Sunday Music: Mehldau’s Blackbird

I’m a big fan of Robert Gilbert’s Listening Sessions substack and twitter feed (@listensessions1). Not only am I crazy in awe of his vinyl collection, the guy literally seems to be putting interesting music on 24/7 and sharing what he’s spinning every time. 

My tastes and his have some overlap (especially with jazz, apparently) and if I need something to listen to, I regularly check out what he’s put on and fall down a rabbit hole of my own. 

Not long ago he was highlighting the Redman/Mehldau/McBride/Blade band (of which I’m a fan too) and that put me in a Mehldau mood. 

Even if you’re not a jazz fan, Mehldau does a pop-aware jazz thing with the soul of Wynton Kelly and the layers of McCoy Tyner. If you’ve never heard it, a wonderful starting point to his body of work is his interpretation of “Blackbird” by the Beatles. Check these out and follow Robert Gilbert while you’re vibing too. 

Here’s the version from Mehldau’s 1997 release Art of the Trio:

And a fantastic live version, via Steinway pianos: