Jacob's Ladder

現在のジャズ・ピアノ界の重鎮、ブラッド・メルドーの新作、プログレッシヴ・ロックから受けた音楽的インスピレーションと深い思索から生まれた『JACOB'S LADDER』アナログ盤。ジャズというフィールドに収まりきらない彼の音楽的探究心が新たな領域を切り拓く。

Brad Mehldau pushes far beyond the acoustic jazz he is known for on 2022s prog rock-inspired Jacobs Ladder. Even with his past forays into classical and exploratory jazz, the pianists choice to dip into the kinetic 70s and 80s rock of bands like Rush (he reworks several of their songs here) is an unexpected and eyebrow-raising move. That said, Mehldau has explored pop/rock songs in the past, famously applying his deeply introspective and harmonically nuanced style to tracks by Radiohead, Nirvana, and other iconic bands. While Jacobs Ladder continues this iconoclastic trajectory, it is much more than an intriguing covers album, as Mehldau weaves together several finely curated cover songs with his own ambitious compositions, including two classical-influenced three-part suites. Theres also a deeply philosophical bent to the record thats centered around Mehldaus feelings about God and spirituality. Along the way, he showcases a handful of equally boundary-pushing performers including vocalist Becca Stevens, saxophonist Joel Frahm, and singer/mandolinist Chris Thile, the latter of whom joins Mehldau for a particularly faithful rendition of Rushs "Tom Sawyer." Though piano remains Mehldaus primary instrument of choice here, he also plays a variety of analog synths, including Moogs, Korgs, and other sundry electric instruments. Of his original songs on the album, "Herr und Knecht" is perhaps the most prog-sounding, built around a heavy bass-and-drum groove in an odd time signature that Mehldau accents with fuzzy, laser-tone synths. More atmospheric is "Vou correndo te encontrar/Racecar," a melodic, Brazilian-inflected reworking of Peripherys "Racecar" that magically straddles the line between the languid 70s work of Caetano Veloso and the shimmering style of Yes. ~ Matt Collar

「プログレッシヴ・ロックから受けた音楽的インスピレーション」を形にしたというアルバム。メルドーとプログレと言えば、マーク・ジュリアナとのデュオによる2014年作『Mehliana: Taming the Dragon』で聴かせたエレクトリックでプログレッシヴなサウンドが思い浮かぶ。歪んだサウンドやヘヴィーなビートだったり、プログレではお馴染みのムーグ・シンセサイザーやメロトロンを駆使したサウンド面でのアプローチでツボを抑えつつも、様々な音のテクスチャーで構築された緻密な音世界は、数多あるプログレ・ジャズ的なものとは一線を画す仕上がりだ。
intoxicate (C)栗原隆行