CHRIS THILE & BRAD MEHLDAU
Nonesuch Records 7559-79409-9 (2 CD set)
Chris Thile (mandolin and vocals) Brad Mehldau (piano and vocals)
Recorded December 30th 2015 and January 2nd and 3rd 2016 at Avatar Studios, New York.
Brad Mehldau, revered by his numerous followers as a leading purveyor of cerebral piano jazz has been surprising us with some interesting, if not challenging, collaborative enterprises lately and this latest release in which he is paired with the bluegrass singer and mandolin player Chris Thile is notable amongst them. Mehldau’s interest in `Americana` was flagged up his `Highway Rider` suite of 2010 but that was a much more romanticised vision of the west whilst this music gets closer to the heart of folk traditions and the confessional singer/songwriter genre of Dylan and Joni Mitchell that emerged from them.
The eleven song playlist features tunes by both these artists as well as four instrumentals in which both the piano and mandolin though having the potential to collide with each other in terms of pitch, mark out their own territory and are easily distinguished with Mehldau moving between Floyd Cramer style licks and harmonies and the chromatic reflectiveness typical of his usual fare whilst Thile strums furiously behind the pianist’s solo statements and contributes some fleet picking of a bop meets bluegrass variety. Amongst the instrumentals is a Celtic tune with mountain music infusions and a joyful hoe-down plus two others that are more ambiguous in their affinities.
It is, however, the vocal numbers that take our attention and particularly Thile’s `high and lonesome` bluegrass falsetto which morphs into a gravelly ennui laden groan to suit the mood of a particular song. Mehldau has worked with singers before, mostly classical sopranos, but never one like this. It is surprisingly effective and Thile’s world weary rendition of `I Cover the Waterfront` - the only standard- may come to be regarded as one of the classic versions. Contrast this with his insouciant `good riddance` take on Dylan’s `Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright` and his plaintively ironic musing on the perils of parenthood in `Noise Machine` and you have a programme that is full of intriguing variety notwithstanding its indebtedness to the country music ethos. The big hit of the set, the one that has been widely trailed on social media, is, however, firmly located in this category and it is `Scarlet Town` , a `House of the Rising Sun` type of cautionary tale in which both men’s disparate talents come together in an exemplary display of unity and nail the project’s success.
Less successful to my mind is the spreading of 60 plus minutes of music over two CDs with the attendant price implications so whilst I wholeheartedly recommend this disc, when you buy shop carefully. One final gripe; it would have been nice to have song lyrics in place of the rather hagiographic sleeve notes because given Thile’s singing style the words aren’t always too clear.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Nonesuch Records 7559-79409-9 (2 CD set)
Chris Thile (mandolin and vocals) Brad Mehldau (piano and vocals)
Recorded December 30th 2015 and January 2nd and 3rd 2016 at Avatar Studios, New York.
Brad Mehldau, revered by his numerous followers as a leading purveyor of cerebral piano jazz has been surprising us with some interesting, if not challenging, collaborative enterprises lately and this latest release in which he is paired with the bluegrass singer and mandolin player Chris Thile is notable amongst them. Mehldau’s interest in `Americana` was flagged up his `Highway Rider` suite of 2010 but that was a much more romanticised vision of the west whilst this music gets closer to the heart of folk traditions and the confessional singer/songwriter genre of Dylan and Joni Mitchell that emerged from them.
The eleven song playlist features tunes by both these artists as well as four instrumentals in which both the piano and mandolin though having the potential to collide with each other in terms of pitch, mark out their own territory and are easily distinguished with Mehldau moving between Floyd Cramer style licks and harmonies and the chromatic reflectiveness typical of his usual fare whilst Thile strums furiously behind the pianist’s solo statements and contributes some fleet picking of a bop meets bluegrass variety. Amongst the instrumentals is a Celtic tune with mountain music infusions and a joyful hoe-down plus two others that are more ambiguous in their affinities.
It is, however, the vocal numbers that take our attention and particularly Thile’s `high and lonesome` bluegrass falsetto which morphs into a gravelly ennui laden groan to suit the mood of a particular song. Mehldau has worked with singers before, mostly classical sopranos, but never one like this. It is surprisingly effective and Thile’s world weary rendition of `I Cover the Waterfront` - the only standard- may come to be regarded as one of the classic versions. Contrast this with his insouciant `good riddance` take on Dylan’s `Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright` and his plaintively ironic musing on the perils of parenthood in `Noise Machine` and you have a programme that is full of intriguing variety notwithstanding its indebtedness to the country music ethos. The big hit of the set, the one that has been widely trailed on social media, is, however, firmly located in this category and it is `Scarlet Town` , a `House of the Rising Sun` type of cautionary tale in which both men’s disparate talents come together in an exemplary display of unity and nail the project’s success.
Less successful to my mind is the spreading of 60 plus minutes of music over two CDs with the attendant price implications so whilst I wholeheartedly recommend this disc, when you buy shop carefully. One final gripe; it would have been nice to have song lyrics in place of the rather hagiographic sleeve notes because given Thile’s singing style the words aren’t always too clear.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
