Brad Mehldau and John Scofield

[LWayne]

Earlier this week at the beginning of a business trip in Atlanta, I had the chance to catch the double bill of the Brad Mehldau Trio and John Scofield Trio at the Variety Playhouse in the Little Five Points section of Atlanta, not far from Emory University.

The Variety is an old converted movie theater. One of those charming venues with velvet fold-down movie seats and a lot of nostalgic atmosphere. Despite how interesting the decor was, the acoustics left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, the sound clarity and resonance proved to be a challenge with the opening acoustic set of the Brad Mehldau Trio.

This was my first time seeing the Brad Mehldau Trio. While I have heard many of their CDs before, and have read the varied posts on this board surrounding their uneven albums, catching the group live was much more rewarding. The trio of Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass, and Jeff Ballard on drums were evocative of Bill Evans at times; more lyrical at other times.

The group played a set covering selections from many of their CDs, rather than focusing on tracks from their most recent Warner Bros and Nonesuch (solo Brad) recordings. Very intriguing music as Brad definitely draws the audience to his extended improvisations on familiar themes. Only criticism is that some of the tunes went on a little long and seemed to lose momentum after a while. Set listing was as follows:

1. 50 ways to leave your lover (Paul Simon)

2. Grenada (Chris Cheek-a blend of Spanish and African themes. A little more up-tempo and the best song of the trio's performance in my opinion).

3. Untitled (according to Brad Mehldau)

4. Loverville? (Described as 'love theme' from Peter Gunn TV show).

5. Everything in Right Place (Radiohead)

6. Fool on the Hill (Lennon & McCartney-another highlight).

While I was originally attracted to the show by virtue of the Brad Mehldau billing, I have to admit that it was John Scofield and his trio that stole the night. One word: wow!

In contrast to the more reserved, acoustic, set played by the Brad Mehldau Trio, the John Scofield Trio blew the facade off of the old theater. Their set was so energetic that Bill Stewart on drums blew the head off his bass drum after the opening song! What could have been a potentially deflating event turned out to provide an opportunity for John Scofield to have the audience in stitches by crafting a spontaneous monologue. He is a great showman and storyteller.

His electric trio of John Scofield-guitar, Steve Swallow-electric bass, and Bill Stewart-drums were very tight and dynamic. Swallow is simply awesome on electric bass. There might not be a more virtuosi performer in jazz today. His responses to Scofield's electric lead lines were dead-on entertaining.

Likewise, Bill Stewart is becoming an incredible performer in his own right. His muscular drumming style fits in perfectly with the jazz/rock fusion of Scofield.

This was also my first time hearing John Scofield play live and I was simply captivated by the way that he can excite an audience with his distorted fusion of jazz and rock; a very distinctive style. As far as I could tell, the set list was:

1. Unknown

2. Alexander's Rag Time Band (a great take on a classic).

3. Hammock Soliloquy (best number of the night)

4. You Don't Know Me (rendition of the Ray Charles tune)

5. Over the Top

6. (Encore) Georgia (with Brad Mehldau on piano)

7. (Encore) Wee (also with Brad Mehldau on piano)

All told, John Scofield and his trio stole the night. Great show and a wonderful way to start a business trip.

LWayne