Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman's duo tour of Europe continues through this weekend. The sets have featured tunes from their respective solo work and from Mehldau's recent double-disc Nonesuch release, Highway Rider, on which Redman is a featured performer. In a new album review, All About Jazz calls Highway Rider a "showcase of Mehldau's growth as both a composer and musician."

While, on the surface, it may seem to fit into the precarious "jazz with strings" category of music, All About Jazz reviewer Karl Ackermann acknowledges, it rises well above any preconceived ideas one might have of such a thing, for Mehldau and producer Jon Brion "ensure that the strings were an enhancement to the jazz component and not vice versa."

Ackerman cites Redman's inclusion on the record, along with that of Brad Mehldau Trio members Jeff Ballard and Larry Grenadier, as "insightful on several levels. As expected, Redman's dynamic and individualist style adds depth to the piano trio format, helping to put the jazz front and center."

The review concludes by recognizing the value of the record both for its own sake and for its larger impact on the genre. "Highway Rider is important not just for Mehldau's significant musical contribution," says Ackerman, "but also because it is one of those rare and potent reminders that jazz not only thrives but continues to evolve in the hands of truly creative artists."

Read the complete review at allaboutjazz.com.