Show Review: Brad Mehldau at Scullers
Jazz music's unlikely young hero



There are jazz artists, and then there’s Brad Mehldau. Not content to sit back and rest on his laurels as an accomplished pianist and master improviser, Brad pushes the boundaries of jazz without falling into the usual trappings of “sellouts” or “crossover artists.”

Brad’s solo performance Wednesday night at Scullers Jazz Club in the Doubletree Suites Hotel confirmed his status as a supremely talented musician who insists on doing things his way.

There’s a lot of people out there who approve of Brad’s way of doing things, judging by the sold-out crowd in the luxurious, intimate room. Arriving on stage with little fanfare, wearing an un-tucked, black button-down shirt and brown corduroys, Brad greeted the audience in his usual friendly-yet-shy manner and began the set with one of his many odd cover choices – “Junk,” from Paul McCartney’s debut solo album.

Coaxing the pop-rock world into the jazz universe has always been a favorite pastime of Brad Mehldau. This is the man who, after all, has recorded his own versions of at least three Radiohead songs. What he seems to do time and time again – something other jazz artists can’t seem to get a handle on – is cover something by Radiohead, or the Beatles, or the late folk legend Nick Drake – and not only make it sound devoid of gimmickry, but also transform it into a jazz standard all its own.

Sitting at the piano, creating a swirling kaleidoscope of sound and swaying back and forth (with eyes often closed and feet pumping away at the pedals), Brad’s approach to the songs he plays – either his own, or in well-chosen covers – is to start with the song’s standard melody and then drop some engaging dissonance into the mix, followed by a unique brand of soloing – at times sweet and tender, and often brutal and cacophonous. There was really only one occasion Wednesday night where I noticed Brad sticking to a conventional jazz approach – during his performance of Thelonious Monk’s “Monk’s Dream” – and while there was little dissonance and envelope-pushing during that particular song, its elegance was disarming.

Undoubtedly promoting his latest album – the solo Live in Tokyo – Brad played two songs from that album, “Monk’s Dream” and Nick Drake’s “Things Behind the Sun.” He also played standards (“On the Street Where You Live”), originals (“Los Angeles II”) as well as the obligatory Radiohead song (“Knives Out”) and closing out the set, the Beatles’ classic “Martha My Dear.” A transcendent performance, no doubt, but really just business as usual for Brad Mehldau.