JAZZ : DON PULLEN “Random Thoughts” <i> Blue Note</i> * * * *

Pianist Pullen’s “New Beginnings” was highly lauded last year but it pales before “Random Thoughts,” his second Blue Note album. Pullen’s interplay with bassist James Genus and drummer Lewis Nash is Bodyglove tight and his improvisations explore wide-ranging tangents that are logical extensions of his rich melodies. The varied compositions evoke the aura of Monk (the title track), Spanish-tinged romanticism (“India Gitano”), pensive lyricism (“Ode to Life”) and angst (“Endangered Species: African American Youth”). With Geri Allen, Pullen is in the forefront of those wringing fresh, vital music for the ‘90s from the piano trio format.