The Köln Concert

This is another prime example of the stuff I enjoy seeing pop up on this project. I have never heard of OR heard this, and the story behind it is simply amazing. In a series of mistakes, Keith Jarrett was left with an incredibly subpar rehearsal piano to perform on for a sold out audience, versus a very specifically requested grand piano befitting a piano master. What resulted was an hour of pure piano improvisation; that's right, Jarrett switched everything up and composed and played on the fly, all in a way that would fit the rehearsal piano's limited capabilities and allow for the best possible output. All the while, Jarrett can be heard occasionally stomping and vocalizing along with the work; you can tell that he feels what he's playing. This album speaks to overcoming hurdles, being present in the moment, and being open to spontaneity; a variety of chaotic events led to this and it could have resulted in a cancellation or even a performance ruined by the limitations of a specific instrument. But instead, these events occurred, Jarrett agreed to play, and his musical genius flowed, allowing for this unique masterwork to happen, something that would not be readily replicated even if one tried. I feel like the genre label of "jazz" on this album is a bit misleading. While I definitely hear aspects of jazz, this also resonates with some very classical solo piano qualities. I don't want my rating to be misconstrued with the idea that I think classical music is the best thing I've heard on this project. While I do really enjoy classical piano music, I don't regularly seek it out, and it's by no means an absolute "favorite" or "preferred" genre. Rather, my rating comes from now knowing that this album is 100% improvisation on a shoddy instrument; it is a creative breakthrough birthed from chaos. This album very clearly communicates an undeniably masterful craftsmanship and an inspiring message of spontaneous human creativity. This really is something that people could benefit from hearing before they die, and I couldn't possibly rate it any lower.

Wow, amazing! As I make my way through these 1,001 albums, I think I will look back at Jarett’s Koln Concert as the one that finally got me to appreciate this genre. I mean I didn’t need a class in music theory or have to read a critic’s detailed explanation on why I should enjoy this. I was just blown away by the music which transported me to a place where I could see this artist on stage painting brilliant scenes with his music. Really this performance has rewired my neurons to fire differently now. Bonus note how I appreciated the record producer’s decision to leave in the applause so the listener will know that the audience knew they were witnessing a magical special moment. Bravo!

Nice songs, interesting background story. But 1 hour of solo piano playing ends up just being background music.

I think this album really represents something unique - a special piece of music you should hear before you die because of it's interesting story, not just because of it being an influential album. Would love to see more good, but novel recordings included in this list that have fun stories like this one. You could probably get rid of some repetitive beatles and bowie albums to fit in interesting things like this instead. || Moaning throughout was hilarious, and the music is great. but itis the story, the ridiculous circumstances of the performance and improv, and novelty of it all that bumps this up from a 3.5 to a 5 in my eyes.

that was actually really cool just a dude messing around with the piano for an hour i don’t know if i’ll be listening to it again very soon but i still really appreciated it for what it was to think this dude could create such beautiful pieces off the top of his head just blows my mind i love his talent and i think that album is very special to me 10/10 - no complaints, just a great album

If this was a footballer, it'd be Dimitar Berbatov during his career wind down at Fulham.

To simplify…a musician with a bad back who was hungry, slightly grumpy and playing a piano that wasn’t even the one he asked for and was substandard at that, improvised this piano solo. I’m blown away by it and the talent of the musician. I wouldn’t term this as Jazz, just an absolutely beautiful piece of music. 5/5

“I’m tired” “I’m hungry” “My back hurts” “This GRAND piano isn’t as big as what I wanted” Oh suck it up jazz wanker, play Rocket Man or something. He did hit some decent notes though.

I've heard of this concert before, pretty sure I read about it in a book, but I can't remember exactly where! Really fascinating story though, that such an engaging concert was performed under such difficult and ridiculous circumstances. Could have done without the moaning throughout, but maybe that's part of his style? Plus when you're improvising and suffering from back pain I won't fault somebody for making odd noises

I hated this one. The moaning, the extended clapping, the aimless improvisation that felt like it went nowhere for lengthy periods of times. I clearly am not the audience for improvised jazz

Hard to hate. But hard to love too.

The infinite power of being at the current moment. Beautiful. I wish I was there.

I actually discovered this in the early days of the pandemic when I found myself hardly able to listen to music. This has been a constant in the period since. Technically, it’s wonderful of course, but it’s also been that bit of a lifeline for me.

I... I wish I was cultured enough to can. But unfortunately, I cannot. I am an uncultured swine who cannot discern anything other than competently played piano. I'm going back to Slayer.

Fenomenal concert recording. I am pretty much speechless, whatever happened to Keith Jarrett on that faithful day in Cologne was amazing. Looks like from now on I will be on a hunt for a vinyl version of this concert.

Now this is jazz I can get behind. The first track is absolutely gorgeous. I wasn't paying close attention at first (jazz is usually background music to me), but about 4 minutes in I found myself drawn in and captivated. I ended up transfixed the entire time. Beautiful track. The second track is outstanding also, and I love how there were so many unique motifs on this album. Too many jazz albums sound like "more of the same." This album was constantly evolving and flowing. Mind-boggling that this is mostly improvised. I spent the day playing this album on repeat and kept finding new moments that surprised me. This is what jazz should be. Outstanding.

