Tokyo '96

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In which the foremost jazz trio working today further explore the American songbooks of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The beauty of the Standards trio is in the intimacy of their sound and in their playfulness, with these great tunes being conjured into life from improvised constructions, either built around Keith Jarrett's inimitable phrasing, Jack DeJohnnette's amazingly melodic drumming and and nimble, graceful bass playing of Gary Peacock. In this sense, they do justice to these beautifully melodic songs - Jarrett believes that standards are underestimated as "people (don't) understand how hard it is to write melody" - whilst avoiding a strangling Marsalis-like strictness of interpretation. This live recording in Tokyo ranks alongside their several other releases in this vein, achieving the consistency Jarrett strives for and is rightly proud of. Yet the band still sound at their most interesting on the two Jarrett compositions "Caribbean Sky" and "Song", which gently emerge from "Last Night When We Were Young" and "My Funny Valentine". Here, they hint at the majesty of previous recordings such as "Changes" and "Changeless". Still, these are beautiful songs beautifully played.