Guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau’s first full-length collaborative effort was hailed by some as the jazz event of last year.
I was one of the critics leading the charge and placed “Metheny-Mehldau” at top of my list of best jazz CDs of 2006.
That’s one of the reasons why I had no problem making the long drive up to _ and the even longer drive back from _ the duo’s show at the beautiful Napa Valley Opera House on Tuesday night.
I wasn’t the only one who traveled a sizable distance to see the two jazz stars. There were folks in the house from Hawaii, Colorado, Washington, Michigan, Florida and even Sweden and Argentina. That says volumes about the significance of this tour, which also stopped at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley on Wednesday and the Mondavi Center in Davis on Thursday.
Metheny is one of the most popular artists in jazz history and Mehldau, many believe, is on his way to becoming one of the genre’s all-time greats. The chance to see the two perform together was a jazz fan’s dream come true.
The legendary guitarist and the acclaimed pianist quickly lived up to the lofty expectations as the kicked off their nearly 2 1/2 hour set with a lovely, fluid version of Mehldau’s original “Unrequited,” which is also the lead track on last year’s duets album.
Combining guitar and piano, especially when there are only two people onstage, can be quite tricky. Try it with two guys who are used to leading their own bands and the result might be a tug of war that isn’t much fun for listeners.
For these two masters, however, the instruments went together as naturally as bass and drums. During “Unrequited” _ as well as the Mehldau piece that followed, “Annie’s Bittersweet Cake” _ the musical exchanges transpired seemingly without effort or thought. The musicians traded leads in a highly conversational manner and exhibited a sense of intuitiveness that seemed to contradict their relatively short history together.
Stylistically, the guitarist and pianist differ greatly, yet they complement each other wondrously in concert. Metheny would repeatedly use his blistering hand speed to produce muscular runs that were rooted in fusion as Mehldau delivered brainy, articulate passages built from classic piano jazz. Trading places, Mehldau would take the spotlight and cut fragile, intimate leads while Metheny revved up the rhythm work.
After three tunes, and nearly 45 minutes of music, the duo was joined onstage by bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, both of whom hail from the Bay Area. The foursome then clicked into action with the Metheny-Mehldau tune “A Night Away,” the first track from the pair’s newly released second album, “Quartet.”
That disc, which also features Burlingame’s Grenadier and Santa Cruz’s Ballard, isn’t quite as marvelous as the duets record. Likewise, this quartet portion of the show wasn’t quite as enjoyable as when it was just Metheny and Mehldau on the stage.
That’s not meant to be too harsh of a criticism. Let’s just say that the show slipped from being a “10” to a “9” once Grenadier and Ballard came aboard. And there’s an easy-to-understand reason for that _ more musicians meant less time in the direct spotlight for Metheny and Mehldau. The pianist, who boasts a rather subtle and cerebral style, suffered more in this setting than the guitarist.
I believe I would have had the same reaction to the presence of any drummer and bassist _ not strictly to Ballard and Grenadier, who also happen to be members of Mehldau’s regular trio. I just didn’t want anything (or anybody) getting in the way of hearing M&M.
That said, I feel compelled to add that I am a big fan of Grenadier’s work. If I was to start a band, I’d want this Stanford grad to be my bassist. He just always plays the right things at the right times, while never seeming to worry about his press clippings or his share of the spotlight. In that sense, he’s jazz music’s equivalent to baseball’s Marco Scutaro. Those who know me know that’s my highest compliment.
Ballard is also a great player. I just don’t believe he’s the right drummer to back Mehldau. He hasn’t convinced me otherwise during the trio’s regular gigs and he didn’t produce a very good argument working in this quartet setting.
Jorge Rossi, Mehldau’s previous drummer, was vastly more restrained and had a knack for knowing when to give the pianist space. In contrast, Ballard is a very powerful, dynamic rhythm man, one who delivers 10 beats when probably three or four might do, and he often overwhelms his employer.
Ballard, however, worked marvelously with Metheny. The two obviously enjoyed playing together and fed of each other’s boundless energy on tunes such as Mehldau’s “Santa Cruz Slacker.”
The highlight of the show came with the eighth selection, “The Sound of Water,” which was performed as a duet between the two stars. For this number, Metheny used his custom-built Pikasso _ an amazing 42-string guitar-harp thingy that must be seen and heard to be believed.
Someday, jazz historians might be saying the same thing about the collaboration between Mehldau and Metheny _ it had to be seen and heard to be believed. I feel fortunate that I was able to do just that. Believe it.
