In the most enigmatic project up to this point in his career, Brad Mehldau explores conflicting aesthetics, sometimes in tracks positioned next to each other, and occasionally within the confines of a single performance.
A spare simplicity governs much of the album, emphasized by almost puritanical horn arrangements -- long notes, mournful triadic chords.
After acknowledging these episodes with childlike figurations on the piano, Mehldau then builds his solos along more dissonant lines, which invariably end up enhancing the mood.
But then there are tracks like "Dropjes," whose electronic effects gnash angrily at the piano, or "Free Willy," on which putty attached to the instrument's low strings allows Mehldau to unleash a feral improvisation, with lines that suggest scurrying rodents more than bebop blowing.
Producer Jon Brion stimulated much of this adventurism, at times diving directly into the mix with his guitar synth or Chamberlin keyboard.
But what intrigues most about Largo in the end is the perspective it offers on Mehldau, whose playing here is, as always, intelligent, perhaps a bit cerebral, and now open as well to sonic exotica.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | When It RainsBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 06:36 | 15 MB | 32 MB |
| 2 | You're Vibing MeBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 3 | Dusty McnuggetBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:43 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 4 | DropjesJon Brion, Matt Chamberlain, Brad Mehldau, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Darek Oleszkiewicz | Brad Mehldau | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Paranoid AndroidColin Greenwood, Phil Selway, Thom Yorke | Brad Mehldau | Play | 09:05 | 20 MB | 42 MB |
| 6 | Franklin AvenueBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | SabbathBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 8 | Dear PrudenceJohn Lennon, Paul McCartney | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:22 | 12 MB | 32 MB |
| 9 | Free WillyMatt Chamberlain, Larry Grenadier, Brad Mehldau, Jorge Rossy | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:05 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | AlvaradoBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | I DoBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 07:17 | 16 MB | 26 MB |
| 12 | Wave; Mother Nature's Son | Brad Mehldau | Play | 06:28 | 14 MB | 40 MB |
| 65 mins | 149 MB | |||||
| 65 mins | 358 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence Azerrad | Art Direction, Design |
| 2 | Emilie A. Bernstein | Clarinet |
| 3 | Jon Brion | Chamberlin, Composer, Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Synthesizer), Mixing, Prepared Piano, Producer |
| 4 | Matt Chamberlain | Composer, Drums, Percussion, Shaker |
| 5 | Jonathan Clark | Oboe |
| 6 | Rose Corrigan | Bassoon |
| 7 | Earl Dumler | Oboe |
| 8 | Jerry Folsom | French Horn |
| 9 | Steve Genewick | Assistant Engineer |
| 10 | Gary Gray | Clarinet |
| 11 | Colin Greenwood | Composer |
| 12 | Larry Grenadier | Bass (Acoustic), Bass Effect Treatment, Composer |
| 13 | Robert Hadley | Mastering |
| 14 | Victor Indrizzo | Drums, Percussion |
| 15 | Antônio Carlos Jobim | Composer |
| 16 | Daniel Kelley | French Horn |
| 17 | Jim Keltner | Drums, Guest Artist, Percussion, Prepared Piano, Vibraphone |
| 18 | Kenneth Kugler | Trombone (Bass) |
| 19 | Steve Kujala | Flute, Guest Artist |
| 20 | John Lennon | Composer |
| 21 | Paul McCartney | Composer |
| 22 | Brad Mehldau | Brass Arrangement, Composer, Percussion, Piano, Piano Effects, Primary Artist, Synthesizer Piano, Vibraphone, Woodwind Arrangement |
| 23 | Justin Meldal-Johnsen | Composer |
| 24 | Joe Meyer | French Horn |
| 25 | Tom Miller | Engineer |
| 26 | Steve Mixdorf | Assistant Engineer |
| 27 | Darek Oleszkiewicz | Bass (Acoustic), Composer |
| 28 | Thomas Pasatieri | Orchestration |
| 29 | William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. | Trombone |
| 30 | Jorge Rossy | Composer, Drums, Percussion |
| 31 | Doug Sax | Mastering |
| 32 | Phil Selway | Composer |
| 33 | David Shostac | Flute |
| 34 | George Thatcher | Trombone (Bass) |
| 35 | Thom Yorke | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |