Truth And Beauty

This is wonderful, confident music, full of thought and surprise and understated humor, a modern music that has the self-assuredness not to announce itself as such. These three musicians are possibly the very best we have on their respective instruments, but there is no question but that Yahel's is the sensibility in charge. His writing is cliche-free, yet unashamedly connected to a full spectrum of musical traditions, from bop to pop, from world music to classical. And the arrangements of other writers' work are completely of a piece with the rest of the CD. I can think of no other artist who has so completely captured the spirit of Paul Simon while remaining so thoroughly himself.

And old-timers like myself who remember Lp's and liner notes as an art unto itself will rejoice at the notes by Brad Mehldau, which are chock full of personal and musical information and contain an invaluable disquisition on Gen-X Jazz Musicians. This is the best of the new.