Brad Mehldau

Time slows down when you listen to pianist Brad Mehldau, and his latest recording is further example of this phenomenon. Joined by his longtime trio mates, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, Mehldau sets out once again to create a wrinkle in time. Mehldau has pulled one of the boldest career moves in jazz in the past 30 years. As a result he has moved from a much-loved underground secret to “That one guy who plays all of the Radiohead tunes.” The newest track to add to that collection is “Everything in its right place” from Radiohead’s Kid A. Other standouts include Mehldau’s take on Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” and an incredible version of the Carmichael/Washington ballad “The Nearness of You.” It’s been said that Winton Marsalis saved jazz in the ’80s. If that was the case, then by connecting with the kids of the (OK) computer age, Brad Mehldau might be its new millennium superhero.