Finding Gabriel

Finding Gabriel represents a major stylistic pivot for Brad Mehldau, moving from the post-bop piano tradition into a maximalist, synth-heavy fusion landscape. Recorded over 18 months, the album is a self-produced labor of love that saw Mehldau expanding his instrumental palette to include the OB-6 polyphonic synthesizer, Moog Little Phatty, and even percussion. Thematically, the record is deeply influenced by Mehldau's reading of the Hebrew Bible during a period of intense American political polarization. It functions as a modern-day 'prophetic' work, using tracks like 'The Prophet Is a Fool' to directly address the socio-political climate of the Trump era. Musically, it is defined by its use of voices as orchestral colors rather than lyric-delivery vehicles, a technique that earned it the 2019 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. It stands as one of the most ambitious and 'un-jazz' records in Mehldau's extensive catalog, bridging the gap between progressive rock, modern classical, and contemporary jazz.