keith jarrett

Yes, the album is a no-brainer, it is sublime. Plenty of vocalese accompaniment, however.

(If you think Keith is bad, listen to Bud Powell. Come to think of it, they all seem to do that singalong (?) thing to some extent or other. Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Monk...etc...etc...)

Whisper Not is fantastic, and actually he is vocalizing much less these days than he once did.

Two absolutely essential Jarrett records are his first solo album, Facing You, and the first album with his European quartet, Belonging. I would also strongly recommend the live European quartet album Personal Mountains.

enjoy

ken

have had it on vinyl for a long time. i love it...

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ken

John

enjoy

ken

quote:

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"la scala" is a bit of a miss for me too

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For me, no album that has the transcendental version of Over the Rainbow that La Scala has can ever be qualified as a "miss."

A few Jarrett recordings I've enjoyed a great deal from the 70's band that included Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, and Paul Motian are:

1) "The Survivor's Suite"- 1977 ECM LP
2) "Eyes Of The Heart"- 1979 ECM LP

Virtually all of the Standard's Trio's recordings are worthwhile. My favorite is the live box set taken from the Blue Note in New York.

3) "Kieth Jarrett At The Blue Note- The Complete Recordings- ECM CD's (six disc set)

I saw the trio this spring at Princeton University, and if 'Live at Princeton' ever is officially released, it would come with my highest recommendation. They achaived such a deep musical rapport during one long improvisation that it felt like a seance in the hall; just magical.

Finally, one unusual recording of Jarrett's from the 80's that I have always loved is "Spirits", which is an album of his late night experiments on instruments other than piano taken from his home studio. While not as pristine a recording as is typical for ECM, this is very meditative music which I find strangely affecting.

It may also be of interest that Jarrett has said in interviews that he is an audiophile, and applauds the efforts that both the designers and listeners take to achaive a more profound experience of music at home. At the shows that made up the Blue Note box set for example, Jarrett insisted that there be no smoking, and no table service during the sets to allow listeners and band the chance for deeper communion. It is always so frustrating to me to attend concerts where that bond can't even begin to form due to audience inattention, noise, talking, etc.

So, dim the lights, put on your favorite LP, turn off the PC...

maybe this record only sounds good on a cdsii

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ken

Anyway, I agree with the "Live at the Deerhead" choice, but my favourite is The Cure". I first heard the track "Blame it on my Youth" being played by Helen Mayhew on Jazz FM. It is stunning. I do not think there is a bad track on it. And not much squeaking either!

Think I'll put it on this evening. And I'll definitely try it with the Fraims.
Regards, CB

i was listening to 'la scala' last night as a revisit -- my last encounter with this album wasnt very good. but this time around, things were quite a bit different -- and i think i can (pretend to) answer the question "why does he do it". listening to the first 2 tracks 'la scala I' and 'las scala II', what came across very clearly is that the squeaking is in fact part of the total performance. KJ gives the impression that the music is getting to the very core of his being ( ) and the (rather agonised) vocal feedback is probably his way of communicating this to the listener.

if you were unkind, you could suggest that this is like laughing uncontrollably while telling a joke -- but i like KJ a lot, so i am not going to draw this parallel.

a much better and perhaps more charitable explanation is that KJ himself feels like a part of the piano he is playing -- and this is how he reacts to it...

have you ever read so much b******t in one posting?

no seriously, i havent got "Live at the Deerhead" -- and will definitely get that soon.
many thanks and

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ken

No I need no secret service escort when I travel, but I did once run for President. It was an unsuccessful bid for sixth grade class president though, and best forgotten by all concerned. (I will skip the obvious jokes related to the age of interns for such an officer.)

As for Kieth Jarrett's stereo, I am under the impression he uses an American high end system based on analogue and tubes or at least did have such a system a few years back when he was profiled in the now defunct journal "Fi". The only products I recall were the CAT pre-amp and a Townshend Turntable.

ECM has traditionally made vinyl pressings available of many of their recordings. Given the fact that they keep much, if not all of their back catalogue in print, I believe you can order vinyl from older titles from their website in Europe. I have many such titles that I love to spin on my LP 12. Many of the earlier Jarrett works that may be available such as 'Koln', 'Sun Bear', 'Belonging', 'Eye of the Heart', 'Survivor's Suite', etc. are from the analogue era and I would suspect that they would be preferable to the CD's if you have a turntable that betters your CD player.

Happy hunting.

enjoy

ken