Brad Mehldau: After Bach II

I must confess that my knowledge of classical music is very limited. I might have heard of Johann Sebastian Bach’s compositions before, but I would not have recognized them. Because Brad Mehldau is a jazz pianist, I could tell when he played Bach and when he improvised. For instance, his nimble classical skills are apparent on “Prelude No. 6 in D Minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, BWV 851.” In “Toccata,” he used Bach’s composition as an inspiration to improvise on. Listeners can clearly tell where Bach ended and where he began. The juxtaposition between classical and jazz is fascinating. Mehldau is one of the few living pianists who can bring the best of both worlds together.