Brad Mehldau has something new in store for jazz fans this time through town.
The acclaimed musician, who The New York Times once famously described as “the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years,” is leading a brand new all-star trio — featuring bassist extraordinaire Christian McBride and increasingly renowned drummer Marcus Gilmore — in seven performances in just six days.
The talented threesome kicked off the run in fine fashion on Wednesday (April 2) at the beautiful Bing Concert Hall on the Stanford University campus, delivering a 90-minute set that was stocked with a mix of Mehldau originals and cover tunes. The group continues its Bay Area run with shows Thursday-Sunday at SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco (sfjazz.org), before moving south to finish up its NorCal stay with two sold-out sets on Monday at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz (kuumbwajazz.org).
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Being that it was only the second-ever gig for this particular summit of jazz greats — which made its live debut one day prior at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles — the trio was still feeling things out a bit and trying to find its exact footing during this Stanford Live show. That’s totally understandable, given that this was only gig No. 2, and one expects that Mehldau, McBride and Gilmore will quickly ramp things up as they move into SFJAZZ Center and then Kuumbwa.
The group certainly didn’t try to ease its way into the groove, instead jumping right into the deep end of the pool with the robust Mehldau original “Artis” from 2005’s gorgeous “Day Is Done” album. The three musicians were absolutely flying, as if there was a prize for which one would reach the finish line first, as they continued through this number, which takes its title from the iconic zoo in Amsterdam.
Staying on the animal theme, the trio continued to stretch things out with the solid new Mehldau composition “Squirrels” and then followed up with another new original dubbed “Gravy Train.” The group was definitely flexing through that opening trio of tunes, throwing up new ideas and seeing what stuck as those three numbers took up the first 30 minutes of stage time.
Mehldau then offered up his third consecutive new original, which the composer introduced a bit sheepishly, noting that the joyous nature of the tune was out of step with what was happening in the world. Even the piece’s title — “In the Bubble” — alludes to Mehldau’s realization that the song’s happy vibe might only exist in a place of detachment or isolation.
After four straight mostly up-tempo offerings, it was definitely time for a change of pace and Mehldau would deliver one — although, the pianist would later admit, not to the extent that he could and should have. The trio slowed things for the lovely Leslie Bricusse ballad “When I Look in Your Eyes” — a favorite of everyone from Tony Bennett to Diana Krall — but still seemed a little too revved up for its own good, with Mehldau telling the audience at the song’s conclusion that he should’ve handled the piece with a softer touch.
He wouldn’t make that mistake with the second ballad of the night, as he carefully and meticulously led Gilmore and McBride through an achingly beautiful take on the Hoagy Carmichael-Ned Washington standard “The Nearness of You.” We’ll definitely be looking for this level of ballad work (which is truly Mehldau’s specialty) as the trio continues on at SFJAZZ and Kuumbwa.
Between those two ballads was another top-notch new original — which Mehldau is currently calling “C-Minor Waltz” until he comes up with a permanent name. The tune sounded so great in this particular setting that I’m recommending that Mehldau honor the venue — a place he’s played two times prior — by calling it something like “Waiting for Bing.” (In fact, that’s the name I’m planning on using for the song from now on — at least until my editor tells me differently.)
The all-star trio closed the show in Fab Four fashion, turning to Mehldau’s beloved Beatles songbook for a memorable version of “She’s Leaving Home.”
