And, a few ideas for gifts for the jazz lover:

Brad Mehldau Trio
The Art of the Trio Recordings 1996-2001
Nonesuch Records
www.nonesuch.com
By George W. Harris

Before he became the figurehead of all modern jazz pianists, Brad
Mehldau was living the quiet life in LA, playing in small clubs like
The Jazz Bakery and Largo, subsidizing his trio performances as a
sideman with guys like Lee Konitz and Jimmy Cobb. This glorious 7 disc
set (with notes by The Bad Plus' Ethan Iverson) collects all of those
sessions when the fledging band was just starting to make a name (and
sound) for itself.

The argument way back then, when the first Art of the Trio came out,
was, "who does this guy sound like?" Names ranging from Keith Jarrett
and Bill Evans to Wynton Kelly were thrown around, but the fact was
Mehldau had a completely personal sound, mostly because of his
empathetic team of Jorge Rossy/dr and Larry Grenadier/b, who from day
one arranged t he music like an organic whole. What was also
iconoclastic at the time was Mehldau's seamless and catholic mix of
standards, originals, jazz standards, baby boom material and indie rock
artists such as Radiohead. We take all of that for granted these days,
but Mehldau and company were the ones that came up with the idea first.

The mix of material from the studio and a series of gigs at the
legendary Village Vanguard shows a slow progression of symbiosis
between all three artists. The careful listening between Rossy and
Mehldau on a tune like The Beatles' "Blackbird" is akin to old friends
finishing each other's sentences. By the third release, a few general traits of the trio start showing up, most notably Mehldau’s signature soloing as an intro or as part of his own solo with the rest of the team dropping out. Each time it happens, it creates a marvelous effect of tension and release. Clever takes of "Monk's Mood" as well
as Mehldau's later revisitation/reply titled "Dream's Monk" makes one
wish for a video of Mehldau's hands, as the digital prowess must be
seen to be believed. Sensitive takes of "Alone Together" and "In The
Wee Small Hours Of The Evening" display Mehldau's delicate touch, as
well as Grenadier's lithe and communicative bass work. It's startling
how easily a song such as Miles Davis' "Solar" sounds so logically
compatible to Radiohead's "Exit Music (For A Film)", making you
realize that, as Sonny Rollins once told me, that jazz is a verb, not a
noun. An extra disc of unreleased material includes some Mehldau
originals like "Lament For Linus" and "Unrequited," showing that
Mehldau has a composer's as well as a leader's touch.

It may seem like seven discs of trio work is a bit much, but each year
and level of teamwork between these three gents has its own rewards and
treasures. The joyful intrigue and freshness of the band in the
beginning slowly evolves into a mature and sophisticated infield that
can handle any grounder, line drive or one hopper and turn it into a
deft double play. Essential set to understand the STATE of the Art of
the Trio.