If they’re not the best, they’ve got to be at least on the same plane with Oscar Peterson’s or Bill Evans’. They’ve sure been around long enough, and Jarrett/Peacock and De Johnette play the standards with a remarkable telepathy. The fact that almost all of the material, such as “Stars Fell on Alabama” and “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” commences with introductory musings by Jarrett’s fingers, you start asking yourself if any of these tunes are actually rehearsed, or if the piano simply starts a theme in which to respond. The free flowing transition from “Deep Space” to “Solar” gives hints of a conversation that goes where it desires, while Bernstein’s “Tonight” and “Somewhere…” ,with their complex interplay, have a conversant pliability to them. Wondrous music here by three of the best, both individually and collectively.
ECM Records