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Double Bass Brad Mehldau -- Day is Done
- Thread starter Tbeers
- Start date
I have a bud who always said he likes Mehldau's playing better when he's a sideman than when he's a leader. Don't know if I agree with that, but I do like his playing on the Konitz album mentioned before and Joshua Redman's "Timeless Tales" rekkid.
Alex Scott said:
Thank you, Alex. I don't play free as often as I used to, I've just been pursuing other musical interests. I recorded a mostly improvisational CD with guitarist Clint Smith and drummer Jordan Young three years ago and was very happy about the communication we had established as a trio. Here's a link to a full tune from the CD:
http://webzoom.freewebs.com/marcopanascia/Resolve.mp3
Sorry for the interruption, back to our Mehldau discussion now!
jazzbass72 said:
- Fantastic sound. Kind of reminds me of Dave Holland, but it is your own thing.
I'm not sure Mehldau's marketing schemes are quite as obvious and crass as that. My musical companions and I have been covering Radiohead and Bob Dylan and the Beatles since before we heard of Brad Mehldau, and we do it because we think it's great music and we've come up with our own interpretations of it in the same manner that creative jazz musicians have always incorporated mainstream popular music. I for one actually listen to Fiona Apple, Bjork, Nick Drake, The Beatles, I think much of it is great music, and when we play covers of those tunes we do it for the musical qualities just like when we play Cole Porter or Andrew Hill (to give two radically different composers). I sure as heck don't make any money from it, and nobody pays any more (or less) attention to it than they do to whatever shenanigans we're getting up to over in the corner of the club. I tend to trust Brad Mehldau's sincerity in his choice of material; in fact, it's more in some of his seemingly-gratuitous virtuosic displays that I hear the false note in his musical persona (that stuff that makes all of the twenty-something male jazz musicians in the audience hoot and holler on the live Vanguard stuff).
I know everything's relative and success is measured differently in the jazz world, but I have to chuckle when people complain about Mehldau and The Bad Plus being such darlings of the marketplace. It's not like these guys are Jamie Cullum or Chris Botti or something! They sell a lot more albums than I do (or ever will), but if they're attempting to sell out they're doing a poor job of it. We don't know the motivation of the people who buy their records, but I've certainly not run across Mehldau or Iverson being played at some culture-vulture's cocktail party. (Maybe I go to the wrong parties.) Diana Krall, Chet Baker, and Bill Evans, yes; but I don't think sticking some covers on your album means much commercially (except that you have to pay bigger royalties out to the composers). Maybe it gets you an interview on NPR like it did The Bad Plus, but what difference does that make when everyone's listening to Rush Limbaugh?
I know everything's relative and success is measured differently in the jazz world, but I have to chuckle when people complain about Mehldau and The Bad Plus being such darlings of the marketplace. It's not like these guys are Jamie Cullum or Chris Botti or something! They sell a lot more albums than I do (or ever will), but if they're attempting to sell out they're doing a poor job of it. We don't know the motivation of the people who buy their records, but I've certainly not run across Mehldau or Iverson being played at some culture-vulture's cocktail party. (Maybe I go to the wrong parties.) Diana Krall, Chet Baker, and Bill Evans, yes; but I don't think sticking some covers on your album means much commercially (except that you have to pay bigger royalties out to the composers). Maybe it gets you an interview on NPR like it did The Bad Plus, but what difference does that make when everyone's listening to Rush Limbaugh?
jazzbass72 said:
Marco, it doesn't really remind me of Dave Holland, but I sure do like it! Very engaging recording, and great playing all around.
Johono5 said:
Amen. You put that better than I could have, or have time to at the moment. Well spoken.
One of the groups I play with (Todd Hildreth Trio) does tunes by groups like Gorillaz, Beatles, Bjork, Rufus Wainright (sp?), and even (gasp) a Crowded House cover. I think it's great fun, the audience digs it, and as far as I'm concerned, it's in the spirit of jazz. Didn't some of the famous old school guys cover what was for them the popular music of the day? In the end, it's all just vehicles for improv. As long as you're enjoying the journey, I don't know that the make of car you're riding in makes all that much difference.
damonsmith said:
Thank you Damon, I appreciate your compliment. Dave Holland used to be my first hero and I worked really hard to try and sound like him when I started shedding. But on two occasions, when I tried to approach him at the end of a concert, he was not really the kind person I had expected to meet, which kinda threw me off. I ended up eBaying my whole Dave Holland CD collection, and started looking elsewhere for inspiration.
-Marco
jazzbass72 said:
- Wow, very sorry to hear that. FYI, it was early Holland it reminded me of, Like with Braxton and Rivers.
Ok, So I am listening to the samples of this cd on Mehldau's site. Great musicians, no question. It is a bit regressive and I have to maintain that there are plenty who do this type of playing much better like the Bobo Stenson trio with Anders Jormin (now there is monster bass player) for any number of piano trios in the ECM catalog.
Still these guys can play.
I will fully admit my problems with him are products of left over punk values and my own artistic ideology.
Still, his whole program has "image Consultant written all of it".
Still these guys can play.
I will fully admit my problems with him are products of left over punk values and my own artistic ideology.
Still, his whole program has "image Consultant written all of it".
