BRAD MEHLDAU - After Bach
Nonesuch Records: 7559-79318-0
Brad Mehldau (piano)
Recorded April 18 to 20th at Mechanics Hall, Worcester. MA
J.S. Bach’s `Well - Tempered Clavier`, the name given to the twenty-four preludes and fugues he composed in 1722 and to which he added a further 24 in 1744, stand as one of the glories of baroque art. They were written in all the major and minor keys to demonstrate the capabilities of the newly invented `equal temperament` keyboard and remain in the DNA of all subsequent musical development being much more than dry academic etudes. They have exerted a particular fascination over jazz musicians – one often hears Bach being described as `the first jazzman`- and there have been numerous projects that have attempted to merge his intricate contrapuntal schemes with the syncopated rhythms of jazz, the most famous being Jacques Loussier’s wonderfully realised `Play Bach` series.
Mehldau’s `After Bach` is quite a different kettle of fish. Here he presents four Bach preludes and one fugue, played as scored, which he compliments with seven of his own original compositions, drawing dense contrapuntal elements from the original pieces and melding them with cadences and harmonies of a more impressionistic and chromatic nature to create a wholly new synthesis which possesses a profound emotional depth. Mehldau’s approach to improvisation has always employed classical allusions as evidenced by his other solo projects but in this he makes no attempt to add what might be identified as jazz elements, however those who derive pleasure from his well-crafted introspective manoeuvres will find this a deeply satisfying release and in my opinion his best solo presentation since 1999’s `Elegiac Cycle`.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Nonesuch Records: 7559-79318-0
Brad Mehldau (piano)
Recorded April 18 to 20th at Mechanics Hall, Worcester. MA
J.S. Bach’s `Well - Tempered Clavier`, the name given to the twenty-four preludes and fugues he composed in 1722 and to which he added a further 24 in 1744, stand as one of the glories of baroque art. They were written in all the major and minor keys to demonstrate the capabilities of the newly invented `equal temperament` keyboard and remain in the DNA of all subsequent musical development being much more than dry academic etudes. They have exerted a particular fascination over jazz musicians – one often hears Bach being described as `the first jazzman`- and there have been numerous projects that have attempted to merge his intricate contrapuntal schemes with the syncopated rhythms of jazz, the most famous being Jacques Loussier’s wonderfully realised `Play Bach` series.
Mehldau’s `After Bach` is quite a different kettle of fish. Here he presents four Bach preludes and one fugue, played as scored, which he compliments with seven of his own original compositions, drawing dense contrapuntal elements from the original pieces and melding them with cadences and harmonies of a more impressionistic and chromatic nature to create a wholly new synthesis which possesses a profound emotional depth. Mehldau’s approach to improvisation has always employed classical allusions as evidenced by his other solo projects but in this he makes no attempt to add what might be identified as jazz elements, however those who derive pleasure from his well-crafted introspective manoeuvres will find this a deeply satisfying release and in my opinion his best solo presentation since 1999’s `Elegiac Cycle`.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
