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REVIEW: Mehldau fills City High with great tunes

By John Kenyon

Brad Mehldau is one of the few true crossover artists in the jazz world, in part because of his eclectic taste in covers that draws on the work of artists like Radiohead and Nick Drake.

The critical emphasis on Mehldau’s cover choices gives short shrift to his compositions, yet his performance Thursday night at City High’s Opstad Auditorium offered evidence that this imbalance may be justified, for Mehldau’s trio was better on the work of others than that of its leader. Nothing that was played, however, was anything short of brilliant; the difference was energy and intensity.

The three began with a Mehldau original, “Dream Sketch,” a well-named, exploratory number that seemed designed to ease both band and audience into the show. It presented a compelling mix of groove and languid playing that successfully led into the second track, “Twiggy,” another original.

Drummer Jeff Ballard showed why he has been a welcome addition to Mehldau’s group. Not content to offer a rudimentary beat, he instead started this song playing his kit with his hands, moving to sticks as the song intensified. Ballard seemed to take chances as he played, and while a handful of slight miscues resulted, it’s clear that his somewhat unorthodox style inspires his bandmates. Here, bassist Larry Grenadier followed his lead, playing a manic string of high notes as he hunched over his stand-up bass.

Things continued to build with the third song, an untitled Mehldau blues that was the first of the night to swing in anything resembling what most folks think of as a jazz beat. Grenadier offered a jaw-droppingly good five-minute solo early, while Mehldau impressed with a lengthy journey played only with his right hand. Things seemed to fracture at various points, only to come back together again thanks to the solid foundation of Grenadier’s bass holding the song together.

After that 14-minute tune, the band launched into the high point of the night, and the first cover. Chico Buarque’s “Samba e Amor” sparkled. Mehldau, who doesn’t play chords much, instead opting to use aggregations of single notes to make his point, dropped some in here, offering his most dense playing of the show to that point.

The song seemed to wind down after one pass, but Ballard changed his tempo a bit and appeared to drive his bandmates back into the tune as if he didn’t want to let it go just yet. Reviews of shows the trio played in Europe just before returning to the United States for this show reveal that they played this same set in the same order with the same high points, but it felt organic and improvised on the City High stage.

Mehldau took the opportunity at the performance's midpoint to talk briefly about his last attempt to play in Iowa City, a March 2005 show that he had to cancel due to a snowstorm in Chicago. He said his next attempt was derailed by this summer’s flood, seeming to misunderstand that the venue – not the date – was changed. He was to perform at Hancher Auditorium on the University of Iowa campus, but the show was moved to City High after Hancher was severely damaged by flood water this summer.

From there, the band dove into a Mehldau reinterpretation of Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation,” a song that took off at breakneck speed, slowing down just long enough for Ballard to leap into a long, bombastic drum solo that had everyone – Mehldau included – sitting on the edge of their seat.

“Something Good” from “The Sound of Music” was the night’s other highlight. The trio launched it as a slow blues that seemed poised for a premature close, like "Samba e Amor", but instead took on new life, closing on a breathtaking unaccompanied Mehldau solo that found him playing chords with the steady beat of a hummingbird, his fingers tapping the keys at a frantic but controlled pace.

The group closed with “Holland,” a song by alternative singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens from his album, Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State. Stevens’ is a master of fragile, breathy melodies, and Mehldau teased a hushed, gorgeous piano line out of the song.

The group returned for another, unannounced number as an encore to end the show, giving both Mehldau and Grenadier additional chances to solo and shine. By night's end, fans who hoped for one of those better-known covers were disappointed. But the trio performed the ultimate gift of a set that, while featuring all the hallmarks of its sound, offering almost nothing that can (yet) be found on one of its albums.

It was a fantastic show from a talented, simpatico trio of performers. And while the covers were the high points, everything was compelling as the players pushed and pulled each other through the songs. However people come to this music – be it thanks to offbeat covers, continued accolades or a chance encounter at a show like this – the result is likely to be a long-lasting love affair.