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Rating: In the early nineties, two Spanish brothers from Barcelona: Mario and Jordy Rossy (double bass and drums) found themselves "on and off" in the New York area, making a name for themselves in the influential underground jazz circuit.
They played with a lot of people, not only because they were really talented and mature (they were around thirty or older) but also because they added a dash of Latin flavor and flair to the "west of the pond" jazz scene. Among others, they stumbled upon Brad Mehldau: a musician slightly over twenty. A broke, moody, introverted yet original and very determined pianist. They built a solid friendship, both musically and personally. To the point that they proposed themselves as a rhythm section for gigs allowing them to be the "backing line" for big-name artists, especially in their native Spain.
In October 1993, after various gigs on the Iberian Peninsula during the just-concluded summer season, they recorded a "New York-Barcelona crossing Vol. 1" alongside a remarkable and surprising Perico Sambeat in a state of grace; this was at the end of a tour where they had achieved a notable group cohesion (Vol. 2 will follow:). Given the results and their still-present adrenaline rush, they were offered the chance to finally record on their own. So "When I fall in love" came out, a record credited to the Mehldau-Rossy trio: a true "prequel" to Brad's successful career. The tone of the session is brilliant and captivating. A compact, cohesive, and absolutely energetic "live" work. No note is implied, and the sense of timing in each piece is micrometric, even in the slower pieces: the result of the youthful hormones of a twenty-three-year-old yet already mature pianist. "Yes, I have to give it my all! I'll show you who I really am!"
In this, Brad Mehldau's debut album closely resembles Bill Evans' "New Jazz Conceptions": both musicians are very precise with timing and engaged in virtuosic exercises which are not sterile or self-serving, but necessary steps to later start pruning, learning to ration, remove, calibrate pauses and dynamics; all in a slow and steady action of intromaieutica, a process which, even within the externally known and unchanged shell, manages to uncover and highlight hidden and unsuspected treasures even to the artist himself.
Within the album, we find a varied setlist of standards, with an original piece by Brad. It's worth looking for, and frankly, I consider myself lucky for finding it on eBay as it's not easily available. But inside, there is already all the Mehldau that will unfold enormously soon after, with Joshua Redman and then as a leader.
Get it! Cheers, :-) V.
Tracklist
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