Modern Music [+Digital Booklet]

Pianist Brad Mehldau (b. 1970) and pianist Kevin Hays (b. 1968), friends from high school, playing arrangements by Patrick Zimmerli (a mutual former high school mate) of compositions by Zimmerli, Mehldau, Hays, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman.

I was expecting some sort of contemporary music suite for two pianos, but what I have found and greatly enjoyed is beautiful piano music not that far from other solo piano works by Mehldau, such Elegiac Cycle or even Live in Tokyo or Live in Marciac. So, even if this is not the typical jazz Mehldau has played so far, it still sound totally as a Mehldau work. This because the Mehldau stylistic approach is strongly influencing all arrangements as well as Hays, with his signature crescendos, rhythmic structures, interactions between left and right hands, here taken to an even more complex level thanks to the perfectly matched piano mate. Through all tracks there is a faultless empathic interaction between the two keyboards and their sounds amalgamate as coming from a single instrument. So both pianists take you, the listener, along a musical travel between moments full of energy when the two pianos create a sort of seismic activity, to floating and harmonically enchanting atmospheres.

The recorded sound is quite good and the package is nice with informative liner notes in the form of an interview between Mehldau, Hays and Zimmerli. Totally recommended to any lover of modern (not only jazz) piano. Just one complaint: only 47 minutes of music, I wish there were more.

Difficult to describe, much more of modern classical than jazz. Beautifully arranged and delivered. Very high praise for this unexpected jem. More like this please :)

American contemporary minimalism with jazz elements woven into the musical texture makes for a stimulating listening experience. At a first hearing it is difficult to discern where composition ends and jazz begins so skillfully are the two melded together but this is a recording that rewards repeated playing and ultimately the seams become more apparent though without detriment to the overall cohesiveness of the musical concept.

Some of the press reviews have condemned the music for its lack of emotion but I think this misses the point : the music is all about structure and harmonic interest and as such will be of most interest to those who like exploratory soundscapes of a more cerebral nature.

The recital comprises original compositions by Patrick Zimmerli, the pianists and arrangements of portions of longer compositions by arch minimalists Phillip Glass and Steve Riech plus a brooding take on Ornette Coleman's famous piece `Lonely Woman`.

I've followed Mehldau's career from the start and have nearly all his recordings. This is a worthy addition to his catalogue and an interesting departure from his solo recordings. I know little of Kevin Hays but he provides a sympathetic foil to the distinctive Mehldau style which can be clearly heard in the mix.

The recording is warm and resonant - piano duos can often sound clangorous - with excellent separation.Great cover art too,totally in keeping with the ethos of the music

The Brad Meldhau machine has been churning out music at a rate of Knots recently,the excellent live CD and the ECM release,have recently been released.
This album does everything it says on the can for this is indeed "Modern Music"! the boundaries between Jazz and Classical music are blurred even more by Mr Meldhau and Mr Hayes.
This is full of passion and fire,and goes a long way to proving why Meldhau is probably the best and most expressive pianist around,just listen to track six(Ornette Colemans "lonely Woman") for a perfect example of how "Modern music"should be played.
BRAD MEHLDHAU.....PIANO
KEVIN HAYS.....PIANO
47.40

This is, quite simply, a beautiful collection of beautiful music, beautifully played. There really isn't any need to say anything else.

This fascinating session is therefore not only a mix of jazz and modern compositional materials (pieces by Zimmerli, Steve Reich and Philip Glass join the pianists' own originals), but an exploration of what happens when a non-jazz composer's approach shapes the frameworks for improvisation.
(John Fordham; [...])

After only a couple of listens I am happy to say that I really like this record. Whilst this isn't jazz, it is very good music. As another reviewer commented, this is truly modern music, sparse in places but still very rich. For Brad-fans, the overall sound is still solo-setting Mehldau-esque (no offence to Messrs Hays and Zimmerli).

My standout track is their interpretation of 'Lonely Woman'; I've got a vague memory that Brad may have performed a version of this track when he toured with Pat Metheny a few years back. Well whatever, it works really well here. A great record gentlemen - thank you very much. Highly recommended.

I like this CD, I like it a lot. Better yet, it is rewarding multiple listens, which is the root of all great music.

I come to it as a fan of Zimmerli (I have some of his other CD's) and of course, Mehldau. There's really not much that needs to be said about Brad's playing. Long gone are the days when he needed to be classified, referencing other players to get some kind of context or feel his music. Brad is, above all else, Brad. I suspect most reading this will know of him, and what he does.

To this CD specifically - the booklet (which is excellent) speaks in its opening paragraphs of contemporary music. The source for much of what you hear is indeed contemporary, but key moments are classical in origin (albeit Steve Reich's own brand of classical. In fact, the overall feeling this CD leaves me with is that of a piano recital. Everything comes across as very controlled, neat, everything in its place. Perhaps this is inevitable when Zimmerli's role is primarily arranger. Indeed, another of saying it would be - it sounds "arranged". Yet another word is "polite". There are no abrasive edges here, no flights of fancy that jerk you out of the overriding emotion of the music.

The booklet talks of the technical issues the pianists faced, and for me the pivotal moment is the aformentioned Reich's work: Music for 18 Musicians. Wow. Amazing. I love the original recordings of the work, and this adds to its legacy (it's a shame though that it's developed over only 5:20).

Tantalizingly the booklet talks of their working on the music of Arvo part and Gorecki - and on Hays and Mehldau working on more pieces of their own. Sadly, none made the disc itself. Perhaps they're keying up for a second release?...

The booklet is terrific with an interview with all participants (8 pages) and the disc itself is a digipac. This is a fine recording. Read more ›