Brad Mehldau: Largo : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Unlike many of his tradition-obsessed peers, jazz pianist Brad Mehldau follows pop songwriting, and he understands the concept of the hook. On the atmospheric Largo, which was produced by Jon Brion, Mehldau digs into several pop gems, most notably Radiohead's majestic processional "Paranoid Android," and argues that there is room within jazz for the lovingly wrought (and carefully rethought) melody. Alternating between pastel chords and furtive car-chase runs, Mehldau languishes over every pensive "Paranoid Android" half-step and, in the course of his exploration, uncovers a slow-moving, knotted-stomach tension rarely heard on jazz records. All of Largo benefits from that attention to mood and detail, and though every piece may not be as immediately accessible as the Radiohead song (or the stately, sullen reading of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence"), Mehldau's originals shine in their own way -- they're quietly engrossing, the perfect soundtrack for a late-night meditation.

TOM MOON
(RS 906 - October 3, 2002)