sat 14/12/2024

Brad Mehldau, Barbican Hall | reviews, news & interviews

Brad Mehldau, Barbican Hall

Brad Mehldau, Barbican Hall

Premiere of jazz-classical masterpiece Highway Rider

Brad Mehldau: Introvert chic

Brad Mehldau is a cool cat. An intellectual one, introverted to the point of semi-autism, precise and clear. A strong mystique based on critic-proof good taste and hardly talking to anyone, least of all many music journalists (I’ve tried). At least that’s what I used to think before last night’s extraordinary show. He still looks a bit of a nerd, hunched over his piano and pale as a baby polar bear locked in the attic for too long, but this was a warm, enveloping trip of a gig. The 21st century is the century the nerds took over - Gates, Zuckerberg, Mehldau. The jocks, the lookers, the sexy ones: your time is up - you really should have been concentrating in algebra, after all.

Brad Mehldau is a cool cat. An intellectual one, introverted to the point of semi-autism, precise and clear. A strong mystique based on critic-proof good taste and hardly talking to anyone, least of all many music journalists (I’ve tried). At least that’s what I used to think before last night’s extraordinary show. He still looks a bit of a nerd, hunched over his piano and pale as a baby polar bear locked in the attic for too long, but this was a warm, enveloping trip of a gig. The 21st century is the century the nerds took over - Gates, Zuckerberg, Mehldau. The jocks, the lookers, the sexy ones: your time is up - you really should have been concentrating in algebra, after all.

It reminded me of the Islamic carpet-makers who always include a deliberate mistake because to be perfect would be to ape Allah and thus be blasphemous

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What a beautiful, and accurate review. Not that I can lay claim to the knowledge, that this rather especially erudite review, imparts. Bellissimo.

Opera singer Anne Sophie von Otter recently collaborated with Brad and she speaks very highly of him too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwSBI3A9t94

I loved your review - great journalism, with some enjoyable resonances, plus different angles. Try this fantastic live piece by Mehldau: http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2575:bra...

My first time at the Barbican Centre and having listened to the Highway Rider CDs I was excited to hear the music performed live. No disappointments here, apparently with limited rehearsal time the performance was highly satisfying and well received as reflected by your review. I was at the Herbie Hancock "Imagine Project" the following evening at Royal Festival Hall and left disappointed. The sound set up was poor and the content mix and presentation did not work well for me. Brad 5, Herbie 3 out of 5.

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