For almost a year now, Keith Jarrett has been one of my favorite pianists, or should I say one of my favorite musicians of all time. Not only has he overcome some insurmountable odds (e.g. chronic fatigue syndrome) to take his playing to great heights; he also proven his mettle & steadfastness in refusing to be pigeonholed under any specific genre. To tell you the truth, the man has made some pretty powerful music which has transcended any need for categorization, dodged any labeling whatsoever.
One of my favorite CDs by Keith is The Koln Concert. If there was an album which was truly magical in more ways than one, The Koln Concert would be one of those defining records, period. And it's not because a) it became Keith's biggest selling effort to date, or b) this masterpiece would put his record label (ECM) on the musical map to stay. This concert was one of the most awesome concerts he ever performed all by his lonesome, true, but here's another reason why his performance @ Koln was so magical:
75% of this concert was unplanned, unscripted. It's as good as spontaneous improvisation ever can get in a live setting, especially when there's only one musician on the stage. From the opening notes of this performance to the very end, Jarrett takes off & soars with a passion which lets you know his heart & soul is in the music. Some might dismiss his vocalization during his playing as some sort of anomaly, some needless ennui, but let's face it: he's groaning & grunting for a reason, namely that he's feeling the vibe, the music; he's speaking from his soul to us, the listeners, his heart is in his playing. When left to his own devices, Keith could deliver the goods: gospel, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Tyner, Hancock, Tyner, Bill Evans. And The Koln Concert confirmed those divergent musical styles in spades, by bringing them all together for roughly 65 minutes...by the way, some of the best 65 minutes of music ever made.
The myths are myriad when it comes down to how this very concert came about. One of those strange but true facts surronding this January 1975 recording was that Keith got the wrong piano for the gig; the lower & higher registers weren't to his liking so he stuck to the midrange of his keyboard the whole time. Despite his piano's limited capabilities, Jarrett still pulled off a winner, an outright classic, a bonafide masterpiece.
As for the highlights? I won't nitpick at all: the whole album is downright outstanding. Part I is worth the price of admission into the world of Keith Jarrett, or for that matter, a CD full of great piano playing, something that won't have you reaching for the "skip" button. Part II is twice as nice, especially beginning at the midway point of section B; Keith's performance during this point in the concert still gives me goosebumps each time I listen to it.
If there was any album by Keith Jarrett which I would recommend getting, The Koln Concert is the best place to start your KJ collection, or to get your first dose of Keith at the peak of his musical powers. Not only is this electrifying music; it's also beautiful, spontaneous improvisation which is, has been & always will be some of Jarrett's most popular output to date.
One of my favorite CDs by Keith is The Koln Concert. If there was an album which was truly magical in more ways than one, The Koln Concert would be one of those defining records, period. And it's not because a) it became Keith's biggest selling effort to date, or b) this masterpiece would put his record label (ECM) on the musical map to stay. This concert was one of the most awesome concerts he ever performed all by his lonesome, true, but here's another reason why his performance @ Koln was so magical:
75% of this concert was unplanned, unscripted. It's as good as spontaneous improvisation ever can get in a live setting, especially when there's only one musician on the stage. From the opening notes of this performance to the very end, Jarrett takes off & soars with a passion which lets you know his heart & soul is in the music. Some might dismiss his vocalization during his playing as some sort of anomaly, some needless ennui, but let's face it: he's groaning & grunting for a reason, namely that he's feeling the vibe, the music; he's speaking from his soul to us, the listeners, his heart is in his playing. When left to his own devices, Keith could deliver the goods: gospel, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Tyner, Hancock, Tyner, Bill Evans. And The Koln Concert confirmed those divergent musical styles in spades, by bringing them all together for roughly 65 minutes...by the way, some of the best 65 minutes of music ever made.
The myths are myriad when it comes down to how this very concert came about. One of those strange but true facts surronding this January 1975 recording was that Keith got the wrong piano for the gig; the lower & higher registers weren't to his liking so he stuck to the midrange of his keyboard the whole time. Despite his piano's limited capabilities, Jarrett still pulled off a winner, an outright classic, a bonafide masterpiece.
As for the highlights? I won't nitpick at all: the whole album is downright outstanding. Part I is worth the price of admission into the world of Keith Jarrett, or for that matter, a CD full of great piano playing, something that won't have you reaching for the "skip" button. Part II is twice as nice, especially beginning at the midway point of section B; Keith's performance during this point in the concert still gives me goosebumps each time I listen to it.
If there was any album by Keith Jarrett which I would recommend getting, The Koln Concert is the best place to start your KJ collection, or to get your first dose of Keith at the peak of his musical powers. Not only is this electrifying music; it's also beautiful, spontaneous improvisation which is, has been & always will be some of Jarrett's most popular output to date.
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