Seymour Reads the Constitution! in Bloomington, MN

A straightforward acoustic jazz trio album, 2018's
Seymour Reads the Constitution!
nonetheless holds surprises for longtime
Brad Mehldau
fans. Moving away from his genre-bending collaboration with
Chris Thile
and his equally cross-pollinated exploration of
J.S. Bach
's classical pieces,
After Bach
,
Mehldau
settles into this warmly rendered set of originals and covers that fits nicely into his overall discography. Joining the pianist are his longtime associates bassist
Larry Grenadier
and drummer
Jeff Ballard
. Together, they've recorded often since the early 2000s, with
Grenadier
having worked regularly with
since the mid-'90s. Consequently, they play with an almost preternatural sensitivity, accenting each other's lines and swinging with an easy, mutative pulse. It's a sound that brings to mind
Keith Jarrett
, whose iconic trio is a clear touchstone for
here. The influence is especially felt on the aptly named
original "Spiral," in which the pianist lays down a descending circular theme in a roiling time signature that has the dreamy feel of riding on a train with your eyes closed. They conjure an equally
Jarrett-esque
vibe on their sophisticated reading of
Sam Rivers
' classic "Beatrice," with
moving in and out of tonality during his kinetic, serpentine solo. As intense as that track can be, it never gets out of hand. In fact, much of the album has a balmy, laid-back quality as if it were recorded during a sunny afternoon at home. That sunny atmosphere is also at the core of the title track, in which
and
often share the melody, bumping up against each other in a bluesy dance. Elsewhere, they launch into a sprightly rendition of the
Lerner & Loewe
standard "Almost Like Being in Love" and offer up a bright, waltz-like take on
the Beach Boys
' "Friends," the latter of which is so friendly you can almost sense
and his bandmates smiling at each other. ~ Matt Collar