Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Brad Mehldau Trio: Blues and Ballads

Brad Mehldau Trio: Blues and Ballads

By Geno Thackara
June 2, 2016
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It's easy to play the blues—or at the very least it's easy to learn the basics—but keeping the form fresh and interesting is another matter entirely. Likewise, any beginner can tackle a quiet ballad, but presenting something simple and pretty is really harder than it sounds. The

Brad Mehldau

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Brad Mehldau Trio manages its always-distinctive blend of all those things on this lineup's fifth release, still making song-sculpting and harmonic shifting into something both inventive and accessible.

They run a vast gamut in "Since I Fell for You" alone as they stretch that age-old I-IV-V pattern into a ten-minute exploration that never settles into rut or repetition. Mehldau wanders from lightly bouncing shuffle to freeform tonal meandering and back again, while

Jeff Ballard

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Ballard and

Larry Grenadier

bass, acoustic
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Larry Grenadier demonstrate their impeccable skill for knowing when to add a light touch and when it's best to stay out of the way. The opener and the smoky "My Valentine" wind up bookending the album with the bluesiest treatments while largely sandwiching the more song-based pieces in between. As the title declares, this set omits the genre-spanning originals and modern rock covers (or often reinventions, rather) that usually make part of his mix in favor of more familiar material.

A couple Lennon/McCartney tunes are the newest ones to be found here, while the disc is rounded out by a few standards quite a bit older than that from the likes of

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker or

Cole Porter

composer / conductor
1891 - 1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Cole Porter. In the spirit (if not necessarily the footsteps) of

Keith Jarrett

piano
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Keith Jarrett's classic trio, this crew is concerned less with the songs themselves than the possibilities for exploration they can offer. Each provides a springboard to playful dialogue and the chance for surprise. "I Concentrate on You" luxuriates in its airy minor Latin feel while the Beatles' "And I Love Her" gets an extended workout, including staggered rhythmic grooving and a sort of subdued mini-crescendo between the piano and Ballard's drums. The framework may start straightforwardly, but even the simpler pieces get stretched with Mehldau's mix of kaleidoscopic chording and smoothly winding melody runs.

The trio continually enjoys the easy back-and-forth of longtime mates without losing any spontaneity. Whether there's some complexity behind a song's structure or not, the results are always pleasing to the ear and no trouble to simply follow if you don't feel like dissecting what's going on. More seriously intense work can wait for another album (or for the listener, another hour). Forward-thinking envelope-pushers deserve a break now and then as much as anyone, and Blues and Ballads makes an enticing rainy-day listen to give their down time and ours a most beautifully cool accompaniment.

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Track Listing

Since I Fell for You; I Concentrate on You; Little Person; Cheryl; These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You); And I Love Her; My Valentine.

Personnel

Brad Mehldau

piano

Brad Mehldau: piano; Larry Grenadier: bass; Jeff Ballard: drums.

Album information

Title: Blues and Ballads | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Nonesuch Records

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Brad Mehldau Concerts

Oct 2 Thu

Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau @ Clarice Smith...

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
College Park, MD

Oct 4 Sat

Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau @ The Flynn

Flynn Center for The Performing Arts
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Oct 5 Sun

Christian McBride, Brad Mehldau

Sanders Theatre
Cambridge, MA

Oct 7 Tue

Christian Mcbride & Brad Mehldau

Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Minneapolis, MN

Oct 7 Tue

Christian Mcbride & Brad Mehldau

Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Minneapolis, MN

Oct 8 Wed

Christian Mcbride & Brad Mehldau

Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Minneapolis, MN

Oct 8 Wed

Christian Mcbride & Brad Mehldau

Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Minneapolis, MN

Oct 10 Fri

Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau @ Chicago Symphony...

Chicago Symphony Center
Chicago, IL

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