In My Element

Robert Glasper takes the time-honored jazz piano trio format and subtly but surely steers it in new directions, injecting hip-hop, R&B, and even alt-rock into his post-bop brew in a consistently seamless way. His salute to late producer J Dilla on “J Dillalude” mates expansive, impressionistic harmonies with a syncopated, hip-hop-informed underpinning. He could be Keith Jarrett’s second coming on a medley of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” and Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place.” And his interplay with his rhythm section throughout is nothing short of telepathic.