JAZZ SPOTLIGHT : **** KEITH JARRETT, “At the Deer Head Inn”; <i> ECM</i>

This album, despite Jarrett’s sometimes annoying, sometimes humorous humming, is a compendium of grace. Recorded live at a small inn in Delaware Water Gap, Pa., where the pianist played as teen-ager, these selections are consistently engaging, offering a series of scintillating moments.

Jarrett’s trio--including bassist Gary Peacock and old sidekick Paul Motian in for regular drummer Jack DeJohnette--investigates another bouquet of standards, and in the leader’s singular style, where swing is ever-present but stated subtly.

Often, as on Miles Davis’ “Solar,” he’ll explore a tune’s harmonic and melodic structure literally, then stray away from it, like someone going for a hike and sticking mostly to the path, but taking now-and-then excursions from that trail. This approach keeps the listener on his toes, ever alert for the next shift in direction, the next compelling idea.

Jaki Byard’s blues “Chandra” shows that Jarrett has be-bop deep in his heart, dropping in one crisp figure after another, while the poignant “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” after a tender solo, finds the pianist moving into a lengthy, intriguing one-chord vamp that recalls his unaccompanied improvisations. “Bye Bye Blackbird” is fluidity exemplified, as the leader works with the luxurious litheness of one of his favorite pianists, Wynton Kelly.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).