyric -- only touching on the head at the end -- and Rossy's skittering cymbals almost strut against Grenadier's walk. Costumes Are Mandatory is anything but a conventional recording: these players communicate, inquire, and argue with one another as much as they do Tristano and seem to delight in the process, which is a reward for any jazz listener.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Blueberry Ice Cream Take 2 3:23
Written-By – E. Iverson
2    Try A Little Tenderness 7:03
Written-By – H. Woods, J. Campbell, R. Connelly
3    It's You (Tempo Complex) 1:05
Written-By – L. Konitz
4    It's You 4:54
Written-By – L. Konitz
5    What's New 5:33
Written-By – B. Haggart
6    317 East 32nd 4:47
Written-By – L. Konitz
7    Body And Soul 5:49
Written-By – E. Heyman, F. Eyton, J. Green, R. Sour
8    Blueberry Hill 4:42
Written-By – A. Lewis, L. Stock, V. Rose
9    A Distant Bell 2:01
Written-By – E. Iverson
10    Bats 2:12
Written-By – E. Iverson
11    Mr. Bumi 1:19
Written-By – E. Iverson
12    My New Lovers All Seem So Tame 2:36
Written-By – E. Iverson
13    My Old Flame 7:04
Written-By – A. Johnston, S. Coslow
14    Blueberry Ice Cream Take 1 3:24
Written-By – E. Iverson
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz
Bass – Larry Grenadier
Drums – Jorge Rossy
Piano, Producer – Ethan Iverson
Vocals – Lee Konitz (pistas: 13) 

CHARLES LLOYD - The Water Is Wide (2000) WV (image+.cue), lossless

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

CHARLES LLOYD - Hyperion with Higgins (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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

CHARLES LLOYD - Lift Every Voice (2002) 2xCD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As Charles Lloyd prepared to kick off a gig at New York's Blue Note club the night of Tuesday September 11, 2001, some murderous terrorists had some other plans for that morning a bit further south. The gig thus didn't begin until that Friday, and the wheels in Lloyd's mind kept on rolling through the aftermath, resulting in this double-CD album. Going his own way, he drew from public-domain spirituals, pop/rock songs, protest R&B, folk songs, and Ellingtonia and mixed them with his own compositions and meditations, assembling and reining in top-notch musicians like pianist Geri Allen, guitarist John Abercrombie, bassists Marc Johnson and Larry Grenadier, and drummer Billy Hart. The result is one of the most unusual and deeply spiritual recordings in Lloyd's always-unusual career, one that says more with fewer means. The leadoff track itself is an ear-opener, Lloyd's "Hymn to the Mother," which opens the gates with an Indian flavor, with its arco bass drone on a single chord and sitar-like articulation from Abercrombie. It's a miraculously subtle yet compelling way to grab your attention, like the introduction to a raga, thoughtfully sustained over 15 minutes. Somehow, the rest of the 130-minute album manages to maintain and develop the rapt atmosphere, reaching its central pivot of emotion three tracks into the second disc with the Coltrane quartet-like treatment of "Go Down Moses." As is often the case in a Lloyd performance, the tenor saxophonist is tempted to go to the outside, but usually in a gentle way, his head now in a thoughtful fog. Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" stays largely with the tune except toward the close, matching the haunted, dazed mood of the original. Billy Strayhorn is appropriately represented by "Blood Count"; Lloyd's own "Beyond Darkness" finds him on flute. Even "Amazing Grace," the over-exposed staple of every other folk or gospel revival, sounds fresh, devout, and genuine. Each disc concludes with something meaningful: Lloyd mourns alone and soulfully on "Hafez, Shattered Heart" at disc one's close and one more lengthy meditation, followed by an up-tempo release, "Prayer, the Crossing," ends disc two. Let responses like this from the jazz world be the real legacy of the aftermath of 9/11. Richard S. Ginell  
Tracklist 1 :
1     Hymn To The Mother 15'00
Charles Lloyd
2     You Are So Beautiful 4'05
Bruce Fisher / Billy Preston
3     Amazing Grace 4'42
Public Domain / Charles Lloyd / John Newton / Traditional
4     Red Bank 9'40
Charles Lloyd
5     What's Going On 5'07
Renaldo Benson / Al Cleveland / Marvin Gaye
6     Angel Oak 3'33
Charles Lloyd
7     Te Amaré 6'46
Silvio Rodríguez
8     I'm Afraid 7'38
Duke Ellington / Don George
9     Hafez, Shattered Heart 4'43
Charles Lloyd
Tracklist 2 :
1     Rabo de Nube 7'05
Silvio Rodríguez
2     Blood Count 5'06
Billy Strayhorn
3     Go Down Moses 10'37
Charles Lloyd / Traditional
4     Beyond Darkness 7'51
Charles Lloyd
5     Nocturne 6'12
Charles Lloyd
6     Wayfaring Stranger 8'35
Charles Lloyd / Traditional
7     Deep River 6'25
Charles Lloyd / Traditional
8     Lift Every Voice And Sing 3'08
James Weldon Johnson / John Johnson / Charles Lloyd / Traditional
9     Prayer, The Crossing 14'03
Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Double Bass – Larry Grenadier (pistas: 1-2, 1-8, 2-2, 2-4 to 2-8), Marc Johnson (pistas: 1-1, 1-3 to 1-7, 2-1, 2-3, 2-5, 2-9)
Drums – Billy Hart
Executive-Producer – Manfred Eicher
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Photography By, Design, Producer – Dorothy Darr
Piano – Geri Allen
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Tárogató [Taragato], Producer – Charles Lloyd

