Brad Mehldau Documentary, part 1, Radiohead: Exit Music

[JeffJacobsMusic]

Sysphus13 is Brad Mehldau.

[dondev54]

Just imagine, all these years after favouriting this track on Youtube, still my favourite thing on the whole of Youtube, just imagine.

[sysphus13]

@dondev54 Now imagine there were no youtube videos of Brad Mehldau, or better yet, imagine all youtube videos were of Brad Mehldau!!!

[Simpsonito18]

this guy really likes Thom's music! ¿Paranoid android? ¿Knives out? ¿Exit music?

I can't blame him, he has an excellent taste...

[iplaytehbasspipes]

i'm seeing brad on tuesday. hella excited

[DesertAnnie]

*WOW*! The "hunched over" posture at the beginning, then the circular body movements & the 'trance-like' look on his face, the strong, capable hands...all make me think of Glenn Gould! I'd love to hear Mehldau play classical piano (perhaps Bach)?! Umm, then it would really be déjà vu for me! ;-) I have just discovered Mehldau today (& will be buying and/or downloading him now, I'm very sure)! I own just about everything that GG ever recorded, so it's time I collect from a new "well," hmm?!

[loren1283]

nice to see classical dudes checking out jazz.

[DesertAnnie]

loren1283: First off, this "classical dude" is a "classical lady" (hence my user name "DesertAnnie")! ;-) Now, in case you [& the other jazz loving 'YouTubers' here] aren't familiar with Glenn Gould, please allow me to introduce you to the most talented & interesting piano virtuoso of the 20th (&/or of any) Century; the maestro, we fans often refer to as "GG"! A good starting place is this video (among many others on YT)...Glenn Gould: A Portrait (1985) 1/12. Watch this and...(CONTINUED)...

[DesertAnnie]

If you have the time & inclination, select the rest of the series 2/12 thru 12/12, on the same page. The best of the series is posted on YT by erp65. I assure you that if you watch & listen to these vid's, you'll never be the same & you may become as obsessed with GG as the legions of others that have fallen into the 'endless well' of thirsty, unwaning curiosity & enchantment over this amazing musical genius. He'll steal your heart & soul & you won't [ever] be able to forget him or his music!

[DesertAnnie]

He 'bestrides the Steinway like a colossus' & imprints what comes out of it into your mind forever! You have been forewarned now, so travel into the 'chimeric land of GG' at your own risk! You must be ready to spend your $'s on the copious CD's, DVD's & books available...as you will always want to hear more, read more, & learn more about him! Yes, he's that interesting, & I welcome you to the 'world of GG'! Some final words now...(CONTINUED)...

[DesertAnnie]

...As you may have noticed, Brad Mehldau lists Glenn Gould among his influences, & I see it clearly in his playing & his demeanor at the piano! When I first saw this video of B.M. it was eerie to me -- he reminded me so much of GG at his piano & I literally shed tears [again] over the fact that Gould is no longer with us. It brought that back to my mind, just how profoundly sad it is that he's gone. He had a massive stroke & his meteoric life was over just days after his 50th birthday! [The End]

[loren1283]

Well if he were alive he would be lucky to have such a devoted fan.

[DesertAnnie]

G'Day, loren1283! A devoted fan, that I am! (And just one among legions of others, believe me)! If you visit the posted videos [I cited above] -- Glenn Gould: A Portrait (1985) 1/12 -- (thru 12/12) -- & read the 'comments' sections, you will see what a dedicated following he still has (even tho he's been gone for 27 years)! His CD's & the DVD's are still top sellers, as well as numerous books & articles are still being written about him! Since I ck.'d out your Jazz / Why not ck. out GG? ;-)

[DesertAnnie]

~Then, 'report back' with your opinion in here/ I'd like to know what you end up thinking! It's always fun to hear what one thinks after seeing/hearing him for the first time! Also, this/ put --Yuka Zuver - WAT-- in the search window on YouTube & click on the video. There, you'll see wonderful portraits drawn by Yuka (another devoted fan) who dedicates most of her time & talent to drawing GG. She's amazing & it's such fun to see what she'll do next! Her art is so realistic it's almost *spooky*!

