Keith Jarrett: The Koln Concert

Posted by: Mr Underhill on 20 October 2011

WWW.HIREASAUDIO.COM
24bit 96Khz

Keith Jarrett: The Koln Concert
Recorded in 1975

Intro
HiFi News Download album of the month with 95%

Thought I'd buy soemthing they had recommended and hear what I think.

Analysis: Track II part c.

Audacity reports the file as 24bit/96Khz.

The waveform shows that this has not suffered from the loudness wars, but it isn't taking full advantage of the dynamic range available either.

The Waveform:

I've highlighted the section I used for frequency analysis.

Frequency Analysis:

If you are used to the HiFi News charts then please note: The logarithmic scale along the x-axis.

The frequency graph:

So what does this show?

When I first saw this I would have thought - damn I've been diddled, if I hadn't seen the graph in HFN.

As you can see the frequencies just about crawl over 16KHz, see that lovely dark blue line on the frequency graph at about 16KHz, and the spike at that value in the Frequency Analysis.

Interestingly this album had been subjuct to some comment on Computer Audiophile:

http://www.computeraudiophile....ck-recording-quality

cookiemarenco of Blue Coast commented:
Hello Vitor, I recently listened to the Koln Concert on CD and was told it was newly remastered.

I grew up listening to this recording on vinyl as a piano player. When I became a recording engineer, I revisited the recording on vinyl and was saddened at how much compression is used on the piano sound.. especially noticeable on the upper notes.

Unfortunately, this is also true of the enhanced CD I heard. My sense is that it was recorded live with compression (common at the time). There might be a slight chance that the engineers involved revived the original and remastered without compression for the 96K version. Have you run Audacity to compare?

Or can you tell me if the 96 24 version sounds compressed? (There are some things a graphic won't tell you that listening will).

Another correspondent noted:
I think that the Koln spectrum looks pretty nice. That horizon line you see at about 16k is noise, but it seems to be present in more than a few recordings.

And:
On the Koln track, try this: on edit -> preferences -> spectrograms, change the frequency gain (at the bottom) from 0 to 10. See if you get more detail in the high frequencies.

--Which is how I set Audacity for the frequency graph above. If you click on the image you'll see it full size and you can see traces reaching up above 30KHz

Personally I think that this shows that the interpretation of these graphs is far from straight-forward, calling for experience and understanding - wasn't it ever thus!

Objective:

So how does it sound?

Very good.

I am not a huge jazz fan. I do like the first track on this album, a lot. The rest are OK. Nothin compressed or nasty here.

If you like modern jazz this may float your boat. You can listen to the tracks on the website before you purchase - I'd advise listening to a couple of the tracks first.

M

Posted on: 20 October 2011 by likesmusic

This concert is famous in jazz for being a near disaster .. the piano was a badly tuned rehearsal piano.. Jarret was tired and wearing a back brace and initially refused to play the piano ..(he is famously petulant) ..there were all sorts of issues with the recording .. nonetheless it is one of the biggest selling jazz records of all time, and a great experience and great performance. You are completely totally and utterly wasting your time analysing what's happening at 16Khz. Listen to music being made.

Posted on: 20 October 2011 by Mr Underhill

Likesmusic,

I wasn't analysing it. I noted it was there and then posted some comments by more knowledgable people than me, stating that it was: an artefact; nothing to worry about; and that sometimes you get more from listening than looking at graphs.

Hence my comment:

... interpretation of these graphs is far from straight-forward.

And you can see what I thought when I listened.

Posted on: 20 October 2011 by RaceTripper

I recently purchased the German import pressing of this on 180g vinyl ($50 from Amazon). First impression is it sounds quite good, and a good replacement for my damaged original copy.

Posted on: 20 October 2011 by Old Mister Crow

Mr. Underhill,

This is one of my very few HDTracks purchases, and I had almost exactly the same experience as you. I've heard the recording maybe 30 times on CD, and without a doubt found more detail in the HDtracks version. Definite improvement.

And like you, I was surprised when I ran the analysis on it. Very little content about 16K, and that noise band that you mention. If it didn't sound so great, I'd be very suspicious of the analytics. Again like you, I think this tells us more about the non-trivial aspects of interpreting these graphs than anything else.

Best,

Posted on: 21 October 2011 by okli

I've purchased it immediately as I saw it on hdtracks and to me it sounds really great - at some times I have the impression I can feel how he moves over and touches the piano keys. And I didn't make any analyzes, because I've programmed FFT some times ago :-)

Posted on: 21 October 2011 by likesmusic

There's a very good BBC radio documentary about the concert here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/e...The_Cologne_Concert/

Posted on: 21 October 2011 by Mr Underhill

Hi OMC,

What I think is great about the Computer Audiophile thread that I linked above is that people post their observations, and some jump to '..it is upsampled', to be followed by another respondent explaining that it may well not be.

Some of the posts ask for a analysis primer - but no-one has stepped up to the plate.

Seems that this echoes HiFi: Objective -vs- Subjective in some ways.

There appears to be no doubt that HDTracks have sold a fair few sub-standard 'HiDef' albums, and CA have some threads running by dissatisfied customers.

Some even appear to be CD PCM tracks that were upsampled, converted to DSD for SACD, then the process reversed for their sale as 'HiDef' files!

Trying to 'know' what you are buying is far from straight-forward!

Likesmusic,

Thx for the link, good program.

