brad mehldau

Ride Into The Sun at the Paramount Theatre (Aug. 29th Oakland, CA)

This blog has featured Brad Mehldau quite a bit, and for good reason: he’s the goat. The piano goat. But who is the singer-songwriter, indie-grunge, acoustic guitar goat? Elliott Smith, of course. And sometimes, wonderfully, legends of different musical worlds crash into each other. This happened in LA in the late 90s when Brad went to an open mic and saw Elliott sing and play guitar. As he described to us Saturday night in Oakland, his mind was blown. Over the next five years, the two got to play together a few times (see below). 

Last year, Brad released an album featuring Elliott’s music, something he says he long wanted to do. It’s a beautiful tribute; the arrangements are lush and full but never detract from Elliott’s melodies. For the album, Brad recruited the one and only Chris Thile to play mandolin and sing as well as Daniel Rossen on guitar + vocals, Felix Moseholm and John Davis play bass, and Matt Chamberlin (Pearl Jam!) on drums (and “screams” on “Everything Means Nothing to Me”). 

Earlier this year, Brad announced that he would be doing a truncated tour behind the album. For the tour, he would be joined by Chris Thile, Matt Chamberlin, John Davis, Blake Mills on guitar (!), plus an orchestra conducted by Dan Coleman. 

I have been a Chris Thile and Blake Mills fan since 2016-17ish. I was introduced to Chris when I went with a friend from WKCR to see the Punch Brothers at Rockwood Music Hall (RIP). It was pretty mind blowing, especially as someone who hadn’t seen a ton of bluegrass at that point. So, thank you, Charlie. I fell for Blake not long thereafter, first, via his album Heigh Ho. I love love love “If I’m Unworthy” and “Don’t Tell Your Friends About Me.” Such cool, interesting, genre-bending songs. Great guitar tones + lines, and I also love his style of singing. Zach described it once as “pushing” words out which I think is spot on.  

This super group would visit LA, Oakland, Portland, OR, and Groton, MA. As alluded to in my previous post, I live in New York (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn aka heaven on earth, to be precise). Ugh. I figured I would take the L on this one, but then my concert-committed, jazz-loving, cool CA-based mom asked if I would consider flying out for the Oakland show (and long weekend with fam). Side-note: my parents were introduced to Elliott via this album and have since become big fans which I love. My mom recently sent a pic of Sweet Adeline sheet music; she’s learning it on piano. Of course, I will and have traveled for shows. Lesser shows included. I would be there. 

My sweet family and I had dinner in Oakland at Pomet before the show. It was tasty, although the vibes kind of made me miss BK. Contrary to stereotypes re Californians and NYers, I find people much more friendly and open in NY (BK especially). Bay Arians (?) are of a cooler temperament. And I like talking to people. I like people generally, in fact, which doesn’t seem to be the universal vibe in SF these days.  

Anyways, somewhat surprisingly given our accumulative years in the Bay + frequent concert attendance, none of us had been to the Paramount. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Art-deco with spectacularly high ceilings and gold painted intricately carved wooden walls. It reminded me a bit of the glory of King’s Theatre in Flatbush, but it’s much narrower theatre which definitely is better for the sound. I felt much anticipation seeing Blake’s guitars (including a really gorgeous sunburst red hollow body Gibson). 

The band + orchestra basically played the entire album! For “I Better Be Quiet Now,” it was just Brad + the orchestra at first. Brad’s treatment of that song is so incredible. The solo-piano moments were some of my favorites. His intense familiarity with these songs and their melodies is obvious. Hearing him weave in and out and all around Elliott’s songs is special. For me, the highlights were I Better Be Quiet Now, Between the Bars, The White Lady Loves You More, Color Bars, and (the encore) Son of Sam. 

