Metheny Mehldau Quartet

Some of Pat Metheny’s most rewarding outings happened while paired off with another adventurous soul, as on Beyond the Missouri Sky (Verve) with bassist Charlie Haden. That affecting album bears little resemblance to the hyped-up hurly-burly of this one, or to Metheny and Mehldau’s first trip in the studio titled, with appropriate simplicity, Metheny Mehldau. But this tightly structured album is plenty touching in its own right.

Bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, both members of Mehldau’s trio, raise the energy level immensely on the new disc. Mehldau’s “Fear and Trembling” would be a breezy summer’s day without Ballard’s hustling drums and Grenadier’s stuttering bass line. Without their backup, Metheny probably wouldn’t have laid down his spazzed-out, feedback-laden solo. (And dude, he just referenced existential Christian philosopher Kierkegaard.)

Mehldau is his usual eloquent self here, bittersweet and never relying too heavily on riffs. He and Metheny find an astringent beauty in “Secret Beach,” another Mehldau song, playing the melody in unison before sidling off for gentle solos in front of Ballard’s skittery cymbals. Another Mehldau tune, “Santa Cruz Slacker,” gives them yet another chance for some left-of-center phrasing and trippy solos.

As you can probably guess, Metheny’s more gentle charts allow for the most spacious stretching out. They wallow in “Silent Movie,” “Towards the Light,” and “Marta’s Theme,” the closing track, the way most of us take to an afternoon nap, which is to say, with great pleasure. Enjoy this one.—Marc Geelhoed

The Metheny Mehldau Quartet plays at Symphony Center Friday 6.