Brad Mehldau: Finding Gabriel
Author: Selwyn Harris
Finding Gabriel signals a radical departure from Mehldau's very recent recording projects, namely his stellar acoustic trio's Seymour Reads the Constitution and solo piano investigations of JS Bach on After Bach. Firstly, because it's an out-and-out ‘concept’ album with extra-musical motivations: Mehldau attempts to make sense of socio-political culture in the Trump era by consulting sacred literature, and citing a selection of texts from the Old Testament books of Prophets and Writings. It's an ambitious proposition and it's not that everyone's not knocking Trump. But Mehldau tackles it from an interesting alternative perspective, honed from several years absorbing religious texts. So he avoids facile problem-solving or jumping on knee-jerk political bandwagons. The ensemble instrumental palette is an eclectic one, and the soundscape is agitated and ominous in places but for the most part is dream-like, kaleidoscopic, and a bit trippy. Though electro-jazz drummer Mark Guiliana powers the set, Finding Gabriel isn't Mark II Mehliana, their retro-to-future synth-driven duo of 2014's Taming the Dragon. This is more about composition and Mehldau's analogue synth sounds, which this time largely take on a more understated, ambient role. Both the trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and underrated tenorist Joel Frahm make their mark with superb solo cameos, the latter's charged up with fiery menace. But Finding Gabriel revolves around the human ‘voice’: whether sampled, spoken usually by Mehldau, or as wordless vocal, in which the chorus effect is haunting, ethereal but also from a lighter, easy-listening background, informed by Metheny and Bacharach. A highlight is ‘Make It All Go Away’, an evocative nod to rock psychedelia and dominated by two exceptional guest vocalists Kurt Elling improvises gliding horn-like lines and in-demand singer-songwriter Becca Stevens' soaring vocal is not unlike Cocteau Twins' Liz Frazer. A more aggressive ‘voice’ of the mob chants ‘Build That Wall!’ on ‘The Prophet is a Fool’, Mehldau's most direct resistance to Trump-ism. On the closing title-track Mehldau's speaking voice asks the Archangel Gabriel for a sign, a way out of the bedlam Mehldau, who plays all instruments including drums and vocal on the track, instead offers a comforting musical salvation.
