Through the course of several strong trio albums, Brad Mehldau has established himself as one of the more intriguing young pianists in jazz.
In each volume of “The Art of the Trio,” Mehldau’s ongoing series of recordings, the pianist has proved fluent in a broader range of musical languages than one expects from emerging artists. By drawing equally from classical piano tradition, mainstream jazz vernacular and various forms of pop, he has begun to forge a distinct and personal voice.
Perhaps because he already has accomplished a great deal in his art and his career (he recently won a berth in the Down Beat Readers Poll), expectations were high for his opening night at the Jazz Showcase. His performance Tuesday night marked his debut as a bandleader at the Showcase, and the hush that fell over the room the instant Mehldau touched the keys suggested that hard-core jazz listening was about to commence.
But Mehldau, who played brilliantly last March in Ravinia’s Bennett Hall, proved surprisingly low-key and underwhelming this time around. Though his playing never lacked for the lustrous beauty of tone one has come to expect from him, nor for the seriousness and integrity of his work, the pianist did not approach the complexity, sophistication or dynamism of his recordings or previous live performances.
Every artist has the occasional off night, and, as such, Mehldau’s first set held some appeal. Certainly Mehldau could not produce an unflattering tone or a meaningless, throwaway phrase if he wanted to. The man takes his instrument too seriously to address it lightly.
So in the Jerome Kern standard “All the Things You Are,” several signature elements of Mehldau’s work were in place. The melting legato lines in the right hand, the sequential chord changes in the left and the seamless link between the two surely would be the envy of lesser pianists.
Yet in the same performance, the problems that would undercut the rest of the set already were apparent. Though Mehldau roughly followed the arc of his performance of the same tune on his exceptional new recording, “Art of the Trio 4: Back at the Vanguard,” the performance at the Showcase lacked the rhythmic drive, expressive intensity and harmonic daring of the recording.
And though one typically hopes that performers can break free of their recordings and push into unfamiliar territory in concert, Mehldau’s reading was tame and noncommittal compared to a recording he was trying too hard to re-create.
This opening, like the rest of the set, was professionally played but never really took flight.
Every so often, Mehldau hinted at the fervency that has marked his best work, as in certain passages of “Exit Music (For a Film),” by the band Radiohead. With its opening evocation of Chopin’s Prelude in E minor, Mehldau’s version slyly pointed up unexpected links between past and present, between 19th Century classics and 20th Century pop. But even here, Mehldau’s extended solo proved harmonically static and a bit glib, as if sweetly stated chords and Impressionistic keyboard color alone were enough to sustain interest.
Mehldau’s collaborators–drummer Jorge Rossy and bassist Larry Grenadier–deferred to their leader by playing in an even more muted fashion than he. The result was a pleasant though often bland trio sound.
It’s quite possible, however, that as the week unfolds, Mehldau and friends will achieve the spontaneous give-and-take that was so lacking on this occasion.
Here’s hoping they do.
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The Brad Mehldau Trio plays through Sunday at the Jazz Showcase, 59 W. Grand Ave. Phone 312-670-BIRD.
