In a year when a healthy crop of large scale, ambitious, conceptual albums have vied for attention this was a sensational stand out epic. A double album that throughout its hour and forty minutes maintains a unifying melodic, vanilla tone; frequently sweeping you away with waves of graceful elegance, both joyful and mournful in feeling. Mehldau conducts this triumph from the piano with bundles of technical and infectious style but the real masterstroke lies in the way ‘Highway Rider’ defies strict categorization. This is Jazz at heart for sure, but the dexterity in composition with the orchestral strings and the way they blast open the scope of this music is definitely of a Classical standard. Yet there’s other stuff working into the mix as well; not least a tangible Folk-Rock vibe that appears in conjunction with the pump-organ and piano sound that crops up occasionally. Indeed Elliott Smith does get a nod here on ‘Sky Turning Grey’. All in all this album stands as a landmark achievement in the career of Brad Mehldau and an important piece of new 21st Century composition as well. It’s a work that cleverly cross-pollinates a multitude of styles and genres that have gone before without once sacrificing the heart and soul of a beautiful, expansive and richly rewarding piece; something that should appeal to music lovers across the board. Take some time and listen below:Tuesday 28 December 2010
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 5 – BRAD MEHLDAU – Highway Rider
In a year when a healthy crop of large scale, ambitious, conceptual albums have vied for attention this was a sensational stand out epic. A double album that throughout its hour and forty minutes maintains a unifying melodic, vanilla tone; frequently sweeping you away with waves of graceful elegance, both joyful and mournful in feeling. Mehldau conducts this triumph from the piano with bundles of technical and infectious style but the real masterstroke lies in the way ‘Highway Rider’ defies strict categorization. This is Jazz at heart for sure, but the dexterity in composition with the orchestral strings and the way they blast open the scope of this music is definitely of a Classical standard. Yet there’s other stuff working into the mix as well; not least a tangible Folk-Rock vibe that appears in conjunction with the pump-organ and piano sound that crops up occasionally. Indeed Elliott Smith does get a nod here on ‘Sky Turning Grey’. All in all this album stands as a landmark achievement in the career of Brad Mehldau and an important piece of new 21st Century composition as well. It’s a work that cleverly cross-pollinates a multitude of styles and genres that have gone before without once sacrificing the heart and soul of a beautiful, expansive and richly rewarding piece; something that should appeal to music lovers across the board. Take some time and listen below:
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