Brad Mehldau Trio (Live)

iTunes Review

The pianist Brad Mehldau, who often plays improvisations based on rock songs and also draws from classical music, emerged as a pianist to be watched in the 1990s. He’s a stylistic descendent of Bill Evans, but Mehldau has developed his own sound at the keyboard. This live double album, recorded at the Village Vanguard in 2006, includes original material; songs by Oasis and Soundgarden; a gem by the Brazilian composer Chico Buarque; pieces by Jimmy Heath and John Coltrane; and a couple of old school standards. The rhythm section — bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard — are tuned into Mehldau’s every ebb and flow. The 24-minute version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” the longest track here, is a wonder. On the Mehldau original, “Secret Beach,” a delicious left-hand line seems to unfold in slow motion as the group plays a Brazilian groove. The album closes with an expansive rendition of the Coltrane hard bop classic, “Countdown.”