Brad Mehldau begins the jazz series he's programmed at London's Wigmore Hall in a duo concert with Joshua Redman next week. NPR's jazz blog A Blog Supreme recently listed the pianist's recordings as the best introduction to the jazz of today, citing his 2002 Jon Brion–produced Largo as chief among them. "This album was a big one for me," said one panelist. "It fuses masterful jazz improvisation with modern rock production."
Last concert season, it was announced that Brad Mehldau would be the first-ever artistic director of a jazz series at London's Wigmore Hall. The annual, two-season concert series begins this season in a duo concert with label mate Joshua Redman, set for next week, October 15, with a Mehldau Trio concert to follow the next night.
It's fitting that Wigmore chose Mehldau for its first-ever such position. NPR's jazz blog A Blog Supreme recently listed the pianist's recordings as the best introduction to the jazz of today. The site asked seven young jazz aficionados, a group NPR thought might "represent the jazz audience of the future," to pick the five albums they felt could serve as a gateway into the world of contemporary jazz. The most frequently selected album: Mehldau's 2002 Jon Brion–produced work, Largo.
"This album was a big one for me," said NPR panelist Lucas Gillian of AccuJazz. "It fuses masterful jazz improvisation with modern rock production." Though Mehldau was never one to shy from his interest in popular music, says Gillian, Largo "brought the rock influence to the fore, with the assistance of superstar producer Jon Brion and some of LA's best studio musicians."
Gillian was not alone among the participants to pick Largo; six others did as well. Four chose Mehldau's Day Is Done; others picked Live; Art of the Trio, Vol. 5; and Quartet (with Pat Metheny).
For the complete list and to read more about the project, visit npr.org. For more on the Mehldau's Wigmore concerts and his other upcoming performances, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
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