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Brad Mehldau Art of the Trio 4: Back at the Vanguard Warner Brothers, 1999 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

I just listened to Mehldau's "art of the trio 4", a live recording made last year at the Village Vanguard. I got me thinking about how each decade sees the emergence of a few new jazz piano stars. In the 80's we had Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller and Benny Green; the 90's there was Joey Calderazzo, Jacky Terrasson, Eric Reed, Cyrus Chestnut and this quiet, introspective guy, Brad Mehldau.

Then I remembered a Josh Redman concert at Yoshi's in Oakland back in 1995. He had a young pianist who was clearly hearing things in a different way. With solos that had long arcs and counterpoint, Brad Mehldau blew me away.

And finally the recording itself... In spite of its 9-page liner notes (a tirade on "labels in art and music" written by the artist) and the seemingly pretentious title, I found the recording kept distracting my thoughts. Why, because what I was hearing was so damn musical. Mehldau and his trio are playing at a level few can attain. The classic trios of Jarrett and Herbie come to mind, maybe Glenn Gould. This guy is a sensation, an artist; his musical thoughts are careful and profound, but completely in the moment.

So listen to his solo introduction on "All The Things You Are". Then check out how he develops brilliant improvisations on the tune’s 7/4 pulse. He blends the seven cut album with originals and standards. I love his musings on the original compositions "Sehnsucht", "Nice Pass" and "London Blues" (from his debut album). On the outro to Sehnsucht, he endeavors to achieve a sort of Glenn Gould "Goldberg Variations" effect. It's a powerful close to a spry tune.

Mehldau has found his musical soulmates with Jorge Rossy and Larry Grenadier. They breathe with him and think as one mind. Larry’s harmonic invention and Jorge’s rhythmic creativity anchor Brad’s stream of thought improvisation. It's really joyous to hear.

The set ends with two classics, the Kahal/Fain standard "I'll Be Seeing You" and the haunting Radiohead tune "Exit Music (For a Film)". I played the latter for a die-hard Radiohead friend of mine. He said "why is he soloing on this tune? Isn't the melody enough??". Because it's jazz baby!

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