Keith Jarrett - Piano God

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Originally posted by Diccus62:
Have any of you seen Jarrett live?

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Originally posted by Lontano:
To be honest they do not bother me. His piano playing is so good any moans are worth it and I think I would miss them if they were not there.

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Originally posted by Oldnslow:

Oh, and while you are at it, be sure to pick up the reissue of Paul Bley's early classic solo album on ECM, which contains the gorgeous composition Ida Lupino.

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Originally posted by Diccus62:

Have any of you seen Jarrett live?

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Originally posted by fred simon:


Irwan, I didn't get a chance to reply in the other thread, so may as well do it here.

For me, Jarrett is a consummate musician ... as a pianist, as a composer, as an improviser, as a soloist, as a band leader, in a trio, in a quartet or quintet, as a sideman (Art Blakey, Chalres Lloyd, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Airto, Kenny Wheeler, Gary Peacock), as a classical performer on both piano and harpsichord, as an innovator, as a consolidator, and as a musical thinker.

His touch and command of tonal gradations on piano is nearly unparalleled, as is his intense lyricism, sublime melodicism, deep harmonic palette, and profound emotional communication.

The Impulse collection you have is a great survey of his so-called "American" combo; equally wonderful, yet differing in some respects, is his "European" quartet with Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson, and Jon Christensen. Here are some suggested albums surveying the breadth of his extensive catalog:

•••

Facing You - his brilliant and perennially fresh solo debut

Solo Concerts - Bremen/Lausanne - as great as Köln Concert is, I dig this even more, his first live solo release

Sun Bear Concerts - a monumental solo piano masterpiece

Belonging - the first album by the European quartet, and a masterpiece

Personal Mountains - European quartet live in Japan, and yet another masterwork

Arbour Zena - a joyful, wonderful album of Jarrett's compositions for piano, saxophone, bass, and orchestra

Bach sonatas for recorder and harpsichord - luminous, even numinous, performances of transcendent, timeless music

Keith Jarrett At The Blue Note: The Complete Recordings - you can't really go wrong with any of the "Standards" trio recordings, still, this is one of the very best

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes And Fugues Op. 87 - a masterful performance of one of the major piano works of the 20th century

The Melody At Night, With You - there are many incredible solo albums following the aforementioned Sun Bear Concerts, but this one is different in several important respects ... it was his first recording after a disabling bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, recorded by Jarrett in his home studio as a Christmas present for his (then) wife, and not intended for release; it's singular among his solo albums because it consists of only standards (except for one improvised piece), and not just jazz standards but cultural "über-standards" like "My Wild Irish Rose" and "Shenandoah" ... it's very much the work of a mature master artist, no longer a young lion, who has nothing left to prove, eschewing virtuosity and musical complexity, leaving only pure, emotionally evocative music

•••

One more thought, Irwan ... you, as a staunch fan of my music, for which I'm truly grateful, should consider that Jarrett is one of my primary influences, and his music has meant as much to me as any other music ever has.

All best,
Fred

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Originally posted by ewemon:

You never listed Koln Fred. Any particular reason?

The other disc I noticed you didn't list was La Scala.

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Irwan, I didn't get a chance to reply in the other thread, so may as well do it here.

For me, Jarrett is a consummate musician ... as a pianist, as a composer, as an improviser, as a soloist, as a band leader, in a trio, in a quartet or quintet, as a sideman (Art Blakey, Chalres Lloyd, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Airto, Kenny Wheeler, Gary Peacock), as a classical performer on both piano and harpsichord, as an innovator, as a consolidator, and as a musical thinker.

His touch and command of tonal gradations on piano is nearly unparalleled, as is his intense lyricism, sublime melodicism, deep harmonic palette, and profound emotional communication.

The Impulse collection you have is a great survey of his so-called "American" combo; equally wonderful, yet differing in some respects, is his "European" quartet with Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson, and Jon Christensen. Here are some suggested albums surveying the breadth of his extensive catalog:

•••

Facing You - his brilliant and perennially fresh solo debut

Solo Concerts - Bremen/Lausanne - as great as Köln Concert is, I dig this even more, his first live solo release

Sun Bear Concerts - a monumental solo piano masterpiece

Belonging - the first album by the European quartet, and a masterpiece

Personal Mountains - European quartet live in Japan, and yet another masterwork

Arbour Zena - a joyful, wonderful album of Jarrett's compositions for piano, saxophone, bass, and orchestra

Bach sonatas for recorder and harpsichord - luminous, even numinous, performances of transcendent, timeless music

Keith Jarrett At The Blue Note: The Complete Recordings - you can't really go wrong with any of the "Standards" trio recordings, still, this is one of the very best

Shostakovich: 24 Preludes And Fugues Op. 87 - a masterful performance of one of the major piano works of the 20th century

The Melody At Night, With You - there are many incredible solo albums following the aforementioned Sun Bear Concerts, but this one is different in several important respects ... it was his first recording after a disabling bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, recorded by Jarrett in his home studio as a Christmas present for his (then) wife, and not intended for release; it's singular among his solo albums because it consists of only standards (except for one improvised piece), and not just jazz standards but cultural "über-standards" like "My Wild Irish Rose" and "Shenandoah" ... it's very much the work of a mature master artist, no longer a young lion, who has nothing left to prove, eschewing virtuosity and musical complexity, leaving only pure, emotionally evocative music

•••

One more thought, Irwan ... you, as a staunch fan of my music, for which I'm truly grateful, should consider that Jarrett is one of my primary influences, and his music has meant as much to me as any other music ever has.

All best,
Fred

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Four times total.

Three times with the Standards Trio - Paris in 99 (I think) (became the album Whisper Not on ECM) and London twice - early 2000's and last year, with the London concert last year being sensational.

Then I saw him late 2008 solo in London - this became the ECM album Testament.

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I've heard Jarrett many times over a period of several decades, in solo, trio, and quartet ("American") formats. Sublime, transcendent, life-affirming ... and believe me, that's not hyperbole.

All best,
Fred

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Originally posted by irwan shah:
Your karma in this life is sky high, having had the privilege of seeing Jarrett more than once in concert. I went through my uncatalogued discs (i.e. not yet listened to disc) and came across a Keith Jarrett DVD. It is titled 'Standards' and it was recorded in Tokyo. He is amazing. I can now understand why he is often labelled as a piano God. His sidemen aren't too shabby either. Gary Peacock in particular is in top form, playing with such sensitivity.

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Irwan,

If Keith comes near you make sure you take the chance. His concerts are rare. His recent London solo concert was his first London solo in 17 years - so I made certain I could go as he might never appear here again solo - and London is one of the main cities for him to play.

Glad you have the DVD, so that will give you a good idea of his trio albums.