Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top of the Crop, October 2, 2007
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dense and amazing, June 29, 2007
The Yahel/Redman/Blade recordings get better and better. Unlike the other recordings with the same roster (the "Joshua Redman Elastic Band" which is dripping with funk and swagger, and Yaya3's early experiments with these three masters) Truth and Beauty's recordings are subltle, dense, and after a few listens still reveal amazing moments. Similar in energy to the Yaya3 disc, this album seems to be more focused. The melodies are apparent and never stray into the unknown, but the subtle aspects of Yahel, Redman, and Blade are best experienced in this framework.
Brad Mehldau's liner notes focus on this clarity as well, detailing Yahel's use of the draw bars, Redman's flexible tone, and Blade's...well Brian Blade is Brian Blade, what more can be said!
For the uninitiated, folks may like Elastic Band's "Elastic" and "Momentum" which are fun and funky to nod along to, but for the more demanding listener who wants their jazz dynamic and bubbly, this is a remarkable album. Favorite songs are "Bend the Leaves" and "Saba".
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Jazz Album of the Year, December 21, 2007
Truth and Beauty is the first recording on which I truly enjoyed Joshua Redman's playing and saxophone sound. Drummer Brian Blade is, as usual, thoughtful, inventive and propulsive. But it is organist/leader Sam Yahel who has channeled the spirit of the classic Bill Evans trio (with Paul Motion and Scott LaFaro) writing six very strong originals while tackling three interesting and obscure covers. Together they have produced, by far, the best jazz record of the year.
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by Sam Yahel 
