Brad Mehldau Trio - Day Is Done

Peterdubya · November-16th-2005, 05:40 PM

Another new CD from Brad Mehldau. The group has changed, Jorge Rossy is out, Jeff Ballard is in.

i'm a big fan of this group and the new CD is really great. A couple of Mehldau tunes, some pop tunes, and a standard or two.

the playing is at a really high lever throughout, and Ballard fits in really well. I like the trio better with his inclusion.

"She's Leaving Home" is fantastic.

mke · November-26th-2005, 09:05 AM

I'm currently on my first listen. As much as I liked Rossy's subtlety, Ballard does make the trio far easier to enjoy. The tunes chosen are generally strong, too (I'm not too sure about "Alfie," though).

Mark of Cenla · December-6th-2005, 02:23 PM

It is on my Christmas wish list. If Santa does not bring it, I will buy it in January. Peace.

Rob Damen · December-6th-2005, 05:04 PM

Brad Mehldau put on one of the top 5 performances I've ever seen at Nighttown in February of 2002 or 2000. I really dug his music before that night, but became a total nut after.

On another related note:

Has anybody been able to downloaded the new music from iTunes? I ask because they don't have it listed yet, and while there's a link listed on his site to get it from iTunes, it's inactive. One of the jazz magazine's reviews made reference to extra tracks at iTunes that aren't on the CD release.

So, I'm waiting on iTunes.

Cheers,

Rob

dex68 · December-6th-2005, 05:39 PM

I'm also a fan of Mehldau. Sometimes I think I'm getting tired of his shtick, but then I'm always ready for the new record. He seems to have staying power. I liked Anything Goes alot, but I still think Art of the Trio Vol. 1 is his best. Maybe i'll get the new one for the wife for xmas - she's also a fan.

Hopefully he hasn't done his own liner notes for this one.

mke · December-7th-2005, 07:05 AM

No liner notes, continued cultivation of his stable of composers. Radiohead's "Knives Out" crackles with energy, I love how Mehldau's chords seem to flop and melt away almost before they've appeared. The unresolved ending is cool, but makes for a jarring transition into "Alfie"'s sappy pop. The loosely-rendered theme also ends inconclusively, which maybe allows the first two songs to form an unlikely arc into the highly ornate, jazz-enhanched pop piano mode Mehldau likes to employ when playing Beatles songs solo (here, it's "Martha My Dear," cf. also "Mother Nature's Son" on Joel Frahm's "Don't Explain"). It all ends with a swinging, bluesy "No Moon At All."

I'd like to thank Mehldau for introducing me to Paul Simon's awesome "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" and not thank him for "Turtle Town," which, beyond the terrible title (unless Mehldau's developed a hitherto unsuspected sense of humour), still has me scratching my head at what it is, exactly.

Mark of Cenla · December-26th-2005, 11:11 AM

Santa did bring it to me for Christmas, and I am listening to it for the first time now. I REALLY like it. Jeff Ballard brings more energy to the band. Peace.

jazzgregg · December-26th-2005, 11:35 AM

"Santa" brought it for me too and I'm also currently giving it my first listen. I'm a fan of Ballard and actually didn't like Rossy the first time I'd heard him. I grew to like him a lot and really warmed to his 'Drunken Paul Motian' concept. I can easily see people saying it makes it easier to listen to, Jeff plays straighter so therefore so does Larry. Many more backbeats. I don't like it. I miss Jorge's ....POP...sh...doom....d..dd...a...BAMMO....shooom....ZOT and so forth. The elasticity of the previous trio was what drew me to it in the first place and I think much of that is very different now. Brad plays very well on it though, so that's good. I just don't like it as much. I don't think Ballard is the right guy for the job. The fact that he's one of the most musical drummers out there has nothing to do with that though. The feeling with Rossy was almost liek the trio was sort of teetering on an edge and that's gone.

My 2 cents,
G

ribot_for_president · January-23rd-2006, 04:20 PM

As much as I've loved all the sets w/ Rossy, adding Ballard has totally re-invigorated Mehldau's music, imo.

Mike Schwartz · January-23rd-2006, 10:50 PM

I'll be seeing them hit in about an hour in Ballard's home town of Santa Cruz...not to far from where Larry Grenadier is from too...

Gaz · February-6th-2006, 07:26 AM

As a fan myself, i thought this was a really good article on Brad. Definately worth a read for any fan...

http://www.tunetribe.com/Article?article_id=541

burning dog · February-9th-2006, 06:59 PM

I heard the band tonight , playing this material, it was great. I am not too keen on Mehldau's solo playing but this was a finegroup performance. Ballard's drumming was in a persistent duet with the leader with Grenadier laying down the groove.

stonemonkts · April-22nd-2006, 02:48 PM

Count me as a fan of this CD, and especially of Jeff Ballard's drumming, which indeed brings a new dimension to the trio, and to Mehldau's playing as well.