Matt LuceyIntro to Brad Mehldau
Last week, I had the opportunity to see Brad Mehldau perform live in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Brad Mehldau is a well known Jazz Pianist with a long career in the genre. Born in Florida in 1970, Mehldau grew up surrounded by music, having a piano in the house his whole life. Given his upbringing, it was no surprise that Mehldau began playing Jazz around the age of 14. After Playing in a variety of bands and groups, he eventually attended The New School to study music. He began to record in the early 90s and continued that trend until now. Playing with his band, The Brad Mehldau Trio with Felix Moseholm & Jorge Rossy.
The National Concert Hall
The venue itself was incredible. Cocktails and drink set the tone before the show, in a pristine entry hall. The concert hall was well laid out, with great acoustic and a perfect view of the stage from all angles. It felt like a well planned evening from start to finish. The band layout on stage gave space to the three musicians, grouped in a way to maximise everyone’s view without an active performance.
The Band
The band was clearly well practiced at their craft. The band demonstrated skill on every instrument through the evening. Brad himself played masterful piano, setting the tone for the evening with a polished performance while maintaining the fluidity you expect from such a performance. He made it clear that you were there for him, with numerous solos and a meticulously crafted setlist. Song after song flowed seamlessly from one to the next, interrupted only twice, to detail the pieces just played. A highlight for me was his rendition of “Between the Bars” by Elliot Smith.
Felix Moseholm
Felix Moseholm accompanied Brad on Bass. From start to finish, he maintained a constant undercurrent of skilled bass playing. Taking a note from Brad, Felix had a few solos throughout the evening, giving the young musician an opportunity to shine. Both “Beatrice” and “Young Wurther” included fantastic solos on bass. With these solos blending comfortably out of and back into the songs, Felix showed his ability to work smoothly and effortlessly with his bandmates.
Jorge Rossy
On Drums, Jorge Rossy demonstrated his musical talent. Jazz drums differ tremendously from the same instrument in other genres. With a variety of drumsticks variations, Jorge set the tone of every song. Surrounded by 4 symbols, Jorges rig seemed to suit his style perfectly. Slightly eccentric and wild, while remaining tidy and in sync with the other band members. The third song, “Boomer” truly highlighted his skill with a free solo, which resulted in a mid song round of applause.
Conclusions
It was incredible to have the opportunity to see the band live. In summary, while I hadn’t heard of Mehldau and his band before, he has become a part of my daily jazz mix, and I would recommend checking out some of his tracks, if jazz piano is something that you enjoy.
