One of Our Favorite Pianists

And for the record, the culturally correct way to pronounce it is “pea ANN ist”.  Just so you know…..

Anyhow.  Brad Mehldau is one of our favorite pianists around here at the music studio.  We like to watch his youtube videos, to see and hear the way he plays his music.  Here’s a great example, isn’t it really cool to watch how he plays?

 

Ms.CJ also really likes Nick Drake.  Here’s the original tune that you just heard Mr. Brad cover.

 

 

Brad Mehldau is Ms.CJ’s most favorite *living* pianist, and ranks as her third favorite within the entire history of music since the 16th century.  The other two are Claude Debussy, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.  But more on those two guys another day.  Here is what she has to say about Mr. Brad.

“His solo piano music has a profound affect on me because I’ve listened to it so much.  It influences the way that I think and the way that I feel.  Maybe this is just the musical-child within me speaking, but I would like to share this with you, nonetheless. When listening, it even affects my breathe, my heart rate and my sensory system…I’m sure you could measure it with medical equipment and get some great results! Maybe some people will make fun of me and assume I’m saying I have a crush on Brad Mehldau or something immature like that. I don’t care what they think. I’ve been studying the history of piano music since I was 14 yrs old. Truth be told, I see Mehldau’s style to be as pivotal today as Beethoven was, bringing us into the Romantic Era. Bottom line is, his music influences who I am as a human being and the way that I behave.  This is because I hear things that sound so bold, so unafraid, so creative and so beautiful, it makes me figure there’s no reason I can’t be the same way.”

Here is a question.  Why do people sometimes believe that just because a person has an autism label, it means they would not equally be as able to experience music the same way as Ms.CJ just described? Could they not have the same amount of musical intelligence & intuition, even if they could not speak?

Whether you are a parent, a caregiver, a teacher, a therapist, or a social worker – NURTURE good quality music into the lives of those you know who are on the autism spectrum.

You never know what benefit it can be for a person on the inside..