JOSHUA REDMAN - Back East (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Back East showcases saxophonist Joshua Redman as he leads a few different trios through a cerebral and muscular set of originals and standards. Redman has long evinced the influences of such similarly inclined legends as Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and John Coltrane, and Back East is no exception -- which isn't to say it's business as usual. Admittedly, while this is a straight-ahead acoustic jazz date, it is one ripe with creative energy that finds Redman's knack for deeply thoughtful improvisation and unexpected rhythmic interplay in full flower. Recorded prior to the passing of Redman's father, saxophonist Dewey Redman, in 2006, the album is dedicated in his father's memory and not only features the elder Redman alongside his son, but Redman even gives him a solo turn on the last cut. Interestingly, Back East finds Redman ruminating on alternate meanings of the title: as in the "Back East" of cities like New York and Boston or as in Eastern philosophies and religious beliefs. This leads Redman to myriad musical settings, including the funky swing of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and the more raga-influenced and expansive post-bop of the original "Zarafah." Joining Redman here is a cadre of top-notch rhythm players, including bassists Larry Grenadier, Reuben Rogers, and Christian McBride; drummers Ali Jackson, Brian Blade, and Eric Harland; and saxophonists Chris Cheek and Joe Lovano. This CD was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award as Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Individual or Group). by Matt Collar 

Tracklist:

1 The Surrey with the Fringe on Top 5:13

Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers

2 East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) 5:36

Brooks Bowman

3 Zarafah 7:58

Joshua Redman

4 Indian Song 6:12

Wayne Shorter

5 I'm an Old Cowhand 6:06

Joshua Redman

6 Wagon Wheels 5:58

Peter DeRose / William J. Hill

7 Back East 6:43

Joshua Redman

8 Mantra #5 6:12

Joshua Redman

9 Indonesia 4:43

Joshua Redman

10 India 4:57

John Coltrane

11 GJ 3:40

Dewey Redman

Credits:

Bass – Christian McBride (tracks: 3 to 4), Larry Grenadier (tracks: 1 to 2, 8 to 11), Reuben Rogers (tracks: 5 to 7)

Drums – Ali Jackson (tracks: 1 to 2, 8 to 11), Brian Blade (tracks: 3 to 4), Eric Harland (tracks: 5 to 7)

Saxophone, Producer – Joshua Redman

BRAD MEHLDAU — Introducing + The Art of Trio, Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 (1995-2001) 6 Albums | 7CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Introducing Brad Mehldau (1995)

Pianist Brad Mehldau's debut as a leader features his straight-ahead style in trios with either Larry Grenadier or Christian McBride on bass and Jorge Rossy or Brian Blade on drums. The well-rounded set is highlighted by tasteful and swinging versions of five standards (including John Coltrane's "Countdown," "It Might As Well Be Spring," and "From This Moment On") and four of the pianist's originals. This CD (which is sometimes available at a budget price) serves as a fine start to what should be a productive career. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :

