Even at his advanced age, French pianist Martial Solal sounds none the worse for his overall obscurity in jazz. He"s a tremendous pianist, gracing the keys with hard-hit chords and a paradoxically fleet execution. With his mix of strength and agility, Solal sounds a tad like early Bud Powell, or even like an array of hard-bop pianists. His take on "Just Friends" is downright upbeat, pegging high points all around a tune that Chet Baker made so memorably melancholy decades ago. With drummer Paul Motian and bassist Gary Peacock as his trio mates, Solal capitalizes on Peacock"s keen ear for subtlety and energetic, buoyant quickness as well as Motian"s pouncing exactness. Solal sounds a bit like many of his erstwhile U.S. contemporaries, specifically Red Garland on the upbeat side and Bill Evans on the dreamier side. And for good measure, Solal clearly knows his fast, sharp Art Tatum techniques. --Andrew Bartlett