Brad Mehldau

★★★★ Jacob’s Ladder NONESUCH. CD/DL/LP

Jazz pianist channels his inner Rick Wakeman.

It’s always been difficult second-guessing what Brad Mehldau will do next. Just when you think you’ve pinned him down musically, he’ll surprise you by jettisoning acoustic piano for synthesizers or composing an orchestral suite. Arguably, his most intriguing works have resulted from him exploring different sonic universes; such as 2014’s synth-heavy Mehliana and 2019’s Finding Gabriel, an epic fusion of jazz, rock and classical music inspired by the Bible. Like the latter album,

Jacob’s Ladder also has a spiritual message; about finding redemption through God. Sonically, it’s a kaleidoscopic affair where baroque prog-rock edifices (including a churning cover of Rush’s Tom Sawyer) are juxtaposed with clouds of ethereal choirs, dreamy piano interludes, and squalls of free jazz-style clarinet. Skilfully weaving these elements into storytelling sound collages, Mehldau takes the listener on a memorable musical journey.