Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Mehldau Trio's Sold Out Show

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/16/24506/

The Athenaeum Jazz at the Neurosciences Institute series continued last night with a bang: the long-awaited return of the Brad Mehldau Trio, a concert that had been sold-out virtually since its announcement a few months back.

For a jazz lover, it was actually kind of a thrill to stand in a line long enough to prevent making visual contact with the concert hall.

Joining Mehldau were the top drawer rhythm section of Larry Grenadier on double bass and Jeff Ballard on drums.

The pianist remembered the absolutely pristine acoustics of the Neuroscience room and made the unusual choice of performing without amplification for the piano and drums.

"Brad told me, this is one of only two rooms in the country where he can do that," said Dan Atkinson, director of Jazz Programming for the Athenaeum.

It was an experiment that went exceedingly well, save for the inadequate amplifier used by Grenadier. It was simply too small to provide enough depth to capture his magnificent sound in the louder ensemble passages.

Beginning with a meditative figure in his left hand, Mehldau introduced "Dream Sketch," from the trio's brand new release Ode, while Grenadier's throbbing whole-notes meshed with Ballard's martial snare drum dance.

Ballard made a convincing case for placing his name on the short list of drummers qualified to ascend the throne held by master musician Jack DeJohnette-- when he chooses to abdicate, that is. His ride cymbal intricacies and subdivisions of time were perhaps the most remarkable aspect of a pretty remarkable affair.

Next up was the beautiful Sam Rivers classic, "Beatrice," Grenadier led off with an astonishingly limber and muscular solo that combined great speed with notes that were held and caressed. Mehldau followed, building short phrases into longer ones--always keeping space in between. The clarity of Ballard's cymbals in this mainly acoustic setting were something to marvel at: each "ping" was distinct--and the waves of energy created by his super-relaxed posture sent chills up my spine.

There was a kind of Keith Jarrett vibe going on with "Sanctus," grounded by a bluesy left hand figure, and building into an insistent vamp--and a mind-boggling display of complexity in "Ten Tune," which featured long unison passages between bass and piano. Mehldau took an a cappella solo turn that was nothing short of dazzling. Streams of melodic information flew out of his hands, which occasionally crossed over for a startling effect.

Mehldau has always had an appreciation for pop tunes, and the pianist chose a new Paul McCartney ballad, "My Valentine," to close the concert. Pastel harmonies were grounded by Grenadier's protean bass lines--yielding to a powerful and bluesy bass solo that is till ringing in my ears. Mehldau put his own stamp on the ballad with pointed stabs and drunken trills while Ballard continued to amaze with his cymbal artistry.

Another highlight concert from Atkinson and the folks at Athenaeum Jazz.

Photo by Katie Walders, of the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

How to Get Legal Assistance When Your Car Accident Insurance Claim is Denied?

Next Article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/may/16/24506/

The Athenaeum Jazz at the Neurosciences Institute series continued last night with a bang: the long-awaited return of the Brad Mehldau Trio, a concert that had been sold-out virtually since its announcement a few months back.

For a jazz lover, it was actually kind of a thrill to stand in a line long enough to prevent making visual contact with the concert hall.

Joining Mehldau were the top drawer rhythm section of Larry Grenadier on double bass and Jeff Ballard on drums.

The pianist remembered the absolutely pristine acoustics of the Neuroscience room and made the unusual choice of performing without amplification for the piano and drums.

"Brad told me, this is one of only two rooms in the country where he can do that," said Dan Atkinson, director of Jazz Programming for the Athenaeum.

It was an experiment that went exceedingly well, save for the inadequate amplifier used by Grenadier. It was simply too small to provide enough depth to capture his magnificent sound in the louder ensemble passages.

Beginning with a meditative figure in his left hand, Mehldau introduced "Dream Sketch," from the trio's brand new release Ode, while Grenadier's throbbing whole-notes meshed with Ballard's martial snare drum dance.

Ballard made a convincing case for placing his name on the short list of drummers qualified to ascend the throne held by master musician Jack DeJohnette-- when he chooses to abdicate, that is. His ride cymbal intricacies and subdivisions of time were perhaps the most remarkable aspect of a pretty remarkable affair.

Next up was the beautiful Sam Rivers classic, "Beatrice," Grenadier led off with an astonishingly limber and muscular solo that combined great speed with notes that were held and caressed. Mehldau followed, building short phrases into longer ones--always keeping space in between. The clarity of Ballard's cymbals in this mainly acoustic setting were something to marvel at: each "ping" was distinct--and the waves of energy created by his super-relaxed posture sent chills up my spine.

There was a kind of Keith Jarrett vibe going on with "Sanctus," grounded by a bluesy left hand figure, and building into an insistent vamp--and a mind-boggling display of complexity in "Ten Tune," which featured long unison passages between bass and piano. Mehldau took an a cappella solo turn that was nothing short of dazzling. Streams of melodic information flew out of his hands, which occasionally crossed over for a startling effect.

Mehldau has always had an appreciation for pop tunes, and the pianist chose a new Paul McCartney ballad, "My Valentine," to close the concert. Pastel harmonies were grounded by Grenadier's protean bass lines--yielding to a powerful and bluesy bass solo that is till ringing in my ears. Mehldau put his own stamp on the ballad with pointed stabs and drunken trills while Ballard continued to amaze with his cymbal artistry.

Another highlight concert from Atkinson and the folks at Athenaeum Jazz.

Photo by Katie Walders, of the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.