Brad Mehldau-The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4, Back at the Vanguard

I find it irresistable to touch upon some of my true favorites in the infancy of this evolving Blog. That being said, the music of Brad Mehldau must be addressed. Rising up in the 1990's with a firm grasp on the piano trio, he was wrongly pegged a linear disciple of Bill Evans. While the purity of Evans' talent is indisputable, Mehldau's creative brilliance is fed by many influences, including, but certainly not limited to, Evans. Perhaps I was initially drawn to his shared love of the music of Radiohead. However, once I worked past that portion of his catalogue, I discovered an original voice who I feel compelled to pass on to all those willing to open up and listen. His Art of the Trio recordings are a great place to fully understand his development as a composer and interpreter of standards and pop/rock songs. The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4, Back at the Vanguard, was recorded at the Village Vanguard in in January of 1999, where he was backed by his longstanding rhythm section of Larry Grenadier on bass and Jorge Rossy on drums. The music is subperb, engulfing the listener with Mehldau's unique takes on selected covers and several original compositions with the trio flawlessly communicating throughout the entire set. Although the record was recorded over a series of dates during a week's residency at the Vanguard, the final product presents itself as a complete show. There are no contrived points to the performance. In particular, the original Sehnsucht and Radiohead's Exit Music (For a Film) are exquisite. His live perfomance is not to be missed.