1 It Might As Well Be Spring 7:46

Written-By – Hammerstein/Rodgers

2 Countdown 4:12

Written-By – Coltrane

3 My Romance 6:23

Written-By – Rodgers/Hart

4 Angst 6:11

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

5 Young Werther 7:11

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

6 Prelude To A Kiss 10:00

Written-By – Ellington

7 London Blues 7:00

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

8 From This Moment On 6:33

Written-By – Porter

9 Say Goodbye 9:25

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

Credits:

Bass – Christian McBride (tracks: 6 to 9), Larry Grenadier (tracks: 1 to 5)

Drums – Brian Blade (tracks: 6 to 9), Jorge Rossy (tracks: 1 to 5)

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Brad Mehldau - The Art of the Trio, Vol.1 (1997)

At this point in time, pianist Brad Mehldau's style falls between Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, being heavily influenced by the voicings of the latter and the free yet lyrical improvising of the former. With fine backup work by bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, Mehldau explores five standards (including the Beatles' "Blackbird" and "Nobody Else but Me") and four originals, coming up with melodic yet adventurous ideas. Mehldau displays much potential for the future. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :

1 Blame It On My Youth 6:17

Written-By – Heyman, Levant

2 I Didn’t Know What Time It Was 6:30

Written-By – Rodgers/Hart

3 Ron’s Place 6:29

 Brad Mehldau

4 Blackbird 5:00

Written-By – Lennon/McCartney

5 Lament For Linus 4:38

 Brad Mehldau

6 Mignon’s Song 6:34

 Brad Mehldau

7 I Fall In Love Too Easily 7:16

Written-By – Styne/Cahn

8 Lucid 5:43 

 Brad Mehldau

9 Nobody Else But Me 7:36

Written-By – Hammerstein/Kern

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Written-By – Brad Mehldau (tracks: 3, 5, 6, 8)

Brad Mehldau - The Art of the Trio, Vol.2

 (Live at the Village Vanguard) 1998

It takes a certain nerve for a young jazz artist to subtitle an album Live at the Village Vanguard. The title evokes some mighty powerful spirits from the jazz pantheon. John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins. Bill Evans. Joe Henderson. But pianist Brad Mehldau is more than up to this daunting challenge. On this set of standards by the likes of Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk and Henry Mancini, Mehldau exhibits a musical erudition and a technical prowess that belies his youth. Though the obvious comparisons are with Evans and Keith Jarrett, Mehldau has a highly individual style that draws heavily on his classical training. Along with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, he has made a stunning album of exploratory jazz that holds its own with the great "Live at the Village Vanguard" recordings of the past. Joel Roberts

Tracklist :

1 It’s Alright With Me 12:39

Written-By – Cole Porter

2 Young And Foolish 13:07

Written-By – Albert Hague, Arnold Horwitt

3 Monk’s Dream 11:09

Written-By – Thelonious Monk

4 The Way You Look Tonight 12:33

Written-By – Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern

5 Moon River 10:52

Written-By – Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer

6 Countdown 12:40

Written-By – John Coltrane

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Brad Mehldau - The Art of the Trio, Vol.3 (Songs) 1998 

The lyrical pianist Brad Mehldau applies his melancholy, Bill Evans/Keith Jarrett-derived approach to a set of five originals plus standards including "Young at Heart," "For All We Know," and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," as well as covers of Nick Drake's "River Man" and Radiohead's "Exit Music (For a Film)." The always swinging and tasteful pianist is accompanied by a rhythm section of drummer Jorge Rossy and bassist Larry Grenadier, and overall this is a fine program easily recommended to straight-ahead collectors. Steve Huey

Tracklist :

1 Song-Song 6:29

 Brad Mehldau

2 Unrequited 6:07

 Brad Mehldau

3 Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered 5:57

Written-By – Rodgers/Hart

4 Exit Music (For A Film) 4:23

Written-By – Radiohead

5 At A Loss 6:19

 Brad Mehldau

6 Convalescent 5:58

 Brad Mehldau

7 For All We Know 7:59

Written-By – Coots, Lewis

8 River Man 4:47

Written-By – Drake

9 Young At Heart 6:20

Written-By – Leigh, Richards

10 Sehnsucht 4:56

 Brad Mehldau

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Written-By – Brad Mehldau (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 6, 10)

