Special Guest: Brad Mehldau. Why does he like Bach?

Рет қаралды 5,861

7 ай бұрын

This is an interview with pianist/composer/arranger Brad Mehldau (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Me...) . Our conversation on May 12, 2020 spanned many diverse topics from what he is reading at the moment, what he keeps on his piano, when and how he practices, the connection between bebop and Bach, his favorite video game and more.
Bach's Table of Ornaments: www.pennuto.com/music/jsb_ornm...
Hear the music mentioned (in the order we mention it) here: open.spotify.com/playlist/5iP...
Read the literature from our discussion here:
Book of Jeremiah: (New American Bible translation) www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839...
The Upanishads: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishads
Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_...)
Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters...
George Bernard Shaw music criticism: www.abebooks.com/Shaws-Music-...
Brad's favorite video game: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millipe...)
Musicians/Bands mentioned (Alphabetically):
Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms, Jon Brion, Wendy Carlos, Chopin, John Coltrane, Critters Buggin', Nick Drake, Fauré, Gershwin, Glenn Gould, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Haydn, Fred Hersch, Wynton Kelly, Jacques Loussier, Jerome Lowenthal, Lightning Bolt, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Willie Nelson, Phineas Newborn, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Charlie Parker, Murray Perahia, Oscar Peterson, András Schiff, Schubert, Schumann, Wayne Shorter, Nina Simone, Art Tatum, Tom Waits, Ween.
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Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe (wtfbach.substack.com/subscrib...)

Пікірлер: 32

@yakirarbib1670 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much to both of you. Definitely the most interesting and unusual conversation with Brad I've ever heard. Thanks for asking deep and not easy questions, and Brad your honesty and openness is an inspiration. On a personal note, having been born near blind I have always learned all classical music - from Bach to Messiaen completely by ear, and transposing classical pieces has been an important aspect of my practice. Thanks from all my heart for this.

@sameerchaudhary465 3 ай бұрын

Love the interview!! Maybe have Jonathan Kreisberg as the next guest? :)

@FlorisVerbeij 4 ай бұрын

BEST interview with Mr Mehldau online! Thanks!!

@matiasperezzalazar8657 4 ай бұрын

Tied with the one with Beato

@jjzap2935 4 ай бұрын

Wonderful music conversation! I'm glad YT suggested the video after watching viewing Beato's interview with Brad. What an articulate elegant speaker Mr. Mehidau is. Thank You

@rickhood 4 ай бұрын

I am relearning piano since 2021 after being away from it for more or less 30 years. I am mainly interested in Jazz, but Bach is the one composer in the classical realm I want to learn some of. I found this after listening to Rick Beato's interview of Mehldau. I hear what you are saying about Mehldau's love of music being in the forefront -- also his knowledges of music. I subscribed and looking forward to listening.

@mudbone7706 4 ай бұрын

Great interview! How about doing one with Dan Tepfer on his relationship with Bach's music?

@benarmeni3370 4 ай бұрын

This would be amazing

@Pizaz0 5 ай бұрын

Been looking for that warm up for ages, awesome

@txsphere 4 ай бұрын

Great interview, subscribed. I have never heard the idea Charlie Parker studied Bach. In a radio interview you can find here on KZfaq Paul Desmond asked if Mr. Parker had quoted an etude book and said "yes it was all done with books." Which isn't surprising as much technique it takes to play jazz. Even in early jazz there was an influence of Creole players like Jelly Roll Morton who were allowed opportunities to be educated in music. There are two different styles of clarinet playing, the Creole being far more technical because of their education and opportunities to play, you can hear their experience playing Sousa in their improvisations. There is a wonderful story that Stravinsky was in the audience listening to Mr. Parker play and in his solo he quoted the Rite of Spring, blowing Stravinsky's mind.

@benjammin4840 7 ай бұрын

Thank you!!❤

@edouardmonnin 7 ай бұрын

Thanks 🙏🏻

@albertsanzmusic 5 ай бұрын

Wonderful interview. Thanks to both of you!

@timbruer7318 5 ай бұрын

A thoroughly enjoyable conversation, thank you.

@lagathy 5 ай бұрын

fascinating...thankyou to both )

@radioazma 4 ай бұрын

So honest thank you

@gcummings88 4 ай бұрын

A great show!!!

@benarmeni3370 4 ай бұрын

Wonderful interview, great questions

@svensvensson6705 5 ай бұрын

Pat Metheny next?

@Jazzmaster58 5 ай бұрын

Fellow Jazz musician here. I get baffled when I realize that most Jazz musicians believe in god, I also knew that Brad did too but I wasn't sure and now I am. Now I think that to play like Brad, you need to be intelligent and in these days with all the knowledge available believing in god is, in my opinion, a sign of great stupidity (no offense intended) and this is true for many Jazz musicians. How would Brad explain the fact that god doesn't exist ?

@hugofraser462 4 ай бұрын

Do you not think there might be a connection? Creative people are often unable to account for their own inspiredness, relying on such expressions as "the music played through me". They are also highly resistant to reductive accounts or explanations of transcendent art. As to your point, I disagree that you have to be intelligent to be a great musician or that you have to be stupid to believe in God.

@wiseguy1153 4 ай бұрын

I invite you to read or watch John Lennox, who debates atheists; also William Lane Craig Explain DNA, origin of life, morality without reference to God, or why greatest artists like Bach were Christian.

@Jazzmaster58 4 ай бұрын

@@hugofraser462 You're right, being a great musician doesn't make you implicitly intelligent, with the advent of KZfaq and interviews being available I've been disappointed by many of my favorite artists when I learn of their ideas which I had idealized. Now, to believe in god, you have to be "a bit" stupid (nothing personal).

@Jazzmaster58 4 ай бұрын

@@wiseguy1153 No thanks, I hate apologist idiocy.

@chairpeople 4 ай бұрын

i don't believe in god, but know many smart people that do. part of intelligence is knowing how to operate your own mind/emotion, and if faith helps you live better, feel hopeful and like life has meaning, and doesn't make you behave harmfully towards others, seems like a good tool to have in the ol toolbox. facts and reason only get you so far- individual lives and music seem "rationally" meaningless, music is information encoded air pressure over time-- why would someone without some emotional (irrationally so) relationship to information devote themselves so fully?