John Coltrane's "Countdown" is a song that superimposes elaborate substitute chord changes onto the Miles Davis jazz standard "Tune Up". The concept behind these substitutions come from Coltrane's famous "Giant Steps", which was an original composition that was built upon major seven chords a major third apart, a large (and unusual) leap in a harmonic progression - hence the title. (It's interesting to note the similar harmonic movement in the bridge of Rodgers and Hart's "Have You Met Miss Jones?", which may have been Coltrane's inspiration.) Both "Countdown" and "Giant Steps" are still considered to be pieces that challenge even the best improvisers.

The album discussed yesterday, The Brad Mehldau Trio Live (2008), contains a spectacular version of "Countdown", which features Mehldau's almost unbelievable ability to solo coherently with both hands simultaneously. I know that jazz pianists spend a lot of time cultivating the independance of the hands, but I've never heard anyone else do it quite like this. It's a thrilling display of technical virtuosity, which is an appropriate tribute to the piece's composer.

On another note, Mehldau has, erroneously, been compared many times to Bill Evans. Aside from the fact that Mehldau has also led a trail-blazing piano trio, his playing has very little in common with Evans', and he has said so in print several times. Comparisons like these can be distressing to musicians, because they can create doubt as to whether the audience is getting what they're doing. (Some of the problems arise with under-qualified writers saying almost anything to fill a column or review. I'll be writing more about this soon.) In fact, it's a sign of erudition in a listener to be able to determine which earlier musicians were direct ancestors to a younger one's style. And to listen to improvising musicians with this in mind gets us pointed in the right way - toward the importance of tradition and the role of study in jazz. So, a question: who do you hear in Mehldau's playing?