It has been more than two years since the release of "Blues and Ballads", latest recording of Brad Mehldau's classic trio. The fans were impatiently waiting for a new recording and here it is : "Seymour Reads The Constitution"...
As usual, Brad Mehldau along with Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums, take the listener on a journey right from the opening piece. The trio travels in time and between styles but the musical and artistic coherence can be heard on each and every piece.
The album consists of 8 tunes. 3 original compositions of Mehldau, an American songbook classic, 2 pop songs covers from McCartney and Beach Boys and 2 jazz pieces from Elmo Hope and Sam Rivers.
After listening to this album, I started to wonder which musical format suits Mehldau the best. Obviously there is no doubt that all his work,be it the solo ones, classical or even electronic ones are pretty much among my favorite all time albums but the ones with his classical trio have a special soul. I almost feel that he is even freer with the trio compared to his solo recordings. The synergy and the unity of the three musicians might be creating this feeling but it is for sure that whatever it is, always end up with one hell of a good jazz album.
In one my previous posts I had announced that a lost album by John Coltrane was about to be released. The newly discovered and previously unreleased album finally hit the market on the last day of June 2018.
Normally the late discovered albums are not considered to be the highlights of an artist and that is why I have always approached this concept as a marketing gimmick. But not for this one... I can easily say that the album is probably going to be considered as a truly great Coltrane album.
The album was recorded in 1963 with the "Classic Quartet" (i.e. John Coltrane, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner).The story is that the master tape was destroyed by Impulse Records in order to optimize storage area (can this be true I don't know) and the sole copy was handed to John Coltrane's wife.
The new release has been compiled by Coltrane's son Ravi Coltrane and Ken Druker including liner notes from Sonny Rollins.
There are two different versions, one with 7 tracks or a deluxe version with 14 tracks. Both available as CD and Vinyl. I doubt the recording quality will be that great but hey, this is a new album from the great Trane.
The culinary world lost its naughty boy last Friday leaving millions of people devastated. He took his own life as the news reports indicate. It is weird to see that even such people who have achieved most of their ambitions and lived the fullest life many can only envy about. But that's life and that's human mind. At least we can say that he died with memories rather than dreams. Only that is aspiring enough...
I had been an avid fan of him after reading his book "Kitchen Confidential" in 2000. Since then I have been following all his works, mainly his books and TV appearances.
His first book published in 2000
Tony was born in 1956 in New York to a father who was a classical music executive for Columbia Records and a mother who was an editor for New York Times. His paternal ancestors are from Arcachon, France.
It is said that his love for food was first noticed during a family trip to his grandfather's hometown in France while tasting oysters for the first time.
He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (one of the top chef schools in the world) in 1978. For 20 years he worked in various restaurants including the Supper Club and Sullivan's. In 1998, he was recruited as the executive chef of Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan where he worked for many years.
His writing career began with an article called "Don't Eat Before Reading This" in New Yorker.
A year later he published his first book "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures In the Culinary Underbelly". When I read the book I was shocked along with many culinary hobbyists because the book revealed the real life behind the dining rooms of the restaurants. The book made him a real celebrity.
2 years later he started his TV career with a show called the "A Cook's Tour" on the Food Network channel. But in my opinion his prime show was the "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel. The series lasted almost 7 years until 2012. I strongly recommend this program where he and his team traveled almost anywhere in the world highlighting not only the local food but a very good depiction of the authentic cultures.
In November 2011 he started another series called "The Layover" in the same channel visiting various cities for 24 or 48 hours.
He quit the Travel Channel in 2012 over disputes about his show. He went on to host the "Parts Unknown" for CNN. The show was still being broadcasted until his death.
He even had dinner in Hanoi with President Obama in one of his shows. And here is Obama's tweet.
You can also watch a part from an episode where he visits Istanbul, my hometown.
Excerpts from the Istanbul episode
Well there is not much to say after all. He was a real guy, a perfect storyteller and an inspiring character. His when-in-Rome avidity enabled many people who are interested enjoying different cultures and different tastes experience the farthest corners and remote wonders of our world.
Just for that he was a pioneer in the culinary culture. He helped the world realize the social, political and cultural value of food and he always did that showing the proper respect to the places he visited and people he encountered with.
We can at least wave him goodbye with The Ramones, his favorite band.
Normally I am good at following such news even when they are rumors but due to a busy period I somehow missed this one...
And yet, thanks to a very dear friend from France who is a real jazz aficionado, I had the possibility to hear about it before it's too late...
A new album of previously unheard compositions from 1963 😉 is on its way.
Yep, it has been recorded 55 years ago but has never been able to be issued.
If you want to learn whose album this is, take a deep breath and please check the link below, but be ready to get blown away!
I am totally aware that I neglected the blog during the month of May. This does not mean that I was absent from the musical and foodie experiences. I traveled a lot, first to a beautiful seaside town in the North Aegean to open the beach season and taste the fresh seafood and other local delicacies. Right after that straight to Berlin for the world's biggest synth and electronic music fair called the "Superbooth". I also had the chance to see Venetian Snares live on stage. It was an amazing experience. In the second part of May it was work, work and work...
