Search - Brad Mehldau :: Art of the Trio, Vol. 5: Progression

Music doesn't get better than this

Ian Muldoon | Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia | 10/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The piano remains for me the greatest musical invention. And one of the great musical challenges for any musician is to tackle a "standard". Mr Pletnev did it at Carnegie Hall on 1st November 2000 when he made magnificent again, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 32, op.111(documented on DG 471157-2). Mr Mehldau has done it in his series of albums entitled the Art of the Trio and his latest (double) CD documents some of the music he made over three nights at the Village Vanguard during September 2000. At times I feel his incisive, searching, surprising ballad playing is his great strength ( cf The Folks Who Live On the Hill, Disc 1, Track 3) but then he reworks Alone Together into an uptempo piece preceded by a stunning piano solo introduction then staccato piano phrases punctuated by drums and bass delivering a musical exploration at the very edge of its form for 15 minutes of musical delight. And then on disc 2 Track 2 an absolutely exquisite, achingly beautiful reworking of the (originally strikingly banal)Secret Love. My view is that Mr Mehldau has no tricks, no theatre, no look-at-me-and-what-I-can-do bravura, no cliches, no licks, but is all music. He is one of the very few pianists I listen to who gives the impression that the music is speaking through him, and this is how it is. Music doesn't get much better than that made by Mr Mehldau, Mr Genadier and Mr Rossy."

Simply Stunning

JD Cetola | Omaha, NE USA | 09/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Brad Mehldau Trio's fifth offering in the Art of the Trio series may just be their best yet. Of course, the fact that this set, recorded live at the Village Vanguard contains over 135 minutes of music on two discs doesn't hurt. This set documents a piano trio at the top of their form. The interactions between Mehldau, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Jorge Rossy are second to none in this day.
This set (recorded in September 2000) includes four Mehldau compositions (all terrific), but is mostly a set of jazz standards leaning toward the lyrical side of things (Gershwin, Kern, Fain, Hammerstein, Rogers) and includes a terrific version of Nick Drake's "River Man" (the 11+ minute recording on this disc far surpasses the 5 minute version on the brilliant 'Art of the Trio Vol. 3 studio disc). As with the previous Trio albums, Mehldau mixes swing with ballads with skill and ease (this album is much more similar to the outstanding 'Art of the Trio 4' than the most recent Mehldau release, the also terrific, but more moody 'Places' from last year). The set opens with a romping display (Grenadier particularly shines) on "The More I See You" and continues pace with the original "Dream's Monk". Things are slowed down a little with a terrific performance of Hammerstein and Kern's "The Folks Who Live On the Hill". The spell complemented by tinkling glasses (on this song and several others--it is a live recording in the truest sense) and briefly disturbed by the ring of some fool's cell phone at the 2:57 mark. Nevertheless, the performance is not to be missed. The remainder of disc one picks up the pace again with a great performance of "Alone Together", a brief foray into "It Might as Well Be Spring" and concludes with soothing brilliance on "Cry Me a River" and the already mentioned "River Man". Wow! And there's still one disc to go...
Disc 2 is more subdued than disc 1 and includes three Mehldau originals--"Quit", "Sublation", and the beautiful, haunting "Resignation"--mixed with standards and features the expected extended improvisations and lyrical play throughout, culminating with 25 minutes of piano trio perfection on performances of "Long Ago and Far Away" and "How Long Has this Been Going On?". I cannot recommend this disc highly enough. Naturally, the liner notes contain Mehldau's typically esoteric comments. This time, the subject is music and language. Enjoy!"

Mehldau Continues to Progress

J. Christmas | New Brunswick, NJ | 11/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD, combined with my seeing the trio last week at the Village Vanguard, confirms in my mind that Mehldau is the strongest, most creative pianist in Jazz today. One might think that the consistent stream of "Art of the Trio" releases would get tiresome, but Mehldau and his group have revealed new ideas on every album. His reharmonizations of standards like The More I See You and Alone Together are ingenious, and his ballads are haunting and soulful. Mehldau was even better a year later, at his recent Vanguard date, and I look forward to volume 6."