[Nattapong]

Since discussion a while back with ... maybe "Dusty" .. I didn't quite remember about Keith Jarrett. I kept digging his CDs from library of course, he has tons of CDs available. Not that all of them are equally good as "The Koln Concert" or all of his humming are tolerable, but quite a number of sessions that are absolutely excellent. It is hard to imagine that these are works of one person... let alone imagine ... improvising ... and soloing those sets.... Here are what I think are excellent from his huge discography only from what I have listened. (Just my opinion, taste)

Facing You
Solo Concerts-Bremen and Lausanne
Belongings
Koln Concert
Death and the Flower
Survivor's suite
Sun Bear Concerts : These are absolutely amazing.
Changes
At Blue Note
The melody at night with you
Whisper not
Inside Out

There is no standards series here.... He sang too much for my taste. :b

For those who might want to explore him further.

 

[Milestones]

I second the recommendation for Keith Jarrett's music.

For those of you who may not know Keith Jarrett is a jazz pianist of stunning virtuosity on the keyboards who started out playing for the poplular Charles Lloyd Quartet in the 60s and then achieved an even greater measure of fame by playing electric keyboards for Miles Davis fusion jazz groups in the late 60s early 70s. After he left Miles, he went back to the acoustic piano which he has played exclusively since.

I don't particularly care for his solo piano work - but his quartets from the 70s (the "American Quartet" with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian - and the "European" Quartet with Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson, and Jon Christensen) made some of the most important and exciting acoustic jazz from that decade. Check out "The Survivor's Suite" (ECM) to sample the american quartet and "Belonging" (ECM) to sample the european quartet.

The Keith Jarrett "Standards" Trio (Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette) is not to be missed and is one of the great working jazz trios in the history of the music IMO. A good place to start with the trio would be the single sample disc from the "Complete Live at the Blue Note" 6 cd box set from ECM.

It is a crime that Keith Jarrett did not rate a passing mention in Ken Burn's "Jazz" documentary last year. He is one of a handful of the most influential jazz musicians in the last quarter of the last century.

 

[Magic77]

I agree totally. Keith Jarrett is one of the best ever. The world needs more musicians like him today.

 

[legoman]

Another Keith Jarret lover. However, I really go much more for the solo piano stuff, especially the improvised concerts.

The Paris and Milan concert would be on my list as well.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, I've been listening to a lot of my solo piano Keith Jarrett recordings since our conversation too:

Sun Bear Concerts -- my favourites -- so, do you see what I mean that 6 CD's aren't "too much"?

Solo Concerts -- Bremen Lausanne
Concert

Do you know what?!? Either I can't find my copy or I never had a copy of Koln Concert! OMG, I need to find it forthwith...

Dark Intervals
Vienna Concert
Paris Concert
La Scala

That's about it. Easily the single most brilliant pianist ever. Simply awe-inspiring in his depth and breadth of range (of styles) from repetitive minimalism to lyrical "smooth jazz", he's never boring.

I read an interview with him once in "Piano" magazine or something (I forget exactly where). The interviewer went to his house. They were out in "the shed" (really, a second house/recording studio/practice area). He was talking about one of his two main pianos (I forget exactly which one -- a Bosendorfer, perhaps?), and while he was talking, he was demonstrating some of the things he was talking about. He had either just come out with, or was about to come out with, one of his first classical albums. All of a sudden, he turned around to the other main piano and said, "but you can't play jazz on a whateverdorfer" and started playing jazz on it. That tells me he is really intimate with the nuance of the instruments. I have a full upright, and I know it like the back of my hand. I can get it to do things with sympathetic vibrations and such that no other piano can do, and am therefore indelibly married to this piano. This guy can probably do that on multiple pianos and fine-tune such nuances.

 

[Nattapong]

So it was you, Dusty. Two or three days ago, I listened to Sun Bear. 6 CDs weren't that much at all. These concert series to me are quite strange .. though not all having the same quality .. I can only imagine put them on a row .. and repeat them forever. He wasn't really playing .. he was flowing ... it is hard to call it jazz.. but it is not classic nor pop... It is probably call Keith Jarrett style. (I meant most of his solo works) I think Koln is a bit better than other CDs in term of texture, ideas ... In any case, though, the least successful on any CD of his... is better than most people can do over a life time.

It would be amazing if he was like... Charles Mingus telling audiences not to apploud. Imagine all those music put in some kind of multi-CD player.. without applaud .... flowing...

I tried with Nagoya .. repeated for.. like... 5 hours ... (Sun Bear series was good because long 40 minutes parts) .. effect was amazing... after 2 hours or so .. I started to lost track of beginning.. then everything just flow ... I also didn't know music too much to remember part ... so this also help

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nattapong So it was you, Dusty.

