Impressions of Brad Mehldau's Album, 'Largo.'
Brad Mehldau's 2003 album, 'Largo,' is a musical project seemingly targeted toward no specific genre, audience, or sound. It is largely incoherent and unmelodic. In some tracks, strange electronic sounds reverberate through the speakers, rendering the listener dehabilitated and confused. There is not one memorable line of melody, not one memorable song title, except maybe 'Dusty McNugget,' for obvious commercial reasons. The young jazz musician would do well to steer clear of this album.
Though Mehldau's trio recording of 'Blackbird,' is a substantial and worthwhile piece of music, 'Largo,' drops the ball on the listeners' toes. Devout fans of Mehldau will gain a distorted sense of what music should sound like (coherent). As with the manic members of the Coltrane Club, too much consumption of this sort of music will convince you that it is good. It is easy to take advantage of foreigners who don't speak the mother tongue; They cannot pick up deceit, sarcasm, or blasphemy in a language they can hardly speak at an elementary level. 'I Do,' is a track worth listening to once in order to hear amusing uses of dissonance and counterpoint, just as it is amusing to pass by a lion in a a zoo exhibition. If the viewer stays too long, discontent is inevitable; He begins to see a zoo for what is is-- a destroyer of the wild, a false haven. It is true that in a zoo, lions may be protected from poachers, but at least in the wild, lions can put up a fight. In a zoo, the lion is involuntarily committed to a long, slow suicide, not unlike the one the human race has committed itself to in our current Age of Entertainment.
Save your breath and skip this one-- there's better jazz out there to listen to. My only safe suggestion is Paul Desmond's 'A Taste of Honey,' and John Coltrane and friends' recording of 'My Favorite Things,' minus John Coltrane.
- A
Though Mehldau's trio recording of 'Blackbird,' is a substantial and worthwhile piece of music, 'Largo,' drops the ball on the listeners' toes. Devout fans of Mehldau will gain a distorted sense of what music should sound like (coherent). As with the manic members of the Coltrane Club, too much consumption of this sort of music will convince you that it is good. It is easy to take advantage of foreigners who don't speak the mother tongue; They cannot pick up deceit, sarcasm, or blasphemy in a language they can hardly speak at an elementary level. 'I Do,' is a track worth listening to once in order to hear amusing uses of dissonance and counterpoint, just as it is amusing to pass by a lion in a a zoo exhibition. If the viewer stays too long, discontent is inevitable; He begins to see a zoo for what is is-- a destroyer of the wild, a false haven. It is true that in a zoo, lions may be protected from poachers, but at least in the wild, lions can put up a fight. In a zoo, the lion is involuntarily committed to a long, slow suicide, not unlike the one the human race has committed itself to in our current Age of Entertainment.
Save your breath and skip this one-- there's better jazz out there to listen to. My only safe suggestion is Paul Desmond's 'A Taste of Honey,' and John Coltrane and friends' recording of 'My Favorite Things,' minus John Coltrane.
- A
I love your analogies. "Takes a lifetime to learn how to play like a child" right?
ReplyDeletemaybe I'm misinterpreting that...