Brad Mehldau

Variations on a Melancholy Theme

Brad Mehldau (piano);

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Nonesuch 75597916508

Gunther Schuller coined the term ‘third stream’ in the 1950s to describe the fusion of classical music with jazz. Any number of possible examples have been proposed since then, alongside the contention that such a beast is entirely chimerical, but it’s tempting to suggest that it’s fallen to Brad Mehldau and this album to finally succeed in creating it.

Listening for non-jazz components within this set of variations throws up everything from the music of Charles Ives and Carl Stalling to Stravinsky’s ballet suites (perhaps it’s no coincidence that these examples would be oddly plausible bedfellows in themselves), alongside snippets of lugubrious salon music, while the booklet notes confirm that the pieces are based on formal classical structures. Their secret lies in Mehldau’s ability to scale jazz riffs up to orchestral proportions while also condensing assertive orchestral statements into elegant but unconciliatory jazz piano phrases. The melancholia here is as much aesthetic as emotional, with a result that is dense, often dark and altogether remarkable. ★★★★★