Brad Mehldau is becoming a more interesting, more thought-provoking, more individualistic musician with each release -- breaking away from the same old models, finding new ones to integrate into his own personality.
The 11 compositions on this CD were conceived on the road, and only midway through did Mehldau realize that they developed similar ideas.
Which indeed they do, seizing upon repeated riffing and vamps that Keith Jarrett has explored and sending them in cogent directions.
The designated theme is travel; each selection bears the name of a place or mood, and the catchy, contemplative "Los Angeles" serves as the album's bookends, as well as a solo pit stop in the center.
Like Elegiac Cycle, Places works like a song cycle; a unified, beautifully proportioned conception, with lots of rambunctious, swinging outbreaks amidst the contemplation.
The titles in themselves mean nothing as far as the content of the music is concerned -- or so he writes in another lengthy, provocative liner note.
Rather, the album is about the constancy of his personality and musical language, taking all of your personal mental baggage with you wherever you travel.
This is an important album, one that anyone interested in piano jazz ought to check out.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los AngelesBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | 29 PalmsBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:08 | 11 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | MadridBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 06:07 | 14 MB | 33 MB |
| 4 | AmsterdamBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 14 MB |
| 5 | West HartfordBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | Airport SadnessBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | PerugiaBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 14 MB |
| 8 | A Walk in the ParkBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:59 | 13 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | ParisBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 06:31 | 14 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | Schloss ElmauBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 06:32 | 14 MB | 35 MB |
| 11 | Am ZauberbergBrad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 07:06 | 16 MB | 26 MB |
| 12 | Los Angeles (Reprise)Brad Mehldau | Brad Mehldau | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 13 MB |
| 13 | Los Angeles II | Brad Mehldau | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 19 MB |
| 69 mins | 159 MB | |||||
| 69 mins | 307 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence Azerrad | Art Direction, Design |
| 2 | Jordan d'Alessio | Assistant Engineer |
| 3 | Michael Davenport | Executive Producer |
| 4 | Andrew Garver | Mastering |
| 5 | Larry Grenadier | Bass |
| 6 | Bernie Kirsch | Engineer |
| 7 | Brad Mehldau | Art Direction, Composer, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 8 | Jorge Rossy | Drums |
| 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). |