Musicians and none musicians have very different perspectives on jazz, or should I say music in general. Musicians can appreciate technical virtuosity, while to my ears it might sound like bombastic noise. In the case of our most recent comparisons, it was apples and oranges, plus comparing a solo artist to a group that played as one was a lose no win situation. I've heard that same identical cut of MFT no less than two zillion times, and this time I heard it new; no one can top that.
Although Mehldau was very good, who and what was chosen to compare him with was a bad idea. Now that we have two fantastic musicians, I'm looking forward to fresh new music they have discovered on this thread. Maybe we should accept new musicians for what they are, and what they have to offer without comparing them to the old.
Enjoy the music.