Then at about 2:00, just after the second chorus, that gamelan-like percussion returns for the “ambition makes you look pretty ugly” section of the tune, during which Mehldau plays the vocal line and also puts together a really fine piano improvisation built from that vocal line. He plays the vocal lines pretty faithfully over shuffling jazz drums, adding a bit underneath the vocal, particularly during the second verse. They start with some gamelan-like percussion before the tune’s melody comes in, led by Mehldau’s piano on the vocal line as well as some of the harmony from Radiohead’s original version of the tune. This version of “Paranoid Android” features Mehldau on “piano with putty treatment in lower two octaves”, plus Derek Oleszkiewicz on bass, Matt Chamberlain and Jim Keltner on drums, Jon Brion on prepared piano percussion, Joseph Meyer and Jerry Folsom on French horns, William Reichenbach on trombone, and Kenneth Kugler on bass trombone. Largo found Mehldau trying out a lot of different rhythmic experiments and playing prepared piano on several of the tracks. The first version that I’ll look at is from his Largo album, released in 2002. It seems fitting, then, to start with a couple of versions of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” that were put together by Brad Mehldau.

Much of the interest in Mehldau’s playing is rooted at least in part in his incredible interpretations of pop tunes, particularly those from Radiohead and The Beatles. In this column, I’ll look at some side-by-side comparisons of a few tunes by, or featuring, Brad Mehldau’s piano playing. His solo piano and piano trio work is some of the most consistently mind-blowing stuff out there from any generation, and he’s also put together many interesting collaborations with other pianists, vocalists, guitarists, horns, strings, and electronics. Feel free to unsubscribe at any time!īrad Mehldau is certainly one of the most influential pianists, and probably one of the most influential musicians on any instrument, of his generation. *By subscribing, you agree to receive our monthly newsletter as well as sporadic promotional emails.

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