This double CD, recorded live in Paris, captures pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette in the act of raising jazz trio performance to a higher level of interaction and execution. Of course, they've done this before too, but Whisper Not is nonetheless a revelation.

As usual, Jarrett accepts the challenge of playing standard tunes without falling back on standard approaches to playing them -- a tougher nut to crack even than free improvisation. On uptempo bebop titles as well as vocal-oriented material, he plays with an ecstatic lyricism, threading long melodic statements through spaces untouched by his sparse chording. His solos unwind in single lines through chorus after chorus, only occasionally hitting octaves or kicking into double-time; it's his inventiveness and sheer musicality, rather than the effect of his technique, that keep his performance fresh.

If highlights can be isolated, they may be Jarrett's unaccompanied moments on several cuts. These suggest a certain show-offiness that contradicts the collective energy of the group, but so what? Whether as simple as the moody bitonal chords that usher in "'Round Midnight" or the long, legato flow over a gospel ostinato on "What Is This Thing Called Love," such moments define virtuosity in improvisation. And his denouement at the end of "Prelude to a Kiss" just might be the most beautiful thing he's ever put on disc.

With Jarrett, the creative stream flows clear, and with Peacock and DeJohnette guiding it along, it's a thrill to bathe in the current of his creation.