Every few generations or so, a musician comes along who shakes up the establishment. Brad Mehldau is one such character. The young pianist, in one of his very first recordings, shows not only a maturity beyond his years but a musical depth stretching right back to the Romantic era of classical piano. The opener on this album, the bebop anthem Anthropology, is delivered at a blistering tempo with some innovative rhythmic ideas from Rossy which Mehldau bounces off with apparent ease. The relaxed but interesting "At Ease" shows Mehldau's fondness for more introspective works, and the title track of this album is prefaced by a long solo piano introduction more reminiscent of composers such as Liszt and Chopin than of Mehldau's contemporaries. His confidence with solo playing is even more apparently in his solo choruses over Coltrane's challenging "Countdown", in which Mehldau shows his extremely advanced knowledge of not only harmony, but rhythm and instrumental technique. In conclusion, then, this album is a fantastic introduction to the multi-facted work of Brad Mehldau.