[sysphus13]

@DesertAnnie Glen Gould rules :)

[SteefStevens]

most talented??? what;s this.. there are 200 million most talented piano players.... GG is great..very great... but most great??? Listen to Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, Lyle Mays... Brad... Andrew Hill.. Zawinul... and millions of others all great!! But Most GREAT?? I agree with some mouth-washing.. but please do not use the word most... even though i am the most sexy man on earth(bullocks hahahahahahaahahahah) and bireli Lagrene is the most amazing guitarist on earth.(hahahahahahahahaah

[moselyliver]

I love Radiohead, and I usually like arrangements based on rock/pop, but I'm sorry, all I can think about when I listen to this song is that there's no way to compare BMT with EST. Esbjorn Svensson was an artistic genius with an enormous soul; Mehldau sounds more calculated, and yet more sloppy too.

[SteefStevens]

respect for esbjorn, but he wasn;t even close to Mehldau's level. sorry but it's true.. first time i noticed Mehldau(amsterdam, way back) i was shure he'd become the new McCoy. it even goes beyond.

[grandekuba]

when mehldau is playing music, esbjorn is music itself

[jmeach21]

Don't you think they are all very good and the differences between them are kind of nice?

[dondev54]

It sounds weird but if there had never been a Bach, this truly sublime music would have never come to be.

[jmeach21]

It would probably would have been something equally as cool, just not the same as this.

[Jazzymanus]

No...he's a great music artist ,...but little easy!:-)

[boblepongeu]

crazy man

[afarone1]

who is this and another fan of radiohead

[JeffJacobsMusic]

i dont think this video has enough views. let me give it a few more...

[JeffJacobsMusic]

I searched for Radiohead, and found Syphilis. Who knew the two were related!

[loren1283]

You found Syphilis? You would have to explain that one to me.

[loren1283]

WOOOOOOOOW! Amazing.

[jabf123]

Esbjörn svensson* :D

[neuroemperor]

Amazing Videos,

sysphus13 please, upload part 5 if you can.

Tkx in advance \o

[2245DRUMMER]

I agree w/ wordscots, Jorge was more a traditional player, it seems he tried to make something happen instead of just letting it happen (he still is a excellent musician)...Jeff Ballard is so contemporary and fresh along with Mehldau and Grenadier..and besides Jorge doesnt play drums anymore, he composes on the piano now. (thats why Ballards with them)

[wordscots]

Rossy quit playing? Wow. I guess when you've been at the peak of contemp. jazz you can do whatever you want and let youtube dudes talk about it!

[sysphus13]

he just put out his first album as a piano player and i think he's gigging at the Jazz standard in NY this month..

[88pisces88]

INTENSE!!!!!! Brad is outwardly mellow, but significantly i n t e n s e!!!! Largo is one of my FAVS.

[UncleEbeneezer73]

Sys, what happened to Pt. 5? That was my favorite, with the extended ending of Goodbye Storyteller.

I'm a drummer too. Jorge was great. Very subtle but always interesting. I didn't think anyone couldpossibly be a better match with Brad. But then I heard Jeff Ballard. More rock/funk attitude but still with killer swing and tasty latin percussive approach. "Better?" No. "Different?" Yes. I like the energy Ballard brings (check out his work with Ben Allison and Kurt Rosenwinkel too.)

[sysphus13]

hey man, sorry...they flagged it and I don't think I have it anymore in sections, i only have the whole raw file...when i get a chance, i'll chop it up again..

[perchst]

Mehldau is a freakin genious......But damn I was disappointed at the end of "exit music" when I realized that this documentary is in german......

[merdufer]

sweet stuff

the jam part got a bit too regular jazz for me at some points. otherwise this is the most freaking brilliant thing ever done to radiohead's music.