Two songs made me weepy. I Better Be Quiet Now and Thirteen (the only non-ES cover). I love Thirteen so much. I think it is one of the most tender, heartfelt, gorgeous songs . I love Elliott’s version, and also the Bedouine led trio + Wilco versions. (See below!) And I love the Big Star original! Brad’s version was stunning, heart-breaking. Entirely melody driven and true to the song. Not that jazz-y (tbh none of the show/album was/is, and I am glad about that, no shade to jazz, obviously). 

For me, the show was really about the music, a true tribute to how special these songs are/Elliott’s songwriting is. But, of course, the band was wonderful. Chris Thile absolutely shredded on Southern Belle. And, throughout, watching him listen in ecstasy to Brad playing these songs was a glorious experience unto itself. Blake added really cool noise to a lot of the songs and also sang harmonies. Matt Chamberlin was noticeably incredible, tight as hell. It was also interesting to hear Brad play with a non-jazz drummer. Jazz drumming is so specific. This was a different experience in a cool way. 

Grateful! Grateful I made it out west, and for my family and for Brad and the band and the orchestra. 

ES 4ever. Thank you for the songs.

Brad Mehldau in Sonoma, CA

Saturday, on a fine, warm California evening, I went with my mother to hear Brad Mehldau solo at the Green Center in Sonoma. If you’ve never been inside this concert hall you don’t know true beauty. The whole building (seats included) is pale pine which produces a fantastic reverberation throughout the hall. Behind and around the stage is more pine interlaced with deep red sound wall. The aesthetic is poetic, and the design is utilitarian for the acoustics. That is a lot of beauty already, and I haven’t even mentioned how the hall is situated on a beautiful green California hill in wine country overlooking farms and vineyards and mountains. A magical magical place to hear music (I’d seen the alpine symphony performed there and my parents saw the Buena Vista Social Club there which is insanely cool).

Mehldau (as stated) was taking the stage solo to play an exciting combination of Bach, original compositions responding to the Bach pieces, and improvisations. He started with Prelude No.3 in C-sharp Major from The Well Tempered Clavier, then played his composition, “Three Pieces After Bach,” then Prelude No.1 in C major from the same book, and then finally an improvisation on Bach. Mehldau followed essentially this same form throughout the night, coupling Bach pieces (my favorite being Fugue No. 16 in G Minor from Well-Tempered) with “Three pieces after Bach” and an improvisation.

It was really extraordinary to hear Mehldau, a pianist I’d primarily heard play jazz, play Bach. For me it made certain things about Mehldau’s style more clear. His light touch and many aspects of his technique scream classical piano even when he’s playing in a jazz band, but even beyond that his attention to the formal architecture of music (obviously inherent to Bach who basically created it) brings many elements of classical music to Mehldau’s piano playing and composition.

What was perhaps most revelatory to me was hearing Mehldau play jazz right after hearing him play Bach. Maybe this is because I listen to more jazz than classical, but I think it was also undoubtedly the point of the program. Mehldau’s improvisations, performed after the Bach pieces, were at times so wild and free but hearing them following the Bach the listener is actually able to seek out the structure and formal architecture where normally it might be difficult to find. This brought a very cool and different element to his improvisations. At times I’d thrill myself by encountering fugues in his improv!

At the end of the evening Mehldau pleased those in the audience who know him more for his jazz piano (me) by playing beautiful renditions of “How Long Has This Been Going On” and “And I Love Her.” With his first touch of the keys the main theme of “And I Love Her” was introduced, and I was so surprised he was playing it for this crowd after that program. But it was such a crowd pleaser. The way Mehldau treated the theme literally got GASPS from the crowd and made my mom cry. He would just drop it in effortlessly and so lightly it truly floated around us, sometimes barely audible. Mehldau departed so completely from the song throughout the whole middle of the piece that I was certain he’d moved on from it completely, but then at the end he twisted it all back together with the most delicate, gentle flourish (again drawing many gasps). My mom likened the lightness of his playing to Pat Metheny (a guitarist Mehldau has collaborated with a lot) a comparison I see as quite accurate. Both musicians float above each note leaving a little to be filled in by your own imagination.