The darling of the Jazz world, Brad Mehldau returns to Marseilles for a concert event that only he knows the secret of.
This unclassifiable and indomitable pianist has always and voluntarily blurred the tracks of his crazy race of orientation and artistic disorientation. Each of his concerts, each of his albums, are invitations to magical and unique wanderings. His playground? His sharp mind, his technicality, his curiosity, his knowledge of harmonies and his respect for creators. “When I hear Beethoven’s string quartets or John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”, I have no idea where they came up with that” (New York Times, 1999).
It must be said that his swirling and avowed love for the great artists, be it jazz, rock, folk or classical music, is now at the center of most of his creations. To name but a few, Cole Porter, Paul Simon, Radiohead, Nick Drake, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, The Beatles are “his” All-Stars. They are there, like angels or demons, by touch or in subtle references. In his revisited standards, his genius sometimes reveals notes or harmonies that are totally lost in the original version. The revelation is one of his strengths!
His improvisations are chiseled and thought out to the nearest note and silence. This perfectionist knew how to merge in a chaos, unstructured and structured, the freedom of his playing with his incredible technicality. Brad is definitely a lover of music, wherever it comes from. He breathes them, he respects them.
This year again, Brad Melhdau’s trio concert is sure to be full of surprises. He who puts improvisation at the heart of his repertoires will still surprise us and the Marseilles public will be there.
Photo credit © Michael Wilson
Brad Mehldau : piano
Larry Grenadier : double bass
Jeff Ballard : drums