Brad Mehldau - The Art of the Trio, Vol.4

 (Back At The Vanguard) 1999

Appearing just three months after Brad Mehldau's elegant solo piano album Elegiac Cycle, Art of the Trio, Vol. 4: Back to the Vanguard provides a remarkable contrast to the refined, cerebral, hypnotic affair that was released before it. Not that the performances on Back to the Vanguard aren't hypnotic, since they're utterly captivating. The difference is that this live recording captures exactly how vital and impassioned Mehldau's playing is. Working with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, he turns these songs -- including three originals, one Miles Davis number, two standards, and Radiohead's "Exit Music" -- inside out, finding the heart of the song, and exploring a bewildering array of variations of the themes and chords. This music surges forward, unhinged and forceful, complex but completely accessible. Mehldau spends much of his liner notes on the defensive, explaining how many jazz critics have misread his music. He has a point -- he has often been ghettoized as a jazz intellectual, but as this exceptional album proves, there is considerable emotion and feeling and plain excitement behind his music, even during the mesmerizing quiet sections. Stephen Thomas Erlewine  

Tracklist :

1 All The Things You Are 13:30

Written-By – Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II

2 Sehnsucht 10:48

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

3 Nice Pass 17:35

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

4 Solar 9:51

Written-By – Miles Davis

5 London Blues 7:37

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

6 I'll Be Seeing You 7:18

Written-By – Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain

7 Exit Music (For A Film) 8:14

Written-By – Radiohead

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano – Brad Mehldau

The Brad Mehldau Trio - The Art of the Trio, Vol.5

 (Progression) 2001 (2CD)

Virtuoso pianist Brad Mehldau continues his Art of the Trio series with a two-CD set titled Art of the Trio, Vol. 5: Progression. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard in New York City, this volume is his most satisfying triad outing yet. The trio opens disc one with a swinging up-tempo rendition of "The More I See You" and, for over ten minutes, Mehldau improvises his swinging instincts with his well-organized rhythmic partners, drummer Jorge Rossy and acoustic bassist Larry Grenadier. His original "Dream's Monk" features an extended variation on his profoundly introspective bebop. This composition is the centerpiece of disc one, which otherwise features covers of such standards as "Alone Together," "It Might as Well Be Spring," and "The Folks Who Live on the Hill." Disc two is evenly programmed with three originals by Brad Mehldau and three by Great American Songbook composers George & Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Sammy Fain, and Paul Francis Webster. On the nearly 15-minute rendition of the Gershwin/Kern composition "Long Ago and Far Away," Mehldau's rhythm section plays fervent bop lines over his brilliant piano arpeggios after a virtuosic introduction. Grenadier's bass solo remains one of the most memorable on this recording, with Mehldau delicately comping it with light piano chord voicings. Rossy deftly adjusts and readjusts his brushwork to provide just the right textures and musical accompaniment. Whereas The Art of the Trio, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4 provided Mehldau's listeners with rich documentation of his piano mastery that often includes altered root motion and meter on standard tunes, blazing swing tempos, and poetic piano lines that can hover intensely in a ballad, his intrinsic musical signature is more substantial on Progression due to several stunning piano solos, ethereal vamps, and successive thematic transformations. Paula Edelstein  

Tracklist 1 :

1 The More I See You 10:05

Written-By – Harry Warren, Mack Gordon

2 Dream's Monk 11:21

Written-By – Thelonious Monk

3 The Folks Who Live On The Hill 9:50

Written-By – Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern

4 Alone Together 15:01

Written-By – Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz

5 It Might As Well Be Spring 2:48

Written-By – Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers

6 Cry Me A River 8:50

Written-By – Arthur Hamilton

7 River Man 11:29

Written-By – Nicholas Drake

Tracklist 2 :

1 Quit 7:13

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

2 Secret Love 10:06

Written-By – Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain

3 Sublation 14:58

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

4 Resignation 8:39

Written-By – Brad Mehldau

5 Long Ago And Far Away 14:50

Written-By – Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern

6 How Long Has This Been Going On? 10:44

Written-By – George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano – Brad Mehldau

