Same format, two completely different approaches.
That’s what was demonstrated by arguably the two most important jazz trios around these days. Brad Mehldau’s trio with Jeff Ballard/dr and Larry Grenadier/b teamed up with The Bad Plus of Reid Anderson/b, Ethan Iverson/p and David King/dr two demonstrate two completely different but successful ways to approach music playing for the modern jazz trio.
Mehldau’s band spent his 70 minutes on merely 5 songs, focusing on the give and take exploration of material such as his own “Spiral” and “Set List” where Mehldau allows his hands to collectively create ripples of ivory currents, switching between hands to let one take the lead while the other would hover over the piano like a hawk, waiting to descend upon its prey. The ebbs and flow of Mehldau’s piano playing were complemented by Ballard’s gently chiming gait , while on the brushes he hit the snares like Sidney Greenstreet swatting a fly. On the more traditional bebopping piece by Elmo Hope, the team took “De-Dah” and created and understated yet tensile quality that was accentuated with Grenadier’s snappy solo, while the romantic standard “Almost Like Being In Love” pianist flowingwith a calm grace, looking for just the night note to strike while the two teammates revved and relaxed the engine like a new V8 in a 72 Corvette.
In contrast, The Bad Plus used essentially the same amount of time, but brought forth twice as many songs, emphasizing composition over extrapolation. Songs from their latest album, such as the eponymous “Inevitable Western” and “Do It Again” highlight the bands signature strengths, taking a melody and rhythm and putting it under the spotlight until it shines or melts. Iverson’s piano can be Satie-like delicate or Cecil Taylor-percussive, while material such as “Re-Elect That” shows the intricately kinetic interplay between all three members of the fast break. They show they can swing as hard as anyone in this context with “Seven Minute Mind” creating a rivulet of groove, while the reading of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” keeps the tradition in jazz linked up with modern indie moods.
The impressive part of the evening was that both bands, while divergent in approach, displayed a verbal respect for the other, showing that differences are to be appreciated, not suspected.
Upcoming shows include Charlie Daniels (Dec 14), Tommy Emmanuel (Feb 5), Jane Monheit (Feb 21) and Bill Frisell (March 5)