[auroradinote]

Intenso, bravissimo..

[wordscots]

You make some great points! But the Beatles ruled with Ringo on drums too;-) To my ears, Rossy is less a progressive and more a traditional, "complementary" drummer as Brad generously calls it. His conception to me is more linear less circular: he supports the music rather than functions as a co-creator of the dynamic or rhythmic concept. To me Ballard is a energy/finesse cat. Hey, I don't think I'm arrogant Sys just offering an opinion. Opinion diversity: how knowledge goes and grows brother.

[sysphus13]

I wasn't arguing with opinion diversity, just your opinion. Freedom to disagree is the blessing of democracy.. ;)

[lanerant]

thanks man, I've been trying to think of the altenate approach to 'linear' to little while now and 'circular' is definitely it. It's why I don't like Metheney's new trio drummer, sanchez? Much prefer him with much prefer him with Bill Stewart!

And the mo-fo of all Linear playing has got to be Jim Black!!

[wordscots]

yeah, something about how B. Stewart layers polyrhythms over standard time feels really revolutionary to me, excuse the pun. i guess you could say elvin was doing that, but stewart has based his musical "voice" partly on it, it seems to me. that and killer match-grip chops! i'm not familiar with this sanchez--i'll have to check that out.

[wordscots]

uh, ok. i guess my 35 years as a jazz drummer count for not.

[sysphus13]

The Brad Mehldau Trio became one of the most critically acclaimed small combos in the history of the music with Jorge on drums...I like Ballard, but to throw Jorge under the bus is extremely arrogant..Another thing is that Ballard is much louder than Jorge, so that didn't make sense either..Lastly, in the words of Brad himself, Jorge was more "appropriate" and complimentary where Ballard challenges Brad more, takes risks, changes direction..so inappropriate is a bad adjective for Jorge..

[godswiph]

jorge was waaaay more sensitive. its extremely easy to assume ballard's more suitable because of ballard's current status as one of the main A-list drummers. but jorge gave things that i missed when ballard came in the group... its safe to say... things were just different, for better or worse... whatever. but i'm pretty sure brad wanted jorge to stay.

[wordscots]

Man, Brad's a genius. And every time I listen to his trio work, it is made more and more obvious to me that Jorge was totally out-classed in that band. Definitely the weak link and Ballard is a great fit: sensitive, musical. Rossey sounds like an enthusiastic college student but without the chops--kind of loud and inappropriate. I want to play drums for him. Hire me, Brad ole boy!

[scartissuetypesong]

wrong again, wordscots

[j4m2k7]

Wow his music is just so intense, him striking the notes is like worlds and galaxies collapsing and rising again to unbelievable extent, pt 4 of this doc. is very energetic as well. so good a musician. thx for sharing

[sysphus13]

agh...its a comment carpet bombing from deepseaseamus!! He hit 4 of my vids in 2 minutes..take cover!!!

[bcolborn]

Thank you for posting this! This is sick

[artmaniac53]

Thank You!!!.Bravo!!!

Brad is a genious!!!

[monkreeder]

Thank you so much for posting this!! Years ago, the Ovation network used to play these documentaries, but now they are mostly an art network, so I don't often get the opportunity to see these documentaries anymore. Brad Mehldau is a genius and "perks my ears" because of his willingness to play what many may consider "pop" or "mainstream" but still make it "hip." Thank you!

[RedCapicua]

Awesome footing ! Thanksssss !

[delaynestallman]

Thank you for posting these videos. I probably have only 2% of his recorded music, with Joshua Redman, Metheny, and the Art of the Trio recordings. He's obviously an amazing genius, and for him to pick a song by someone like Radiohead shows he's not afraid to do something different. It's amazing anyone would waste their time arguing about whether he's avant garde or what. Who cares - he's a phenomenon. Thanks a lot.

[macflyajs]

you arguing dickheads need to to get a life outside of the internet.

[sysphus13]

I'd like to apologize to those viewing this video for having to witness a very juvenile war of words below..i'll end it here..ENJOY!