Posted on: 22 October 2011 by frankster_666

Originally Posted by likesmusic:

There's a very good BBC radio documentary about the concert here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/e...The_Cologne_Concert/

Thanks for the link, very informative. I didn't know that Vera Brandes (the concert manager) was only 17, kudos to her.

BTW IMHO this recording is totally overrated. Sure a one-man-piano-improvisation-show was unusual at that time especially in an German opera and maybe the concert was a great emotional experience for the audience. And lots of people have quiet some sweet memories of that time and its music (the soundtrack of our lives...).

But to be honest, today it's a little bit boring and sounds more like Richard Clayderman or George Winston on a coffee break. Only few musical ideas and a lot of uninspired repetitive moments.

No offense intended.

Posted on: 22 October 2011 by likesmusic

No offence taken frankster. Who do you rate, if you don't mind me asking?

Posted on: 22 October 2011 by frankster_666

If you like jazz piano try for example Chick Corea's Piano Improvisations and Children's Songs. Oscar Peterson as a piano player is also a favourite of mine, e.g. listen to Solo (live 1972).

And regarding "classic" listen to Murray Perahia. Especially his interpretations of the Bach Partitas are first rate. This man is digging really deep for the musical message.

Posted on: 22 October 2011 by RaceTripper

Agree about Chick Corea for the most part, but he has done many diferent styles/genres, not all of which I care for. Oscar Peterson is one of my favorites, and I am thankful to have seen him twice in concert.

I like Jarrett OK, but he is not one of my favorites. His moaning gets very annoying and ends up in the way of enjoying his playing much of the time. I grew tired of it and stopped buying his records sometime back in the 80s, although I do have a sizable collection of his vinyl recordings on ECM.

Posted on: 22 October 2011 by aht

My favorite solo Keith Jarrett album is "Facing You," a relatively early one on ECM. The later, rather self-indulgent solo albums, including Köln, are a bit tiresome, IMHO. But my all-time favorite Jarrett albums are those of his 70s Impulse quartet, with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian.

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by likesmusic

Originally Posted by frankster_666:

If you like jazz piano try for example Chick Corea's Piano Improvisations and Children's Songs. Oscar Peterson as a piano player is also a favourite of mine, e.g. listen to Solo (live 1972).

And regarding "classic" listen to Murray Perahia. Especially his interpretations of the Bach Partitas are first rate. This man is digging really deep for the musical message.

Cheers. As it happens I have many Chick Corea and Murray Perahia cds (or rips as they've now become) - and have seen them both live, Chick Corea several times, Perahia twice. Last time I heard Chick was a solo concert - he played some of his children's songs - beautiful. His work with Gary Burton too is musicianship of the highest degree - New Crystal Silence (and the original) is one of my favourite albums. Murray Perahia too I listen to nearly every day - I heard him play the Goldbergs live - utterly transporting. I have all of his Bach. As far as Jarret is concerned, there are very few concerts I have ever walked out of .. but I did walk out of one of his. He is mostly a precious egotist - but the Koln concert was for me, at it's time, special.

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by frankster_666

Maybe it's all about those special moments. Last time I saw Chick Corea was on a reunion tour with John McLaughlin a few years ago. I had very high expectations because McLaughlin is one of the guitar gods of my youth. Well, the concert was ok, but left me in some way unimpressed. What was new and energetic 20 - 30 years ago can sound a little bit lukewarm today.

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by Mr Underhill

Oscar Peterson was brilliant, and I envy you Race Tripper!

I have a number of OP Trio albums, superb.

One of my friends 4th son is named Oscar in honour of OP.

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by likesmusic

Originally Posted by frankster_666:

Yep - if that was the Five Piece Band tour I saw them too at the Cork Jazz Festival iirc. It was good to hear the tunes from 30 years ago - there were some tremendous moments, especially hearing McGlaughlin play In a Silent Way - but that was then I guess. I very much enjoy McGlauglins more recent work with Zakir Hussain like Saturday Night in Bombay and Remember Shakti. Wonderful music. And Thieves and Poets is a great work - a concerto for two guitars and cello and the delicious Viktoria Mullova on violin. If you like classical music and jazz and guitar you might particularly enjoy it. The final chord is incredible.

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by RaceTripper

Originally Posted by frankster_666:

I think it is also true that "who" was new and energetic 20-30 years can be what is lukewarm today.

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by RaceTripper

Originally Posted by Mr Underhill:

Oscar Peterson was brilliant, and I envy you Race Tripper!

I have a number of OP Trio albums, superb.

One of my friends 4th son is named Oscar in honour of OP.

The new 45 RPM reissue of of "We Get Requests" from Analogue Productions/Quality Record Pressings is absolutely superb. Not to be missed!

I am in Acoustic Sounds "Verve" Reissue subscription and can't wait to see the other OP in the set, "West Side Story"

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by Mr Underhill

Thx RT,

I'll go and have a look.

West Side Story is one of my favourite albums, on one of the first that I ripped.

Posted on: 23 October 2011 by RaceTripper

Originally Posted by aht:

I just pulled out my copy of "Facing You" gave it a good wash on the RCP, and played it, probably for the first time in 25 years. I agree, this is a very good example of KJ.

One of the things I have always liked about KJ is the gospel flavor he lends to his improvisation. Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) is another great player in that vein. "African Piano" is one of my favorites.