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Elegiac Cycle | 
| Artist: Brad Mehldau
Label: Wea
Category: Music
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £15.19
You Save: £0.80 (5%)
New (14) Used (4) Collectible (1) from £2.95
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 60068
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 47357
UPC: 093624735724
EAN: 0093624735724
ASIN: B00000J7J7
Release Date: June 14, 1999
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Bard | | • | Resignation | | • | Memory's Tricks | | • | Elegy For William Burroughs And Allen Ginsberg | | • | Lament For Linus | | • | Trailer Park Ghost | | • | Goodbye Storyteller (For Fred Myrow) | | • | Ruckblick | | • | Bard Returns |
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| Customer Reviews:
 Improvised classical music October 28, 2008
Mehldau has been compared to Bill Evans so many times, he went out of his way to explain why his playing isn't like Evans' on "Art of the Trio Vol. 4). He didn't have to, as far as I am concerned.
In simple terms, Bill Evans took the idea of classical chamber music to jazz. In pre-Evans jazz, a trio was a small rythm section an a solo instrument, while in chamber music all instruments are equally important, the pieces are structured as conversations between them. Bill Evans took this idea to jazz, which at first revolutionized, then re-defined, what is to be expected of small combo jazz.
Mehldau (who, just like Evans was, is classically trained and interested), uses another approach to combine elements from the two genres: he takes the idea of jazz (which is to improvise and be spontaneous, allowing the interpreter to shine, rather than the composer), and uses that on musical content that is more classical than jazz-ish.
Mehldaus phrazing, his vocabulary on the piano mirror his classical background much more than Bill Evans' ever did, and this is at its most obvious on this album. This may be the reason jazz fans are slow to warm to it. The music presented here brings to mind a mixture of Debussy, Satie and Rachmaninov in improvised - and personalized - form. For any lover of piano music willing to forget about genres and pre-conceptions and to take music at face value, this is truly faszinating.
4 stars rather than 5, because it is something of a mixed bag, and while that keeps up the listeners interest, the balance could have been better. Still, an engaging recording that will broaden the horizons of both jazz fans and lovers of classical music.
 A Jazz Masterpiece May 24, 2002
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
A brilliant blend of jazz with romantic and modern piano styles(though NOT fusion), this long variation set is in the 'great' tradition of piano variation sets (Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninov and Brahms). Amazing lyricism in the playing, alongside crystal-clear voicing (for example in track 2, 'Resignation') and the ability to cut loose in dramatic fashion. A work (it sounds crass to call it a CD!) that is highly, highly recommended.
Incredible! A must for any piano lover! March 9, 2000
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Finally there's a solo piano album in my collection that can match John McArthur's 'HIDDEN' (1999). It's Mehldau's 'Elegiac Cycle'. Haven't heard such a great piano solo album in years. 'Elegiac Cycle' -- was a revelation to me. This guy's playing takes your breath away. His playing is daring and adventurous, and because he has a perfect sense of structure as well, he never gets lost and keeps everything in perfect balance. And on top of this, his playing is deeply moving. I hear a lot of McArthur, Bill Evans and Jarrett in Mehldau's playing, but, much more important, I hear foremost a pianist with a distinct style of his own. He is distinct.
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