The Art Of The Trio, Vol. 4 - Back At The  Vanguard
Simply put, Brad Mehldau can flat-out play. Beyond his phenomenal skills is an uncanny ability to wring new sentiment out of old tunes ("I'll Be Seeing You") while also recontextualizing interesting contemporary pop as jazz composition (Radiohead's "Exit Music for a Film). On this, his fourthArt of the Triorecording, Mehldau again finds himself in the friendly confines of the Village Vanguard for an evening of his mood-swept melodies and tangled bop knots. Starting with an uptempo "All the Things You Are," the pianist concentrates on blistering right-hand solo work, taking only the slightest detours to wonder over the delicate soul of the tune. But this diversion is so subtle, so whispered that it threatens to go unnoticed if Mehldau were not meticulous with every melody he presses into the keys. Mehldau is often thought of as an "impressionistic" player, and on volume 4 he gives every song both the time and the permission to explore, change, and mutate. One minute, Mehldau is roaring up and down the keys on "Sehnsucht," the next he's turning the tune into a Brahms-like suite. With skills like that, we can only hope there's no end to Mehldau'sArt of the Trioseries.--S. Duda