Brad Mehldau Trio Box Set Shows Why Mehldau Is Among "True Masters of the Jazz Piano" (Jambands)

Browse by:
Year
Browse by:
Publish date (field_publish_date)
Submitted by nonesuch on
Article Type
Publish date
Excerpt

Brad Mehldau is set to perform an intimate solo set in Washington, DC, this weekend. The Washington City Paper says: "His performances are wondrous, and this one promises to be no different." The Washington Post, reviewing the new Brad Mehldau Trio box set The Art of the Trio Recordings: 1996-2001, cites "an intuitive and highly interactive level of performance" in the set. JazzTimes says the retrospective offers "a fresh vantage point on a body of music by enabling the listener to experience it whole. The best art requires time to release all of its revelations." Jambands calls it "a solid reminder why Brad Mehldau has earned his place amongst the true masters of the jazz piano."

Copy

Brad Mehldau, recently returned from a brief duo tour of Australia with label mate Joshua Redman, is set to perform an intimate solo set at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC, on Saturday. The Washington City Paper, in a preview of Saturday's show, calls Mehldau "a stately, melodious player whose sound has a natural gravity and splendid atmosphere ... His performances are wondrous, and this one promises to be no different."

Last month, Nonesuch Records released The Art of the Trio Recordings: 1996-2001, a seven-disc box set of the five original Art of the Trio records by the Brad Mehldau Trio, featuring Jorge Rossy and Larry Grenadier, plus a disc of unreleased material from shows at the Village Vanguard. The Washington Post in a review of the box set tied to his area performance this weekend, cites "an intuitive and highly interactive level of performance" in the collection.

JazzTimes describes the years covered in the Art of the Trio box set as "the Mehldau Era." From the first disc, what is "most evident," writes reviewer Thomas Conrad, "is a piano player whose extraordinary harmonic and rhythmic acuity elucidated a vision that was already personal."

From there, while that disc "seduces you," Conrad suggests, "Volume 2 knocks you down and runs you over. Mehldau is a year older; his band is a year tighter (and looser)." By the third disc, it is evident that "Mehldau is the virtuoso but Grenadier and Rossy give this band its levitational ensemble identity."

Recognizing the value of taking the time to look back at such an important group of musicians, the reviewer concludes: "One purpose of a retrospective box set is to provide a fresh vantage point on a body of music by enabling the listener to experience it whole. The best art requires time to release all of its revelations."

Read the complete review at jazztimes.com.

---

Jambands is similarly effusive in its review of The Art of the Trio Recordings. "Few jazz acts in the last 20 years have mastered the art of the piano trio format quite like Brad Mehldau," begins reviewer Ron Hart.

The original recordings contained in the set "provided the quintessential platform for the pianist’s prowess on the baby grand with the ample backing of his longtime rhythm section," Hart explains. "Mehldau, Grenadier and Rossy delivered everything they played on these nights with such a keen sense of grace and lyricism that it all melds together into one seamless string of adventurous eloquence."

Hart goes on to provide further context for these important albums, both upon their initial release and through today.

"For those who felt that jazz had lost its way in the 1990s, this essential succession of performances by the Mehldau Trio gave many fans hope for a better tomorrow," he says. "Even if you already own the previous editions of these illuminating live recordings, this comprehensive package is well worth the re-investment and a solid reminder why Brad Mehldau has earned his place amongst the true masters of the jazz piano."

Read the complete review at jambands.com.

---

The Irish Times recently gave The Art of the Trio Recordings a perfect five stars, calling the trio "state of the art" and saying their "music stands alongside the best that has been produced in jazz in the last 25 years." The box set had previously earned four-star reviews from both the Independent on Sunday and the Times of London.

---

To pick up a copy of The Art of the Trio Recordings: 1996-2001, head to the Nonesuch Store now.

Mehldau joins his present-day trio, with Jeff Ballard on drums, for a tour of Europe stating at the end of February. For details, go to nonesuch.com/on-tour.

featuredimage
Brad Mehldau Trio: "Art of the Trio Recordings" [box set cover]
  • Friday, January 27, 2012
    Brad Mehldau Trio Box Set Shows Why Mehldau Is Among "True Masters of the Jazz Piano" (Jambands)

    Brad Mehldau, recently returned from a brief duo tour of Australia with label mate Joshua Redman, is set to perform an intimate solo set at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC, on Saturday. The Washington City Paper, in a preview of Saturday's show, calls Mehldau "a stately, melodious player whose sound has a natural gravity and splendid atmosphere ... His performances are wondrous, and this one promises to be no different."

