Matija Dedic, Jeff Ballard, Larry Grenadier - From the Beginning (2009)

Matija Dedić - From The Beginning
After collaboration with Belgian double bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and with the Czech drummer Marek Patrman in 2006 (album Visiting Bruxelles), Matija Dedić again embarked on making music with an international instant-trio. This time, the occasion was the guest appearance of Brad Mehldau's trio at the Zagreb Jazz Festival in the fall of 2008, which Matija Dedić used for a jam session with Mehldau's rhythm section, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard .
Making music with "someone else's" rhythm section is always a big risk, because the form of the trio is very compact and does not suffer from gaffes and lack of coordination, and given that Mehldau's trio is extremely compact, jazz fans must have been impatiently waiting to hear how Matija Dedić fit into the already close Grenadier-Ballard duo. Another potential danger was in Brad Mehldau's complex of artistic greatness, but Dedić wisely avoided 2 extremes that any other pianist would easily fall into - Dedić neither imitates Mehldau's expression nor tries to completely "break away" from his influence and make something. completely different''. It turns out that there is no room for skepticism: Ballard, Grenadier and Dedić make music as if this is their next session, and for Dedić this is one of the best albums in his career, if not the best.
Dedić shares many qualities with Mehldau - both are extremely strong both in the form of trio and solo piano, their expressions are strongly influenced by classical music, and most importantly - both are definitely "their own", pianists with a strong author's stamp, so that despite everything, it is difficult to can speak of some stylistic similarity. That strong pianistic personality of Matija Dedić came to the fore on this album more than ever, and From The Beginning should be his ticket to the first league of world jazz. The double CD consists of, in a very balanced way, 6 standards and 6 original compositions, and 4 songs were performed by Dedić on solo piano, 3 of his own and Monk's Round Midnight. As the latter is one of the most performed jazz songs, the musician must justify "another cover" with his performance, and Dedić certainly gave an interesting interpretation, which simultaneously reflects the history of this song's performances, from Art Tatum and Monk to Keith Jarrett, and gives its distinctive stamp with unpredictable digressions and experimentation with tempo. Other standards include Rodgers' You Are Too Beautiful, Ellington's Prelude to a Kiss, Davis' Nardis, Strayhorn's Lush Life and Henderson and Dixon's Bye, Bye Blackbird. So these are truly canonical songs, which are at the same time a great test for younger musicians who have to fight for their place in the sea of interpretations. In the performance of the standard, Dedić finds a good balance between respecting the jazz tradition and the standard itself, and satisfying his own creativity with imaginative improvisations with which he deconstructs and "reassembles" the melody. But a more difficult test of creativity are original compositions, which more or less all contemporary jazzers aspire to, but rarely do they prove to be equally talented in composing as in playing. Dedić has also successfully proven himself in the field of composition, and all his original songs on the album should be praised, but above all the title track From The Beginning, which opens the album. It is a peculiar piece of modern jazz that opens up an even bigger creative space for Dedić than the standards, and it is no coincidence that this is the title composition. Of the author's compositions, Dedić performed 3 solo piano (Angela, Marina's Dilemma, Dr.A), and these pieces (together with Round Midnight) were recorded in a separate session at the Croatian Home in Vukovar. The solo piano pieces have a more pronounced ballad character, in which Dedić's lyricism and meditativeness penetrate, which brings a dose of calm to the set, which is essentially full of tension and counterpoint. Lagana Dr.
As impressive as Dedić is in his solo compositions, the contribution of Grenadier and Ballard, who are masterful musicians with strong expression and expressive creativity, whose support gives additional depth to Dedić's pianism, should not be underestimated. The fact that Dedić and Mehldau's duo came together so successfully in such a short time is one of the most fascinating qualities of the album, especially if you take into account the sensitive form of the piano trio.
From The Beginning is an album that can compete with the best albums of contemporary world jazz, and it represents a new, high standard for Dedić's career, which goes with high expectations for the next album, and it will be interesting to hear Dedić's next project.