Keith Jarrett

The next Jarrett release on ECM is a double CD titled After the Fall with the Standards Trio live in New Jersey in 1998, their first concert after Jarrett's two year hiatus from performing.

 

While I haven't listened to a KJ disc that I didn't like I prefer his later solo and ensemble work - two, in particular, get regular play:


Shostakovich, 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87 (1992)

At The Deer Head In (1992)
The Shostakovich album does not necessarily sport the best interpretations of the individual pieces but are certainly performed well enough for appreciation and respect. However, the Deer Head In album is one of the best of the Jarrett led live ensemble recordings in his output. Peacock and Motian are in good form and Jarrett, who is revisiting the site where he first gigged, is happily (for me) on terra firma. Ha.

 

Sampled it on Spotify...the playing is fantastic, but I don't really like the sound....
I'm on the wall about diving into my wallet and go for the "Live At The Blue Note"-set...

 

I love Arbour Zena but I guess I'm alone.
Hymns/Spheres, The Celestial Hawk and In The Light also don't seem to get the appreciation they deserve imo.

I also love Belonging, Death And The Flower and The Survivor's Suite.

 

In the liner notes Jarrett mentions it was a DAT tape of the board mix, so although it sounds fine to me it may be below the typical ECM standard.

 

I have and love all the recordings with Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock. A great band and catalog of great American songbook standards.

Also:

At the Deerhead Inn with Paul Motian.

The first Impluse box set with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian is great. And same band on Survivors Suite (ECM).

 

IMO both of the Impulse box sets are great. The second one includes Shades which for me may be their best album.

 

I have Gary Burton and Keith Jarrett
and Mysteries. GB&KJ is one of my top 10 all-timers.

Wonderful artist. I used to have a live album (not Köln I think, though it may have been) but it was lost many years ago.
A loss I really must remedy...

 

I did exactly that. I had Koln since the 70s and decided I wanted more in that vein. Sun Bear is a bear to get through. There are some parts that are very discordant. But there are some parts that are, indeed, like a continuation of Koln (Nagoya & Tokyo encores in particular).

 

Seeing the Koln concert mentioned reminded me about the issues there were around making the recording:

"For a renowned perfectionist such as Jarrett, who was fastidious about his pianos and possessed perfect pitch, the instrument was an abomination. When he was given the news that there was no time to get a replacement piano, Jarrett threatened to cancel the show. Making matters worse, Jarrett was not in good shape. He had been suffering from excruciating back pain for several days, a result of which was a run of sleepless nights. To cap it all, his condition was exacerbated by the exhausting five-hour, 350-mile drive he made to Cologne from a concert he’d given in Zurich. Given that situation, it was no wonder that the pianist was ready to call it a day."

Nice little article: How Keith Jarrett Defied The Odds To Record His Solo Masterpiece, ‘The Köln Concert’

 

I have a weird relationship with Jarrett. I have not bought anything about him in years but I love his stuff of the beginnings (the piano trio with Haden and Motian for Atlantic ) and the Seventies (the album as co-leader with Gary Burton, the European Quartet, the American Quartet, the album Expectations for Columbia).
I don't like much his piano solo recordings. According to me, Jarrett is much more inspired when he can interplay with other musicians.
I like his late Standard Trio , but I have little material and I do not feel much the need to increase it.
I do not know his classical recordings aside some occasional listenings.

 

Actually, I prefer this solo piano outing:

 

I got this on CD years ago. One of my greatest treasures. But I am still a casual fan. Would be unbelievable on vinyl!

 

On vinyl, can anyone recommend a preferred issue of Köln Concert?

 

Maybe it was this:

Keith Jarrett ‎– Solo Concerts: Bremen / Lausanne
ECM Records ‎– ECM 1035-37 ST
Format: 3 × LP Box Set
1973

This is one for top sound quality. Early pressings are magical sounding, and dead silent LP sides.

 

Try and find a pressing from Germany, early if possible. But condition is important of course on solo piano.

 

Right, thanks. I’m looking into that. Looks like the first is non-gatefold and subsequent early editions gatefold, but beyond that...

 

I'm listening to this right now. Great sound for sure.

 

I put on the Blue Note set a couple nights ago, and after a little while my wife asked, “Is someone playing a kazoo?!?!” She wouldn’t believe me at first when I said that’s his voice.

We actually saw the trio play in Minneapolis, many years ago now, but I guess the groaning wasn’t so audible up in the balcony then.

 

Although I was aware of Keith Jarrett's 'Koln Concert', I hadn't listened to any of his other music. Since I started a new job in December 2019, it turns out the deputy manager is a bass player and a bit of a jazz fan (amongst other things). I'm just in the infancy of my jazz journey so he started lending me some CDs, one of which was Keith's 'My Song'. At first I'm not ashamed to admit that I thought 'Hmm, this saxophone stuff sounds like cheesy American TV theme tunes'. But I stuck with it, and I can now truly say this album is embedded in my mind. I go back to it time and time again, I have it on now as a means of destressing after a particularly stressful day in the day job...

From there I went to 'Belonging' of my own accord after seeing the brilliant YouTube TV recordings from 1974 of the European Quartet (from Germany's NDR and Norway's NRK). My deputy manager has now leant me 'Facing You', 'Arbour Zena', 'The Survivors' Suite', 'Still Live' and 'The Melody at Night With You'. He particularly mentioned 'Arbour Zena' stating that many people may disagree, but it's one of the albums he'd rush to save if his house was on fire...

I have listened through it twice and find it a remarkable listen. Certainly a heavy going listen, but I had chills down my spine the first time I heard 'Runes', the swells and changes, least when I was expecting them. I wonder why so few enjoy that album?

Anyhow, I'm very much starting out with Keith, I doubt I'll examine the full breadth of his work, there's just too much and too little time!

 

I collect everything by the American, and European Quartets. And I love the Gary Burton album too. A few standards trio albums is enough for me. The Koln Concert is very famous and many casual fans go for that one but for me it doesn't compare to the group albums.

If you can find a reasonably priced 1973-74 Impulse box, grab it. It's a great set. And the live Sleeper double CD by the European Quartet is another great recording. Better sound quality than the sister album, Nude Ants.

 

I wanted to explore ECM some, so my 1st disc was the Koln Concert. I came across a guy on ebay who had a batch of Keith Jarrett for sale, so I now also have Radiance (which I think I like more ), and The Melody at Night with You, and the Vienna Concert. Looking forward to listening to those last two!

 

May I recommend Deer Head Inn, and Bremen too? Gorgeous.

 

I will check those out, thanks.

My naive impression of Radiance vs Koln, is that Radiance has more energy, it's angrier, it's a little more aggressive. ??

 

Have not read entire thread. My impression has always been that the many trio recordings - all worthy - do vary in sound quality. All are more than good - after all it's ECM. But some are sublime. The 6 CD Live At Blue Note has always sounded amazing to me. I have had it for 25 years - a treasure.