BRAD MEHLDAU - PLACES (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Brad Mehldau is becoming a more interesting, more thought-provoking, more individualistic musician with each release -- breaking away from the same old models, finding new ones to integrate into his own personality. The 11 compositions on this CD were conceived on the road, and only midway through did Mehldau realize that they developed similar ideas. Which indeed they do, seizing upon repeated riffing and vamps that Keith Jarrett has explored and sending them in cogent directions. The designated theme is travel; each selection bears the name of a place or mood, and the catchy, contemplative "Los Angeles" serves as the album's bookends, as well as a solo pit stop in the center. Like Elegiac Cycle, Places works like a song cycle; a unified, beautifully proportioned conception, with lots of rambunctious, swinging outbreaks amidst the contemplation. The titles in themselves mean nothing as far as the content of the music is concerned -- or so he writes in another lengthy, provocative liner note. Rather, the album is about the constancy of his personality and musical language, taking all of your personal mental baggage with you wherever you travel. This is an important album, one that anyone interested in piano jazz ought to check out. by Richard S. Ginell  

Tracklist:

1 Los Angeles 5:21

Brad Mehldau

2 29 Palms 5:09

Brad Mehldau

3 Madrid 6:07

Brad Mehldau

4 Amsterdam 3:38

Brad Mehldau

5 Los Angels II 5:18

Brad Mehldau

6 West Hartford 5:39

Brad Mehldau

7 Airport Sadness 4:48

Brad Mehldau

8 Perugia 3:52

Brad Mehldau

9 A Walk In The Park 5:59

Brad Mehldau

10 Paris 6:30

Brad Mehldau

11 Schloss Elmau 6:32

Brad Mehldau

12 Am Zauberberg 7:07

Brad Mehldau

13 Los Angeles (Reprise) 3:28

Brad Mehldau

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano, Composed By, Producer – Brad Mehldau

BRAD MEHLDAU - Largo (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In the most enigmatic project up to this point in his career, Brad Mehldau explores conflicting aesthetics, sometimes in tracks positioned next to each other, and occasionally within the confines of a single performance. A spare simplicity governs much of the album, emphasized by almost puritanical horn arrangements -- long notes, mournful triadic chords. After acknowledging these episodes with childlike figurations on the piano, Mehldau then builds his solos along more dissonant lines, which invariably end up enhancing the mood. But then there are tracks like "Dropjes," whose electronic effects gnash angrily at the piano, or "Free Willy," on which putty attached to the instrument's low strings allows Mehldau to unleash a feral improvisation, with lines that suggest scurrying rodents more than bebop blowing. Producer Jon Brion stimulated much of this adventurism, at times diving directly into the mix with his guitar synth or Chamberlin keyboard. But what intrigues most about Largo in the end is the perspective it offers on Mehldau, whose playing here is, as always, intelligent, perhaps a bit cerebral, and now open as well to sonic exotica. by Robert L. Doerschuk  

Tracklist:

1 When It Rains 6:36

Bassoon – Peter Mandell, Rose Corrigan

Clarinet – Emile Bernstein, Gary Gray

Drums – Matt Chamberlain

Flute – David Shostac, Steve Kujala

Oboe – Earle Dumler, Jon Clark

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Acoustic Bass – Larry Grenadier

2 You're Vibing Me 3:28

Acoustic Bass [Left] – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

Acoustic Bass [Right] – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jim Keltner, Jorge Rossy

Piano, Vibraphone – Brad Mehldau

Shaker – Matt Chamberlain

3 Dusty Mcnugget 5:43

Acoustic Bass – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

Bass Trombone – George B. Thatcher

Drums – Matt Chamberlain

French Horn – Daniel Kelley, Philip Yao

Piano – Brad Mehldau, Brad Mehldau

Snare [Brush] – Jim Keltner

Trombone – William Reichenbach

4 Dropjes 3:58

Jon Brion / Matt Chamberlain / Brad Mehldau / Justin Meldal-Johnsen / Darek Oleszkiewicz

Acoustic Bass – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

Drums, Percussion – Matt Chamberlain, Victor Indrizzo

Electric Bass – Justin Meldal-Johnsen

Guitar [Treatments] – Jon Brion

Piano – Brad Mehldau

5 Paranoid Android 9:05

Colin Greenwood / Phil Selway / Thom Yorke

Acoustic Bass – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

Bass Trombone – Kenneth Kugler

Drums – Jim Keltner, Matt Chamberlain

French Horn – Jerry Folsom, Joseph Meyer

Percussion [Piano Prepared] – Jon Brion

Piano [With Putty Treatment In Lower Two Octaves] – Brad Mehldau

Trombone – William Reichenbach

6 Franklin Avenue 3:42

Acoustic Bass – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

Bass Trombone – George B. Thatcher

Drums – Matt Chamberlain

French Horn – Daniel Kelley, Philip Yao

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Trombone – William Reichenbach

