The Art Of The Trio, Vol. 4 - Back At The Vanguard

Masterpiece

I nominate this record for Improvisational Achievement of the Century. After having heard each song of this set at least 1000+ times, I can say with absolute certainty that this is an achievement that will not be matched for a very long time, if ever. For those who care to dismiss this music for its tendency towards the extreme or "self-indulgent"- I will not waste time trying to change their minds. But for those who are interested in human potential pushed to its farthest limits, do yourself a favor and own this record. August 23, 2008

Articulated and eccentric jazzy jam worship of the ivories

4 1/2


Full throttle excursion into some of the finest modern Jazz trio, pianist-driven work is fueled by the immense talent behind Mehldau's dynamic, fluid, and jarring tour-de-force performance. Backed up by formidable musical intuition as always in the jazz world, the fusion of these three is a sound to be heard, with large portions dedicated to the obvious piano soloing, a small side of bass soloing, with a tiny helping of drums. What sets this apart from other stuff like it and really makes it a classic for me is the inherent genius that lies within some of the composer's improvisational techniques that just elevate the man to a land few musical titans have walked before, on any instrument. Not to say he is nearing the end of a musical journey here at all but it is evident, despite the sporadic outbursts into atonal themes (which to me often sound brilliant if you can get your head around it-he will always "straighten it out" if you listen), Mehldau has crafted a language for himself that absolutely sets him apart from the crowd, and in the ecstasy of live performance, captures musical bliss to a caliber few can even fathom. The set list's pace is also a tremendous asset to this record, breaking up the more traditional material with the more adventurous perfectly. All you kids out there that have been waiting for an excuse to purchase that first killer jazz disc that isn't from the stone age, don't forget Brad's inclusion of Radiohead's "Exit Music" for perhaps that very reason.

A final question: why end the disc fading out for at least half a minute with looped audio? It's kinda creepy, I wasn't intentionally trying to hear it, but after the final track ends there is an elongated fade out where everyone starts to leave and are talking, I had awesome headphones and turned it up to hear what they were commenting about the performance and it sure as heck sounded like many of the same statements jumbled together and repeated, if this is some technique used on live CDs I've never heard it before, I don't recommend using it to seal the sanctity of your product! October 5, 2006

The best of the series

These guys are a real group, an increasingly rare phenomenon in the jazz scene. One of the great things about this music is that people that are truly skilled in the language of jazz and in improvisation can get together on the spot and create beautiful music. Minimal rehearsal time, or none at all is necessary. However, there is something to be said for the synchronicity that can occur when certain musicians play together for a long time and make a point of getting to know each other's musical vision intimately. Mehldau's trio exemplifies the jazz "group." They work as one unit, playing together and displaying the kind of telepathic improv that infers familiarity.

The very first track, a driving but swinging rendition of "All the Things You Are" in 7/4 is absolutely SICK (sick in a good way). If you are not giggling half way through Brad's solo, then you are just not listening hard enough. This track sets the tone for the whole record. I do not mean to say that the energy stays the same throughout the album, but there is a persistent spirit of adventure - a desire to open up and allow for liberal "play" of ryhthm and harmony. Excitement is the key word here. This music "rocks" for lack of a better term.

If you like butt-kicking, swinging, intense jazz, this record is for you. June 27, 2004

Fine 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. March 27, 2004

Overly anxious but deserving

While not convincingly making the case for his musical originality, Mehldau certainly establishes some sort of unique precedent for verbalizing about his music. Most of the 8+ pages of the booklet accompanying this CD are devoted to a self-portrait based on distancing the present artist from his dreaded progenitor, Bill Evans. Much of the argument, at least the coherent parts, simply doesn't wash--viz. that Evans somehow represents "sensitive-white-guys" music or that Evans' music depends on "prescribed" harmonies, is rhythmically reductive, and is root-deficient in its deployment of the bass player's role. Mehldau admits to knowing little to nothing about Evans' music or life, yet dispenses such judgements freely.

No matter. Mehldau is good enough in his own right to be forgiven his sophomoric indulgence in what Harold Bloom calls an artist's "anxiety of influence." Moreover, although the first few measures of "All the Things You Are" carry some of the harmonic resonances that made Evans' a distinctively fresh new sound, the dissimilarities soon become more apparent. For one, Bill's inimitable, "living and breathing" piano sound--based on his extraordinary physical mechanics and the quality and evenness of pressure on each of the keys--is not as yet a part of Mehldau's technical or expressive vocabulary. Nor is the ability to create tension and release through subtle inner voicings and delicately shaded, impressionistic dynamic contrasts alternating with profoundly expressionistic Russian thunder.

Mehldau's is a baroque and classical voice, given to the virtuosic, even overcompensating, technical flourishes and taccota passages of the piano prodigy that he no doubt is (his disdain for anything resembling a "crowd-pleasing" closing cadence on each of the songs seems pretentious if not amusing). Notwithstanding, his piano technique and compositional flare along with his undeniable improvisational fire combine to make this recording one of the most engaging piano sets of the last ten years (taking me momentarily away from Jarrett but not necessarily Geoff Keezer). But one has only to listen to Mehldau's "Solar"--with its coarser phrasing, senseless repetition, questionable melodic direction, absence of tonal "body"--to appreciate the unique moment that was Bill's at the Village Vanguard in June of 1961.

Mehldau's naive rejection of any association between the artist's life and his music is understandable. He is no romantic and, unlike Bill, appears to have arrived at his gift at a very early age. Bearing in mind that Evans' unabashed romantic period, along with his most passionate and expressive playing, did not come until the last two years of his life, a listener might do well to keep track of this young improviser's quest to lay claim to a similar spot within that legacy. January 5, 2004

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