Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71685 in Digital Music Album
• Released on: 2006-10-17
• Running time: 0 seconds

Customer Reviews

Great piano trio music
As a serious fan of Bill Evans, but with little knowledge of the jazz world, I picked up the first four volumes of Mehldau's Art of the Trio recordings following a recommendation from a friend.

Volumes 1 and 3 are studio recordings; volumes 2 and 4 are live (I don't have volume 5, yet, another live volume, this one on 2 CDs). I think Mehldau is great, and I especially like the studio recordings. They are lyrical and melodic, whereas the live recordings tend more toward pyrotechnics and displays of virtuosity.

If you like the kind of music Bill Evans played, you'll certainly like volumes 1 and 3. You may prefer the live ones, especially if you're into Keith Jarrett (at least Mehldau doesn't grunt and squeal all the time). In any case, this is great music, well played and the trio has a great rapport.

Wonderful. Made with the craft of older jazz
Simply wonderful. in Art of the Trio Volume 1 Brad Mehldau clearly seems to inherit the cloak of the marvelous Bill Evans, argueably, the best Jazz pianist of all time. The song are deep lyrical, just beautiful. Expressions of true emotion. His bass player Paul Grenadier meshes well, placing emphasis and pushing back where needed without seeming to get into turf battles (as sometimes happened with Evans) and Jorge Rossy drums are also perfect. A well oiled machine.

The best stuff here is the standards: "Blame it on my Youth", "I didn't know What Time it Was", the bouncy "Nobody Else but Me" and "Blackbird" (I always wonder why Jazz groups don't work more with the lyrical Beatle melodies, as Jazz musicians of the past used the pop melodies of Cole Porter, and Gershwin?). But the best of all is the heart wrenching, slow "I Fall in Love Too Easily". It takes courage to publicly display this kind of deep sadness (it isn't just a tempo). There must have been a failed love affair somewhere...

The original songs are, well, not up to the level of the standards, but what can you expect? They're new. It's really it's a great record from beginning to end. Despite some sad songs, the Trio genuinely seems to be enjoying themselves in playing!

Well recorded, good harmonics on the piano.

I would love to see Brad and the Trio make another CD this good!

Good Choice of Compositions
I saw Brad Mehldau perform at the Nice Jazz Festival, and I can therefore attest to the power this trio wields when they perform.

That being said, this is one of the more interesting albums in his catalogue. The reason for this is that this album, the first installment in his "Art of the Trio" recordings, perfectly manifests both Mehldau's gift for interpreting jazz standards as well as writing interesting, original compositions. In concert, the trio will blend songs from both categories into fascinating medleys. Here the songs are sequenced well, and you begin to grasp the depth of Mehldau's influences.

I would recommend this recording as an ideal introduction to one of the most genuine and interesting artists in jazz today.