Vibraphone – Jim Keltner

7 Sabbath 4:42

Piano [Distorto Piano Through Leslie With Whammy Pedal] – Brad Mehldau

8 Dear Prudence 5:22

John Lennon / Paul McCartney

Acoustic Bass – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

Drums – Jim Keltner

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Shaker, Percussion – Matt Chamberlain

9 Free Willy 5:05

Matt Chamberlain / Larry Grenadier / Brad Mehldau / Jorge Rossy

Bass [Treated] – Larry Grenadier

Drums, Percussion – Jorge Rossy, Matt Chamberlain

Piano [With Putty Treatment In Lower Two Octaves] – Brad Mehldau

10 Alvarado 4:00

Acoustic Bass – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

 Drums, Percussion – Victor Indrizzo

Electric Bass – Justin Meldal-Johnsen

Percussion [Piano Prepared] – Jim Keltner

Piano – Brad Mehldau 

Tabla – Matt Chamberlain

11 Medley 6:28

Antônio Carlos Jobim / John Lennon / Paul McCartney

Acoustic Bass – Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz

Drums – Matt Chamberlain, Victor Indrizzo

Electric Bass – Justin Meldal-Johnsen

Guitar [Synthesizer] – Jon Brion

Vibraphone – Brad Mehldau

12 I Do 7:17 

Bassoon – Peter Mandell, Rose Corrigan

Clarinet – Emile Bernstein, Gary Gray 

Flute – David Shostac, Steve Kujala

Oboe – Earle Dumler, Jon Clark

Piano – Brad Mehldau

Credits:

Written-By, Arranged By [Woodwind And Brass Arrangements] – Brad Mehldau

BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO - Anything Goes (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ironically, Anything Goes would have been a more fitting title for pianist Brad Mehldau's previous effort, the idiosyncratic and experimental Largo. Completely eschewing the electronic flourishes and horn sections that characterized the 2002 Jon Brion-produced album as Mehldau's most adventurous release up to that point, Anything Goes is actually a return to a more traditional approach. Featuring his longtime sidemen bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, Mehldau has crafted a thoughtful and pretty standards-based album. Classics including the title track and "Get Happy" are artfully deconstructed in a style that calls to mind a deft blending of Mehldau's most obvious touchstones, Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans. Similarly, "The Nearness of You" and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" are masterpieces of impressionism that veritably weep with the plangent yearning of Miles Davis' trumpet. However, by the time Mehldau turns Radiohead's "Everything in Its Right Place" into the missing track off Sketches of Spain and solidifies Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years" as the most poignant ballad ever written, Anything Goes moves from the expected to the inspired and that alone makes this worth a listen. by Matt Collar 

Tracklist:

1 Get Happy 9:47

Written-By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler

2 Dreamsville 5:03

Written-By – Henry Mancini, Jay Livingston, Raymond B. Evans

3 Anything Goes 7:08

Written-By – Cole Porter

4 Tres Palabras 5:01

Written-By – Osvaldo Farres

5 Skippy 5:24

Written-By – Thelonious Monk

6 Nearness Of You 6:43

Written-By – Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington

7 Still Crazy After All These Years 5:21

Written-By – Paul Simon

8 Everything In Its Right Place 6:55

Written-By – Radiohead

9 Smile 6:48

Written-By – Charlie Chaplin, Geoffrey Clarmont Parsons, James John Turner Philips

10 I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face 4:49

Written-By – Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano – Brad Mehldau

BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO - Day Is Done (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Brad Mehldau did an exceptional job of keeping his stellar trio together for seven years, as proven by his fine Art of the Trio dates and 2004's Anything Goes. But Jorge Rossy, the group's drummer, began spending more and more time away from music and at his home in Spain. Mehldau, who is almost prolific in his recording process, recruited drummer Jeff Ballard to replace Rossy on Day Is Done. Ballard has worked off and on with bassist Larry Grenadier in the trio Fly with saxman Mark Turner, so he's not a total stranger to the process. Yet Ballard is a different kind of drummer, more diverse and certainly more kinetic in his approach, as evidenced by this disc. This is Mehldau's most energetic and rigorous recording to date. These ten cuts are comprised mainly of covers, though aside from "Alfie," there isn't anything here approaching a standard. There are tunes here by the Beatles ("She's Leaving Home" and a glorious solo version of "Martha My Dear" with a Scarlatti-esque study in counterpoint to usher it in), Paul Simon (a jaunty read of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"), Nick Drake (the title cut), and even Radiohead (in the crackling energy of "Knives Out"). There are two fine originals as well: the shimmering "Artis," with its striated right-hand work, and the Latin-tinged "Turtle Town," a somewhat breezy ballad that is nonetheless knotty and off-kilter enough in its melody and in Mehldau's solo to become complex and challenging. Day Is Done is another exceptional chapter in the Mehldau catalog, one that showcases a willingness to stretch itself to the breaking point and open up the band to a wider array of approaches.

(This comment is posted on allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower our blog O Púbis da Rosa)

Tracklist:

1 Knives Out 8:29

Colin Greenwood

2 Alfie 3:46

Burt Bacharach

3 Martha My Dear 4:38

John Lennon / Paul McCartney

4 Day Is Done 9:26

Nick Drake

5 Artis 6:21

6 Turtle Town 6:18

7 She's Leaving Home 9:07

John Lennon / Paul McCartney

8 Granada 7:30

Chris Cheek

9 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover 8:32

Paul Simon

10 No Moon at All 5:49

Redd Evans

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jeff Ballard

Piano – Brad Mehldau

BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO - House on Hill (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

House on Hill may be a new recording, but the material is not. Virtually everything here was written, according to his liner notes -- like Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau writes about himself best -- in a session done in 2004 which yielded 18 songs with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy. The decision was made to split the sets into originals and covers. The covers became 2004's Anything Goes. There are nine cuts here, the remaining seven from 2004, and the other two come from a more recent session. Mehldau states quite frankly that the compositions here mostly fall into the standard frame for small ensembles: theme (head) variations/theme. Mehldau's notes are exhaustive. They look at compositional forms of theme and its variations from Bach and Brahms. Yeah, it's an intellectual (read: eggheaded) -- and occasionally dry -- reading. The music on this set is anything but. The sheer elegance of Mehldau's writing is always something to behold, and this trio always finds the lace of swing. Often it is not in the melodies and lyric lines he writes. These are usually somewhat knotty, expansive statements from which the band just finds a kind of groove to extrapolate upon. The title cut is a fine example where the slippery little notation in the theme is built into a Latin-flavored ride. Dynamic shifts are continual in this music' check out "Boomer" which gains in intensity until the last minute when it finds its way home into the midtempo softness, and "Backyard," that is almost pastoral until the improvisation, where the tension in the rhythm section is almost icy. The off-kilter, spatial way "Fear and Trembling" (a reference to Søren Kierkegaard's book of the same name, perhaps?) opens is one of the more satisfying moments on the album. The ascending three- and four-note clusters Mehldau employs as a theme work well for putting the listener immediately inside the piece. It's modal touch is a nice one, where space is used as proficiently as instrumental acumen. House on Hill closes with the slightly angular introduction of "Waiting for Eden," that moves through a series of arpeggiatic sleights of hand and into a full swinging post-bop melody. While this set is nowhere near as full of surprises as Day Is Done, it is nonetheless another chapter in the development of a singular composer and pianist.

(This comment is posted on allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower our blog O Púbis da Rosa)

Tracklist:

1 August Ending 6:59

Brad Mehldau

2 House on Hill 8:13

Brad Mehldau

3 Bealtine 9:19

Brad Mehldau

4 Boomer 7:17

Brad Mehldau

5 Backyard 5:43

Brad Mehldau

6 Fear and Trembling 5:26

Brad Mehldau

7 Embers 8:07

Brad Mehldau

8 Happy Tune 8:53

Brad Mehldau

9 Waiting for Eden 7:32

Brad Mehldau

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jorge Rossy

Piano, Written-By – Brad Mehldau

BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO – Live (2008) 2xCD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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.