Yup. PS Just picked up The Melody at Night, With You. Quote:

These concert series to me are quite strange ... it is hard to call it jazz.. but it is not classic nor pop... It is probably call Keith Jarrett style.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but if you think about the most fundamental definition of jazz -- improvisational-based music -- it is. He makes that stuff up on the spot. Quote:

I can only imagine put them on a row .. and repeat them forever. He wasn't really playing .. he was flowing ... Imagine all those music put in some kind of multi-CD player.. without applaud .... flowing... I tried with Nagoya .. repeated for.. like... 5 hours ... (Sun Bear series was good because long 40 minutes parts) .. effect was amazing... after 2 hours or so .. I started to lost track of beginning.. then everything just flow ... I also didn't know music too much to remember part ... so this also help [/B]

I have a 5-CD changer, so I put everything in except for the encores -- it is a delightful experience. Quote:

In any case, though, the least successful on any CD of his... is better than most people can do over a life time.

Indeed!

 

[jerikl]

Quote:

It would be amazing if he was like... Charles Mingus telling audiences not to apploud. Imagine all those music put in some kind of multi-CD player.. without applaud .... flowing...

Ahhh... I prefer the applause! It's definitely more real... I prefer live recordings over studio anyday. Keith Jarrett is indeed one of the most emotional experiences I have ever heard... and I'm just getting into him.

I have a friend who was just recently at one of his concerts. He said, not too long into it, he was in tears after hearing them play. He looked around and the whole place was the same way. Took him around half an hour or so to compose himself. He's going overseas somewhere just to hear them again... wow.

Not sure I would go that far, but next time they are around, I've got to hear them.

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

Originally posted by Dusty Chalk Do you know what?!? Either I can't find my copy or I never had a copy of Koln Concert! OMG, I need to find it forthwith...

Yup, it's a good'un. The Koln Concert is great but it seems to have an amplified tonal quality, if you catch my drift. Is any of his music caught in a more intimate, unamplified setting?

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by pigmode Yup, it's a good'un. The Koln Concert is great but it seems to have an amplified tonal quality, if you catch my drift. Is any of his music caught in a more intimate, unamplified setting?

Found my copy of Koln Concert.

Not sure what you mean about unamplified...Sun Bear box sounds really good, but then again, so does Koln Concert...will listen again.

The Melody at Night, With You sounds pretty acoustic to my ears, but that's much more lyrical and "lounge" than just about anything else he's ever done.

 

[daycart1]

Has anyone here listened to his run through of the Shostakovick Preludes and Fugues? I wonder if he does the miserable humming for them? If not, I'd like to pick up that recording!

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by daycart1 Has anyone here listened to his run through of the Shostakovick Preludes and Fugues? I wonder if he does the miserable humming for them? If not, I'd like to pick up that recording!

No, I haven't, but I'll pick it up and let you know...

Probably not. I remember an interview with him asking him why he only grunted during jazz, and his response was something like "Jazz is hard."

 

[SEK]

My favorite Jarrett was with the groups that included Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, and Paul Motian. Of their work, I listen to "Back Hand" and "Survivor's Suite" the most.

A friend was playing the Koln Concert the other day when I dropped by. I hadn't heard it in decades, and it was quite enjoyable.

I've also recently gained a renewed appreciation for Jarrett's electric contributions with Miles Davis.

I've always wondered why on some recordings, especially some trio recordings, they placed the mikes so that Jarrett's screeching becomes a prominent feature. I don't mind grunting, but Jarrett's Halloween vocalizing has ruined many otherwise superb sessions for me.

 

[daycart1]

Quote:

Originally posted by Dusty Chalk No, I haven't, but I'll pick it up and let you know... Probably not. I remember an interview with him asking him why he only grunted during jazz, and his response was something like "Jazz is hard."

That's interesting. I don't know him as well as the other posters here, but in the stuff I've listened to, he's not exactly grunting--he is doing a hum-along-to-the-music. In fact, I remember there was a period where he used a little mouthpiece (looked like a feed tube) to amplify the humming, whining, or whatever it was. Since then, I've heard some folks borrow this technique (with regular mikes) who can actually sing and precisely parallel the piano--very nice!

Of course, I'm not casting asparagus on his PIANO which is obviously very fine!

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by daycart1 That's interesting. I don't know him as well as the other posters here, but in the stuff I've listened to, he's not exactly grunting--he is doing a hum-along-to-the-music. In fact, I remember there was a period where he used a little mouthpiece (looked like a feed tube) to amplify the humming, whining, or whatever it was.

Grunting/humming/whatever -- that's just what I was calling it. If it was only humming, I don't think people would mind so much. But you're telling me they actually miked him? That's a little bit overboard. I mean, I don't mind it, but I always thought it was unavoidable to accurately mic the piano without micing him as well (what is the correct spelling of "micing"? I know mic isn't really a verb -- it's short for microphone, but...???) Quote:

...I'm not casting asparagus on his PIANO...