2
THE OPENING ACT
MARCH 23–30, 2022
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Lisa Britton
Go! Editor
RAISING THE CURTAIN
ON THIS WEEK’S ISSUE
What we’re into
‘I’M IN LOVE WITH THAT
SONG’ PODCAST
Y
ou might not be able to tell
a bar chord from a bar of
soap, but I’ll wager that you have
a favorite song.
Probably you have dozens,
since the concept of settling on
a singular favorite is about as
appropriate for music as it is for,
say, children.
I’ll bet too that while listen-
ing to a song you particularly
enjoy, you’ve wondered how the
artist assembled the disparate
sounds of the instruments and
voices into a coherent whole,
one which you haven’t tired of
even after hearing it hundreds
of times.
Brad Page shares your inter-
est in the creative process of
recording music.
Better still, he has performed
the sonic dissection that re-
veals nuances largely hidden
within the finished product.
Page hosts a podcast called
“I’m In Love With That Song.”
The show, available on all the
major podcast platforms and
on his website — www.lovethat-
songpodcast.com — focuses
on one song per episode and,
as Page puts it, endeavors to
isolate the elements that “make
it a great song.”
lovethatsongpodcast.com
He does this in part by em-
ploying digital technology to
extract individual tracks from a
recording, playing excerpts from
them and then describing the
sounds and explaining, when pos-
sible, how they were produced.
In examining Rush’s “Sub-
divisions,” for instance, Page
pulls out a few of Geddy Lee’s
frenetic bass parts. This is a rev-
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‘JACOB’S LADDER,’
BRAD MEHLDAU
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B
rad Mehldau’s new album
includes a cover of the
Rush song “Tom Sawyer,” which
brings to mind Mark Twain,
which brings to mind a quote
attributed to Twain regarding the
music of Mahler: “It’s better than
it sounds.”
That critique could apply here.
Mehldau is perhaps the most
lyrical jazz pianist of his genera-
tion. He’s also drawn to a genre
that could be called restless-
soul music — challenging,
experimental, boundary-defying
material, such as “Jacob’s Lad-
der.”
The 70-minute set features
pretty piano, yes. There’s also
anguished screaming, squawky
sax, mysterious meter, read-
ing from scripture and shouted
German philosophy. It’s odd and
uneven, and no one will complain
it’s too short.
Even so, Mehldau’s ambition
is to be admired, and prog rock
fans will likely love it. He draws
on Genesis — the book and the
band — as he considers our
climb toward heaven and our
relationship with God.
Rush is a recurring touch-
stone, and there are also nods
to Yes, Bach, math metal, David
Byrne, Tropicália, free-jazz
funk and video games. Guests
include Chris Thile and Cécile
McLorin Salvant, but Mehldau
does the heavy lifting — on one
cut he plays 11 instruments and
contributes layered wordless
vocals.
With music, however, as with
spiritual matters, sometimes
less is more. The conclusion of
the final tune features an ordi-
nary 4/4 beat and three-chord
pattern explored by Mehldau’s
solo piano. Like Mahler at his
best, it sounds heavenly.
— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Right: The Associated Press
elation. Although any Rush fan
understands that Lee and his
bandmates, guitarist Alex Life-
son and the late Neil Peart on
drums, are all virtuosos, hearing
Lee’s playing on its own reveals
a level of proficiency that’s not
quite so apparent when it’s
combined with Peart’s inimitable
fills and Lifeson’s deft leads.
All of Page’s episodes — he
recently released his 100th
— have similarly compelling
moments. Just as a fine art afi-
cionado would be fascinated to
watch a painting or a sculpture in
progress, probing the construc-
tion of a rock song can lavish a
fresh appreciation on some of
our most beloved tunes.
— JAYSON JACOBY, EDITOR,
BAKER CITY HERALD