Comprised of two discs recorded at the Village Vanguard during a six-night stint in October of 2006, it showcases the many varied strengths of this already deeply intuitive group. Disc one staggers covers of popular tunes as disparate as Noel Gallagher's (of Oasis) "Wonderwall," Chico Buarque's classic "O Que Será," Chris Cornell's (of Soundgarden) "Black Hole Sun," and Ray Noble's gorgeous ballad "The Very Thought of You" with two of his own compositions. Disc two comes more directly out of the Mehldau songbook, wit three of his own tunes, a Jimmy Heath number, and a standard, and closes with a stunning reading of John Coltrane's "Countdown." The way the trio treats "Wonderwall," beginning with Grenadier and Ballard's funky soul-jazz bass and drum interaction before Mehldau enters the melody, cutting it with large helpings of the blues and soul, is killer. Sure, it has his trademark elegance, but it's the rearrangement of the number with its taut rhythmic groove while keeping the melody all but danceable that's the treat. The beautiful breakbeat and tom tom work by Ballard is uncluttered but it's extremely knotty and busy. The groove is at the center and he brings it home while Grenadier accents it constantly.

Contrast this with the next tune, the pianist's "Ruby's Rub," that swings right out of the gate, and yet the way Mehldau changes his sense of dynamics and time with sudden starts and stops, leaving that space for Ballard and Grenadier to adorn however sparsely, is what makes this such a modern work. The Buarque song is given an extrapolated treatment here as it switches from samba to bossa to funk and even modalism while never losing its lyric sensibility, and -- what may be the best thing here -- note the hand over hand soloing Mehldau does in the middle of the tune and have your breath taken away. "Black Hole Sun" is completely re-harmonized and its melody is ever present but it is an entirely different tune in the hands of the trio. Finally, disc one closes with the Noble ballad, offering a hint as to just how subtle this rhythm section can be. It offers this lithe, almost ethereal bottom that is nonetheless circular and firm, allowing those big spaces between Mehldau's solo lines the room to float right through and enter the listener as gracefully and emotionally honest as any singer.

Disc two kicks off with the bandleader's "Buddha Realm." It contains all of the deep rhythmic interplay that this trio does best. As the pianist articulates one of his knottier melodies with long lines that twist and turn inside themselves, Ballard double- and triple-times the band while rolling the ride cymbal enough for a solid pulse to come shimmering through. Grenadier follows both men, offering the middle ground between the flights of two brilliant soloists. It's exciting, innovative, and offers proof that piano jazz, or at least the true rubber-meets-the-road-jazz piano trio still has lots of tricks up its sleeve in the present day. This is genuinely new jazz, not just a showcase over a rhythm section. More evidence is on the Heath number "C.T.A.," where the hard bop charge roars from the starting line and becomes a multi-valent harmonic bank of ideas and extensive methodical and wire-walking creative articulations as Grenadier's tough solo indicates. The nearly 15-minute reading of Coltrane's "Count Down" makes great use of the energy of the original, but the knotty counterpoint solo Mehldau uses to open it is a throw off; a momentary feint. His opening volley of intensely pointed ranginess is worthy of Oscar Peterson. The solo is wildly inventive because the entire harmonic structure of the tune is in there, pushed to the brink by the deep register, right-hand chord voicings he employs that walk the line between stride and post-bop. When the rhythm section enters, the mood changes. It's still very quick and athletic, but it is brighter as well; colorful as well as dynamic and fast.

Live is deeply satisfying on all levels including the price point. Mehldau and Nonesuch have made the purchase of the double-disc set very attractive. Those new or curious about the trio will be astonished by what's here, pure and simple. For seasoned jazz fans and those of the pianist in particular, this is nothing short of total delight. 

 > This comment is posted on allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower our blog O Púbis da Rosa <

Tracklist 1 :

1 Introduction 0:14

2 Wonderwall 8:44  

Noel Gallagher

3 Ruby's Rub 13:07

Brad Mehldau

4 O Que Será 10:37

Chico Buarque

5 B-Flat Waltz 9:10

Brad Mehldau

6 Black Hole Sun 23:30

Chris Cornell

7 The Very Thought of You 13:03

Ray Noble

Tracklist 2 :

1 Buddha Realm 11:59

Brad Mehldau

2 Fit Cat 10:40

Brad Mehldau

3 Secret Beach 11:35

Brad Mehldau

4 C.T.A. 16:16

Jimmy Heath

5 More Than You Know 12:08

Edward Eliscu / Vincent Youmans

6 Countdown 14:56

John Coltrane

Credits:

Bass – Larry Grenadier

Drums – Jeff Ballard

Piano, Producer – Brad Mehldau