Label: Nonesuch Records, 2022
Personnel includes - Brad Mehldau: grand piano, keyboards, synth, Rhodes, mellotron, harmonium, xylophone, vocals, and more; Joel Frahm: tenor and soprano saxophone; Pedro Martins: acoustic and electric guitar, vocals; Becca Stevens: vocals; Luca van den Bossche: treble voice, vocals; Cécile McLorin Salvant: wordless vocals; Chris Thile: mandolin, vocals; Lavinia Meijer: harp; Mark Guiliana: drums; and more.
The inventive pianist and composer Brad Mehldau is unpredictable on each record released. His new oeuvre, Jacob’s Ladder, reflects on the Scripture and the search for God, taking us into a stylistically wide-ranging path where his avant-garde side is on display. The varied musical concepts are peppered with elements of jazz, prog-rock, pop/rock and classical, and top-notch guest artists contribute to enrich originals and covers with different configurations and sounds.
The hyper-lyricism of the opening piece, “Maybe as His Skies are Wide”, is achieved by appropriately spotlighting the treble vocals of Luca van Den Bossche, which hover ethereally atop luminous piano/synth accompaniment and the exquisite drumming of Mark Guiliana. The latter is on fire during the shape-shifting “Herr Und Knecht”, an obscure prog-rock number infused with raging Hegel vocals by Tobias Bader, synth blazes, and expedite interpolations by Joel Frahm on soprano. The saxophonist opts for blending tenor and soprano sounds on Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”, another embrace of the progressive rock style that marked Mehldau’s childhood. This song, fronted by mandolinist/singer Chris Thile, is assertively propelled by the energy and odd-meter drive of Guiliana behind the drum kit. The finale nearly reaches the world fusion territory as Thile brings the mandolin sounds to a positive vibration.
A totally different kind of vitality erupts from the laid-back “Vou Correndo te Encontrar/Racear”, a feature for Brazilian guitarist/vocalist Pedro Martins, whose musical credits include associate acts with master guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. The song is a much gentler rework in 3/4 time of “Racear” by the prog-metal band Periphery.
Both “Cogs in Cogs” and “Jacob’s Ladder” are excellently balanced and presented as three-part suites. The former, borrowed from the British progressive band Gentle Giant, goes from jazzatronica to a waltz-paced cut sung by Becca Stevens to a solo piano effort that draws from sacred classical music. In turn, the title track starts with liturgical spoken word, passes through patterned glitchy electronica turned pure jazz glow with just a bit of funk underneath (there’s a fantastically evocative piano solo by the bandleader here), and ends with a haunting vocal dronescape that sometimes gets mystical, other times guttural.
The sacred and the spiritual surface once again on “Heaven”, whose four consecutive movements interweave threads with wordless vocals by Cécile McLorin Salvant, piano/synth synergy, beautiful acoustic guitar playing by Martins, and elegant harp plucks by Lavinia Meijer. It all ends with expressive solo piano by Mehldau, who should guarantee untiring devotion from eclectic jazz worshipers with this one.
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Herr Und Knecht ► 07 - Tom Sawyer ► 12 - Heaven