- Dec 13, 1999
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- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
damonsmith said:
But are sure you're not the one that's doing the writing? You're more than welcome to like or dislike anything you want (as am I), but the consistency with which you attach motives to actions for folks that you don't even have a passing acquaintance with tells me more about you than it does them.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
And sometimes music is just a blank slate that you can project your own internal conflicts on...
damonsmith said:
That's a great trio. And a great bassist. He loaned me his bass once at a festival and I was in heaven.
We just can't resist the off-topic thing, but: anyone checked out Florian Ross? He has a CD called "Blinds and Shades" with John Hollenbeck and an outstanding bassist unfamiliar to me.
[This invalid link has been removed]
Ed Fuqua said:
- It's very possible. Although my assertations are neither rocket science nor about private matters.
Despite it being a "non musical" topic-ie. his intentions, marketing etc. (mentioned by Damon). I think some negative perceptions of him might be driven in part both by his (seemingly) sullen countenance and some of the things he has said in print.
For an example of this viewpoint, look at this article. I read it some months ago:
Invalid Link Removed
I think his efforts on Largo--the collaboration was with the music producer for the film the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind, correct? I can see where he has these leanings --one of musical collage perhaps, and they both probably believed they could come to kind of artistic greater good. And perhaps make some money...
I was curious about his obsession for Nick Drake. So I listened to some albums. I really liked it! It was this curious brand of folk music--somewhere in between Dylan and Donovan with hints of jazz and ..ulp suicide...:
So when you listen to Brad play Blackbird for example you hear this certain stark formalistic vision (in this sense that you restrict the language to a certain form of expression) where you're staying with the pop/folk language but adding an edge..but still trying to express a sensibility that suggests there is something else possible.
His technique is just stunning, with both hands. He brings classical music as a truly creative domain. I recall going to a 3 jazz piano concert in the park. There were 2 other jazz piano artists that will remain nameless that spent the evening bull*****. When Meldhau played you really got the sense that he was on another level of artistry -this persistance of vision- and he did so just with solo piano. Some of his work is downright stunning. I mean who else would try to make a jazz ballad sound like a Beethoven adagio and have you believing that was the original intention of the composer?
BUT...(you knew that was coming... ) Why am I not consistently drawn to his music and his records whole-heartedly? Maybe it's a case of 2 out of 3 for me. I keep wanting something that draws me in completely
-- a certain direct simple timing and sincerity--but you feel like he's almost pushing you away.
Perhaps it might just come down to his mid-tempo jazz swing concept. You feel like he wants to kick into another gear to express himself.Which is why I dislike the Haden, Konitz album. That kind of album leaves me dying for Kirk Lightsey to jump in the piano chair
For an example of this viewpoint, look at this article. I read it some months ago:
Invalid Link Removed
I think his efforts on Largo--the collaboration was with the music producer for the film the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind, correct? I can see where he has these leanings --one of musical collage perhaps, and they both probably believed they could come to kind of artistic greater good. And perhaps make some money...
I was curious about his obsession for Nick Drake. So I listened to some albums. I really liked it! It was this curious brand of folk music--somewhere in between Dylan and Donovan with hints of jazz and ..ulp suicide...:
So when you listen to Brad play Blackbird for example you hear this certain stark formalistic vision (in this sense that you restrict the language to a certain form of expression) where you're staying with the pop/folk language but adding an edge..but still trying to express a sensibility that suggests there is something else possible. His technique is just stunning, with both hands. He brings classical music as a truly creative domain. I recall going to a 3 jazz piano concert in the park. There were 2 other jazz piano artists that will remain nameless that spent the evening bull*****. When Meldhau played you really got the sense that he was on another level of artistry -this persistance of vision- and he did so just with solo piano. Some of his work is downright stunning. I mean who else would try to make a jazz ballad sound like a Beethoven adagio and have you believing that was the original intention of the composer?
BUT...(you knew that was coming... ) Why am I not consistently drawn to his music and his records whole-heartedly? Maybe it's a case of 2 out of 3 for me. I keep wanting something that draws me in completely
-- a certain direct simple timing and sincerity--but you feel like he's almost pushing you away.
Perhaps it might just come down to his mid-tempo jazz swing concept. You feel like he wants to kick into another gear to express himself.Which is why I dislike the Haden, Konitz album. That kind of album leaves me dying for Kirk Lightsey to jump in the piano chair
nypiano said:
I will admit to reading more interviews than listening to him and being turned off by them. I find his denial of Bill Evan's influence Particulary disgenuous.
Evans mapped out his area of work, I do not find Mehldau's work to be an improvment on Evans and the stylistic differences are superficial.
nypiano said:
- He was a great pianist, those Miroslav Vitous quartets on ECM are amazing, hey, if Vitous could have played bass it would have really killed....
Check the way he worded it -- "if Vitous could have played bass--"Alex Scott said:
My guess is he's not a fan of the way Vitous plays...a lack of anchorage on that Chick album, probably? I haven't heard it (yet) but that might be what it means.
Aaron Saunders said:
And gawd knows, Damon is nothing if not an old school, straight ahead, traditionalist stick in the mud.
Chris Fitzgerald said:And gawd knows, Damon is nothing if not an old school, straight ahead, traditionalist stick in the mud.
Well, of course! Honestly, I think that post came across a lot more negative than I meant it too...edit time?
