JAZZ SPOTLIGHT : *** 1/2 KEITH JARRETT, “Standards in Norway” <i> ECM</i>

Jarrett is a pianist whose music can often be thorny as well as moving, but he seems to save his best work for his “Standards” trio, whose sole purpose is to interpret classic pop and jazz compositions.

The trio, formed in 1983 with Gary Peacock (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums), was solid from the outset and has only gotten better, as this recording, made in Oslo in 1989, demonstrates.

The players sound extremely comfortable with each other, which is in no doubt due to their similar musical personalities. Each is grounded in tradition and each enjoys taking liberties with the music so that it continues to breathe and live.

Of course, the featured soloist is Jarrett, and it’s a continual pleasure to be reminded that despite some of his decidedly edgy work, he’s an old-fashioned swinger--at least in this context. Like the masters he acknowledges--Charlie Parker, Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans--Jarrett is the embodiment of lyricism, and his melodies flow freely. He concocts lines that ring easily in the ear from basic stuff: scale passages, vaulting chords, brief juxtapositions of a handful of notes.

The tunes are evergreens. “Just in Time” and “I Hear a Rhapsody” are taken medium up-tempo, “All of You” a tad slower, and “Dedicated to You” and “Little Girl Blue” are two of the ballads. Each number is given a distinctive rendition. For instance, “Dedicated” starts with chime-like tender chords, then ultimately goes into a medium groove swing, while “Just in Time” segues from a long piano solo to interplay between bass and drums, with the leader accompanying. Overall, there’s a natural fluidity in these selections that makes them consistently alluring and listenable.

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