The companion piece to
Brad Mehldau's other 2012 album, the all-original
Ode,
Where Do You Start features the pianist's trio covering material by other artists. Included are cuts by such eclectic non-jazz artists as
Sufjan Stevens,
Chico Buarque, and
Jimi Hendrix. Also featured, however, are some choice jazz standards with
Clifford Brown's "Brownie Speaks" and
Sonny Rollins' "Airegin." Joining
Mehldau here are his longtime cohorts bassist
Larry Grenadier and drummer
Jeff Ballard. Clearly, the members of this trio have a sympathetic, almost psychic connection, and it is never anything but pleasurable to hear them interact. As
Mehldau has spent much of his time either recording his original songs or covering a variety of contemporary pop songs, some listeners might breathe a sigh of relief to hear him stretch out on the more traditional jazz standards here. Of course, tracks like his poignant take on
Elvis Costello and
Cat O'Riordan's "Baby Plays Around" and his earthy reworking of
Nick Drake's "Time Has Told Me" are as revelatory as any of his other pop reinventions. Ultimately,
Where Do You Start is an intimate, impressionistic, and probing release that should certainly appeal to longtime fans of
Mehldau's nuanced jazz style. ~ Matt Collar