[pulchrapuellast]

No harm taken. I just discovered Brad a couple of months ago. I'm a pianist (among other 'alterior' instruments), and it's nice to hear something new and exciting. I don't care about definitions and what 'avante-garde' is. The simple truth lies in what makes your ears perk up. And Brad made my ears perk up. Humans love to categorize things and forget the simplicity of things. As far as sound goes, I think driving over a bridge sounds pretty cool.

[sargea1]

and no, I don't call people "tools" to their faces very often. why bother when there are so many more explicit, descriptive and offensive insults out there? I suppose using "tool" in this instance was a case of "internet politeness", to coin a phrase.

[sysphus13]

This is getting silly. Your original comment insinuated a few things: 1. Brad has poor posture. 2. Brad copies Bill Evans. 3. Brad is an avant-garde jazz musician. All wrong IMO Watched your vids..doesn't prove you have a holistic view of jazz..you are into the guys you mentioned in your original comment..thats all they prove..I'm not impressed either. Hows the jazz scene in New Zealand?

[sargea1]

PS: taking a word which even Helen Keller would instantly acknowledge as slang, in this instance "tool", then giving me the dictionary's literal definition makes you really freakin' cool. way to put me in my place.

[sargea1]

In his book "88: The Giants Of Jazz Piano", Robert Doerschuk (former writer for Keyboard magazine) says of Mehldau: "his approach is based on a powerful confidence in his ability to transfigure it into something wholly new". I agree with this but fail to see how this differs from the Dictionary reference I gave you earlier. I guess my problem is that I think YOU are the one who needs to do more listening.

Check out the videos I've posted and then tell me I know nothing about the jazz world.

[sargea1]

Isn't it funny how extremely poor posture and avant-garde jazz seem to go hand in hand? Why is that? You never saw Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson or Art Tatum hunched over the keys like that eh? Blame Bill Evans, he started it all.

[sysphus13]

huh? Avant garde? This is some of the most harmonically advanced sophisticated stuff around, not avant garde in the least...and if you look at brad's hands, you'll see his "technique" is more advanced than most players past or present including those mentioned. His control is legendary. Listen to his dynamic variations and the relationship between his hands....your comment shows that you have some serious listening to do!!

[sargea1]

according to the Collins English Dictionary "avant-garde" means innovative and progressive. I guess you're suggesting Brad Mehldau is not these things. Tool.

[sysphus13]

hahahaha, well thats not what it means in the jazz world which you know nothing about evidently. Thank you for the compliment. What kind of tool am I? The dictionary defines tool as "an implement used in the practice of vocation". My vocation here is the truth my man. And you're not cool at all. Keep watching the vids!!!

[sysphus13]

"Avant-garde" was redefined in the jazz world when "free jazz" and experimental jazz were the cutting edge (the real meaning of the word). Now it has become a word to describe a sub-genre of the music. Brad isn't a part of that sub-genre.

That was my point. No need to start throwing insults hiding behind your keyboard. I hate that people say things they wouldn't in person. Do you call people tools to there face often?

[keybobrob]

he's pretty good...but can't compare to the all time greats like Elton John.. Billy joel..theyre on another level..moe soul less ticky ticky tikety stuff...too much !

lol..just kiddin...lol

[keybobrob]

I SAID I WAS JUST KIDDIN..LOL! A lil Levity...any jazz head know Brads one of the lyrical genius of today...kinda like a more modern Keith but on steroids...he makes you cry he's so good. I never cry from Jarrett..he does it for you....LOl...his Brad flurries and dissonance...he's crazy. Does any one think he may have been fuckin around with Monk's "Well You Needn't" first accidentally around 4:28 then intentionally at 4:31? It's hard to tell with Brad cuz of the way he conceptualizes& executes

[sysphus13]

Agreed! Sometimes at a Brad show you see people just lose it. I saw a guy get up once and just yell "Yes, Yes, yes" really loud. It was like a revival. To me, Brad and Coltrane are who I mostly listen to when I need deep emotional healing. I feel his recent stuff isn't as heart-wrenching although still amazing. Those moments of insanity meeting virtuosity and poise are a little more sane. Perhaps its where he is in his life. Haven't gotten around to really checking out Keith yet....sad to say.

