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Seymour Reads the Constitution

Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (double bass), Jeff Ballard (drums)

Awards:

Brad Mehldau’s teasing talent for setting a mood of fascinating expectation and then unhurriedly revealing its multiple implications has been a marvel of contemporary jazz since the 1990s, and...

Seymour Reads the Constitution

Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (double bass), Jeff Ballard (drums)

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Awards:

Brad Mehldau’s teasing talent for setting a mood of fascinating expectation and then unhurriedly revealing its multiple implications has been a marvel of contemporary jazz since the 1990s, and...

About

Brad Mehldau Trio's Seymour Reads the Constitution! was released May 18, 2018, on Nonesuch Records. The pianist and his longtime trio, which includes drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier, perform three Mehldau originals combined with interpretations of pop songs (Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson), jazz tunes (Elmo Hope, Sam Rivers), and one work from the American songbook (Frederick Loewe's "Almost Like Being in Love").

The Trio's previous release, Blues and Ballads (2016), received critical acclaim, with the Guardian saying, "Mehldau is a genius (and a still-improving one) at taking predictable materials to unpredictable destinations … These are old songs subjected to an old jazz method, but brought scintillatingly into the here and now." Mehldau released the solo album After Bach earlier this year; the album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Album chart, comprises the pianist/composer's recordings of four preludes and one fugue from J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, each followed by an "After Bach" piece written by Mehldau and inspired by its WTC mate. The Financial Times said of After Bach, "As each piece gathers momentum, fresh melodies emerge, change shape and are developed anew over voicings that shimmer, fade and rumble to a peak. And, following Bach, Mehldau's improvisations unfold with an iron inner logic, a reminder … that Bach, in his day, was admired more for his abilities as an improviser than for his written scripts."

Contents and tracklist

Awards and reviews

  • Grammy Awards
    61st Awards (2019)
    Nominee: Best Improvised Jazz Solo
  • Grammy Awards
    61st Awards (2019)
    Nominee: Best Jazz Instrumental Album

July 2018

Brad Mehldau’s teasing talent for setting a mood of fascinating expectation and then unhurriedly revealing its multiple implications has been a marvel of contemporary jazz since the 1990s, and rarely more so than on this riveting seventh album. he ever-empathic Mehldau trio might offer a familiar brew, but it never stops fizzing with life.

July 2018

The trio's synergy borders on delirium: It's never restrictive, always loosely stitched and propellant. The ribbons of counterpoint on "Ten Tune" and "Spiral" suggest Mehldau's recent explorations of Bach might be having some spillover effect.
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