Brad Mehldau

Maria and I saw Brad Mehldau play at Symphony Center last week. We’ve seen him play many times now. I’ve been a big fan for years. Maria was originally put off by his contortions, but now she is coming around.

Mehldau’s trio played the first half of the show. The sound was muddy. The piano had to be amplified to compete with the bass and drums, but it was uneven, loud enough but unclear in the midrange, and lacking in the lows and highs. Maria and I wondered if Mehldau had directed the sound engineer to go for an acoustic sound that was ultimately impossible in that room. The trio played well, but I’m not yet won over by Jeff Ballard on the drums. I got accustomed to Jorge Rossy in that trio, and I still miss him.

After the break, Mehldau played solo. The sound was a huge improvement over the first half. The piano was unamplified, and they lowered the reflective panels above the stage. Mehldau played five or six songs in each half of the program. A favorite of mine was the second song of the second half, an original waltz with some tight harmonies. Maria enjoyed a medley of two songs from The Sound of Music. Mehldau’s balance of ingenuity and virtuosity was a pleasure as always.