    Last month, Nonesuch Records released The Art of the Trio Recordings: 1996-2001, a seven-disc box set of the five original Art of the Trio records by the Brad Mehldau Trio, featuring Jorge Rossy and Larry Grenadier, plus a disc of unreleased material from shows at the Village Vanguard. The Washington Post in a review of the box set tied to his area performance this weekend, cites "an intuitive and highly interactive level of performance" in the collection.

    JazzTimes describes the years covered in the Art of the Trio box set as "the Mehldau Era." From the first disc, what is "most evident," writes reviewer Thomas Conrad, "is a piano player whose extraordinary harmonic and rhythmic acuity elucidated a vision that was already personal."

    From there, while that disc "seduces you," Conrad suggests, "Volume 2 knocks you down and runs you over. Mehldau is a year older; his band is a year tighter (and looser)." By the third disc, it is evident that "Mehldau is the virtuoso but Grenadier and Rossy give this band its levitational ensemble identity."

    Recognizing the value of taking the time to look back at such an important group of musicians, the reviewer concludes: "One purpose of a retrospective box set is to provide a fresh vantage point on a body of music by enabling the listener to experience it whole. The best art requires time to release all of its revelations."

    Read the complete review at jazztimes.com.

    ---

    Jambands is similarly effusive in its review of The Art of the Trio Recordings. "Few jazz acts in the last 20 years have mastered the art of the piano trio format quite like Brad Mehldau," begins reviewer Ron Hart.

    The original recordings contained in the set "provided the quintessential platform for the pianist’s prowess on the baby grand with the ample backing of his longtime rhythm section," Hart explains. "Mehldau, Grenadier and Rossy delivered everything they played on these nights with such a keen sense of grace and lyricism that it all melds together into one seamless string of adventurous eloquence."

    Hart goes on to provide further context for these important albums, both upon their initial release and through today.

    "For those who felt that jazz had lost its way in the 1990s, this essential succession of performances by the Mehldau Trio gave many fans hope for a better tomorrow," he says. "Even if you already own the previous editions of these illuminating live recordings, this comprehensive package is well worth the re-investment and a solid reminder why Brad Mehldau has earned his place amongst the true masters of the jazz piano."

    Read the complete review at jambands.com.

    ---

    The Irish Times recently gave The Art of the Trio Recordings a perfect five stars, calling the trio "state of the art" and saying their "music stands alongside the best that has been produced in jazz in the last 25 years." The box set had previously earned four-star reviews from both the Independent on Sunday and the Times of London.

    ---

    To pick up a copy of The Art of the Trio Recordings: 1996-2001, head to the Nonesuch Store now.

    Mehldau joins his present-day trio, with Jeff Ballard on drums, for a tour of Europe stating at the end of February. For details, go to nonesuch.com/on-tour.

    Journal Articles:On TourArtist NewsReviews

Enjoy This Post?

Get weekly updates right in your inbox.
terms

X By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Thank you!
x

Welcome to Nonesuch's mailing list!

Customize your notifications for tour dates near your hometown, birthday wishes, or special discounts in our online store!
terms

By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Related Posts

  • Friday, November 1, 2024
    Friday, November 1, 2024

    Jeremy Denk and friends perform Fauré at Wigmore Hall in London. John Adams is performed in London and Paris. Mary Halvorson is in Colorado. Hurray for the Riff Raff is in the Netherlands. The Magnetic Fields performs 69 Love Songs in Seattle. Natalie Merchant helps get out the vote in Ithaca. Mandy Patinkin and family chat in Concord, NH. Cécile McLorin Salvant tours Germany. Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered is performed in Bakersfield, CA. Chris Thile joins Greensboro Symphony in NC. Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway are in Arizona and Florida.

    Journal Topics: On TourWeekend Events
  • Friday, October 25, 2024
    Friday, October 25, 2024

    Makaya McCraven returns to his hometown of Amherst to celebrate Max Roach. John Adams is performed in Zurich and Atlanta. Jeremy Denk performs Ives at Yale. Kronos Quartet is in Vancouver. The Magnetic Fields play 69 Love Songs in Boulder. Steve Reich is performed in NYC. Cécile McLorin Salvant is in Germany and Denmark. Caroline Shaw, Sō Percussion, and Ringdown tour Vermont. Chris Thile performs in West Virginia. Yasmin Williams is in Michigan.

    Journal Topics: On TourWeekend Events