[jazzmuziq]

i've been listening to this guy for about 10 yrs now and every time I listen, it just blows me away. He breaks the form and the whole structure of the song and take it far beyond what's possible. he makes it infinite. Rythmically, harmonically, and technically.. just another world

[fanioles]

"There may not be a pianist on earth who can play like Brad. You need to listen harder."

I love Brad but Keith is still the master !

[Robas1987]

Great video. Thanks a lot man. Tomorrow he will play in Poland;]

[felape]

jeez if he's suffering...

[toddsquad650]

Yes, you just put your hands on the piano, the left one below middle c and the right one above, the rest takes care of itself dude. ;-)

[Phil9232]

Not so fabulous...

A lot of pianists can do that ; he just plays the chords with his left hand and the voice with his right hand.

[Phil9232]

Sorry, I had only seen the first part of this video when I left that comment.

The beginning is not very impressive... But the end is.

[alinacembalo]

Well now you know: never leave a comment until you get the whole picture dude ;-)

[sysphus13]

Phil, I'm sorry for you man.

[ElectricBat]

Hahaaaa lolololololol so do I.

Brad is a genius.

[kimosabelarry]

There may not be a pianist on earth who can play like Brad. You need to listen harder.

[jignacioromano]

Of course there´s not a pianist that can play like him. Not known at last. It will be hard to go a step ahead of his musicality and technical ability!

[ramzsax]

It's a sad day when music is judged by technical ability alone. It's called musicality my man, musicality.

[ramzsax]

This comment was supposed to be a reply to Phil9232's comment

[jargonsrus]

haha totally quotes "well you needn't" at 4:30

[uhhhclem]

good catch!

[drmedwuast]

"Already at age 29 Brad Mehldau makes his arrival to the small circle of Jazz-Giants. Romantic music or rock, as a bandleader or as a soloist: "

(continued at part 2)

[IMABBALLPLAYER]

Wanna know what would be awesome? A project consisting of John Frusciante, and Brad Mehldau.

[petzaman1]

he's a jerk for being so amazing... it sucks wanting to be able to play like him and attempt to see music through his eyes but know that 1. it's impossible and 2. to even have a peek it's going to take ages just to learn stuff that builds his foundation

[sysphus13]

Let his genius inspire you man, not push you down! If you feel something and connect with what you are playing emotionally, the audience will feel that too...Brad's thing may be deeper or wider than possible for most, but it doesn't take this to be moved..I can be moved by very simple players too..as long as its honest and has depth, you know? Play for yourself, don't compare yourself. By the way, I'm yet to follow my own advice!! HAHA

[petzaman1]

haha no, he does inspire me (not in posture however, lol). I'm mostly joking but the seriousness is that it takes so much just to understand his foundation (music through the 40's-70's) before you can even move on to begin to understand his stuff. I'm a dedicated jazz piano major in college and he just never fails to amaze me

[inferioralphamale]

Fantastic, amazing! I love it. But its a pity theres no subtitles.

[tjjazzpiano]

The internet thanks you for this.

[sysphus13]

I found it on some torrent sight about a year ago..it took about two weeks to download because only one guy had it but I wish I knew how to find it on DVD!!

[4444stephanie]

I think a friend of mine has the video - I'll check

[pianonoten]

Thanks for this amazing video!!!

[Bjarle]

How the hell does he pull of those bass lines? I can barely see his fingers move. :/

[sysphus13]

i know, he makes it look so effortless..you hear one thing and see something else..

[Bjarle]

Exactly. Looks as if he helps with the right hand, which plays the melody at the same time.

[masticordio]

great man!, waiting for more! thanks