Places
In 1999, pianist Brad Mehldau took his four-partArt of the Trioseries to a pinnacle withBack at the Vanguard, his second live album (afterArt of the Trio, Volume 2: Live at the Vanguard). He likewise took flight on his solo pianoElegiac Cycle, which bolstered listeners' association of Mehldau with the impressionistic line of pianists ranging fromBill EvanstoKeith Jarrett. WithPlaces, Mehldau deepens the sense that he's fond of invoking spaces dynamically, as physical locales and mental-spiritual planes. He's furthering his solo-piano explorations, with seven starkly lyrical performances here. Six tunes feature Mehldau's standing trio--rounded out by drummer Jorge Rossy and bassistLarry Grenadier--and the unit's telepathic communication on each tune. Balladry meshes onPlaceswith steady grooves and sweetly drawn, melancholic portraits like "Airport Sadness." Creatively restless, Mehldau also logs important, diaphanous flying time on saxophonistCharles Lloyd's millennium-opening salvo,The Water Is Wide, extending Lloyd's appetite for expansive, meditative genius.--Andrew Bartlett