Mehliana

“Perhaps the most influential jazz artist of his generation.”—DownBeat on Brad Mehldau

Acclaimed jazz keyboardist Brad Mehldau returns to the Wex in a special collaboration with drummer/percussionist Mark Guiliana. The two team up to explore fresh dimensions in jazz-funk with slinky dance grooves injected into the mix of their heady freewheeling sound. Mehldau stretches out on a Fender Rhodes piano and an arsenal of vintage synths while Guiliana’s virtuosic rhythms drive the pulse with crowd-pleasing flourishes. From flashes of 1970s’ future funk to traces of the most contemporary electronic club sounds, this duo builds on the solid foundation of harmonic and melodic invention that has long informed Brad Mehldau’s approach to jazz and his enthusiasms for electronica, folk, and rock artists as varied as Radiohead, Nick Drake, and Soundgarden.

Here’s one take on Mehliana’s impact in concert: “The resulting show was trance-laden, free and majestic, displaying Brad’s penchant for splitting his hands in a way that no other modern pianist in his generation can— sounding like two pianists—only now utilizing the varied timbres of synthesizers.… It was nothing short of what a lot of music fans have been waiting for; two of the world’s most refreshing instrumentalists humanizing live electronic music with improvisation and deft ability.”