Apr 11, 2023 10:47 AM
Brad Mehldau Tells His Story
At the tail end of 2022, Brad Mehldau took advantage of a New York sojourn to play piano with old friends at Smalls…
Michael Wolff’s Bounce, which counts backing from drummer Allan Mednard and bassist Ben Allison, also features a vocal turn from the pianist’s son, Nat Wolff.
(Photo: David Sokol)Pianist Michael Wolff is set to issue Bounce, his followup to Swirl, on Feb. 7 through Sunnyside.
The album’s a mix of moods and styles, moving from the quickstep “Resuscitate” to the wondrous “Omar Sharif,” a composition from Broadway’s The Band’s Visit. “Chill,” a tune from the upcoming album debuts below.
“‘Chill’ is a song I wrote after being inspired by hip-hop and new-jack swing beats,” Wolff wrote in an email about a song he said came to him following a listen to LL Cool J’s “Round The Way Girl.” “It has a kind of bebop melody on top of eight looped chords. [Drummer] Allan Mednard plays a swinging and light beat under the song and [bassist] Ben Allison plays a wonderful solo.”
On Feb. 7 and 8, Wolff has a pair of dates set for Birdland in New York, and in March, he heads to California for two shows.
For additional information about the recording, visit the Sunnyside website. DB
“Perhaps that’s a key to what makes me tick — a very strong curiosity, which makes me a perpetual fanboy of whatever I’m discovering,” Mehldau says.
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