Personnel:
Brad Mehldau (p), Mario Rossy (b), Jorge Rossy (d)
Reference: FSNT33-101 LP
Bar code: 8427328481014
"In his 2023 book Brad Mehldau: Formation: Building A Personal Canon, Part One Brad Mehldau recounts his years of personal and creative growth. The Jacksonville native experienced a significant chapter of his transformative journey in the '90s Barcelona, where he became a pivotal figure in that remarkable jazz connection known as the New York-Barcelona Crossing. Another essential aspect of this was Fresh Sound New Talent, a sub label owned by Fresh Sound Records and likewise founded by the visionary Catalan producer Jordi Pujol, which became a platform for young talents—who are now established stars under legendary companies—to take their first recording steps, as evidenced by Ambrose Akinmusire, Robert Glasper and Kurt Rosenwinkel, to name just a few. When I Fall In Love was the seventh record of this sublabel and Mehldau's first in a trio (then called Mehldau & Rossy Trio), completed by Mario Rossy on double bass and Jorge Rossy on drums. One of the highlights of this captivating disc is the chosen track, which evokes in the listener that sense of soft prostration where emotional sadness and physical pain slowly walk the path toward recovery. After a lengthy, restful exposition of a theme that exudes undeniable vibes reminiscent of Ornette Coleman, Mehldau takes the floor, initially focusing on the lower register, with quick, interrupted progressions of magnetic attraction that gradually ascend in tonality. Mario Rossy reveals his Charlie Haden influences, while his brother Jorge foreshadows why he would become the drummer for the five volumes of The Art of the Trio series and other iconic albums solely in the pianist's name. As Mehldau explains in the afore-mentioned book, compositions during that time did not always come easily, due to various disruptive factors. Nonetheless, pieces so distinctive and restorative as this one, which ends our medical check-up, were beginning to establish his stunning creative path."
—Artur Moral (March 30, 2025)
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/