When I sit down at the piano, I always have the Köln Concert in mind. This is an album that worked like a little worm in my head, over many years, that slowly changed my playing, my approach to writing and performance, and my entire stance on how important it is to capture a moment is exactly as it is. Because that's what we're witnessing here: a captured moment. No artifice, no stage directions, no scene changes. Just a man versus the piano he was given. It's so, so beautiful. You can forget exactly how special it is that we have this on tape by spending too much time admiring Keith Jarrett's playing, or wondering, "how is he that good of a player?" You can forget that your job is to lose yourself in the same moment as he was in, as the audience was, when this took place. I'm so happy we have beautiful recordings of moments like this. It's why I collect recordings like this. It's why I love jam sessions, throwing a mic up, just living in the present with my recordings. It's really an attitude toward living. And it's SO BEAUTIFUL. God, Keith Jarrett. Thank you. A brilliantly-captured and well-deserved 5/5

Jazz instrumentals is not my usual cuppa, but some of the playing on this one made me stomp my feet and bang my fingers on the office furniture. Not sure how much of this is down to the fact of age or the sheer musicianship on play. The guy improvises hooks that a team of songwriters would spend weeks in a studio to create.

It's improvised ????! It's soooo fucking cool, smooth yet so upbeat at the end of the first part. What an awesome listening

So so awe struck by this album. The improvised notes on a broken piano was a pure virtuoso performance of a talented master. Wish I could have heard it live. WOW

There are some amazing moments on this album. I find it really poignant those moments when he struggles to find the groove and then suddenly it hits and the flow is just incredible. Some people are bothered by his vocalizations and I admit that it can become somewhat distracting but when you learn to listen around the vocalizing, to close your eyes and let the music wash over you it is a really all encompassing experience. 5 🌟

Do you like the music from Peanuts but want to seem more cultured? This is the ticket - and that is not an insult whatsoever.

Piano-instrument only which I love. Easy to listen to and have on in the background.

Jarrett's soft moans of encouragement to his piano are the cherry on top of this amazing piece of music.

Quite a dramatic backstory to this helps the music come alive beyond what you hear initially. I was going to make a crass analogy with my history of Doordash breakfast orders, but Jarrett's performance is too good for that. Embraces the best of both "jazz" and "classical", and makes me imagine catching this live would have been the '70s equivalent of seeing Liszt at his peak, man. Listening to this at a high school football game, where nothing happens repeatedly, may have enhanced my appreciation somewhat; think less, but see it grow. Another one that makes me glad I'm doing this project, good stuff. If you're interested, the burrito I salvaged was pretty great too.

I encourage anyone who is about to listen to this record to also read about the story leading up to this performance. Absolutely ridiculous circumstances surrounding the show that really puts the songs in a different perspective. The music itself is great as well. Impressive improvisation throughout. Also surprising to me that a solo piano free-improvisation record became a best seller.

Seeing this album on the list surprised me. I haven't listened to Koln in about eight years... In fact I'd almost completely forgotten about it and the life I was leading before the bright lights of Warwick uni took me to the Midlands. The record has a special place in my heart because the first girl I had a proper crush on and, crucially, also (briefly) dated showed me it. She was from one of the fancy schools in Bristol, could hear a song and play it back on the piano immediately, and got with me on sixth form results night. We then went out for about six classy weeks together. It was mega. Well, until she broke up with me on an indie club night on a boat. I had to wash up in a Brewer's Fayre for about ten hours the next day, I've rarely been more broken. The record itself is as good as I remember it. The opening section is maybe the finest solo piano performance around. It's all an improvisation and grows organically, in ways other pieces can't. Keith uses the whole piano, his feet and voice to occupy the place of an ochestra. The grunts and groans show you he knows exactly where he's going and how much he's feeling it. Perhaps most importantly for neo-classical music, Koln is a perfomance that's also very listenable. Jarret goes wild on the keys at points but also pulls back, giving the piece and audience space to breath and take it all in. I'd give it a five, but then again, Hettie also said I didn't kiss her enough when we split up in Thekla. You can't have your cake and eat it Ms Piano Girl. 4.5/5

Very pleasant listen. Although I thought musically it was quite repetitive it kind of grows on you. The music builds up to a crescendo. I would have put it more in a light classical genre to that of jazz but I guess the overall tone of the piano was somewhat akin to jazz. It was hypnotic listening and very relaxing. 👍

1. At last I get to listen to the full length Barry Norman theme. 2. This is the music played in Mel Gibson’s retirement home. 3. This album was better when they had Jarrett’s original song titles: “Sharon at the Rodeo”, “Miles Cut Yr Hair”, “Where’s My Currywürst, Vera?”, and “Tony, Get The Wheels!” This is obviously a powerful performance in its idiom, a record beloved by many, and a demonstration of what a virtuoso can do under what were apparently crappy circumstances. This is not something that was my jam today, but ended up being decent company for the hour before we went our separate ways.

All very pleasant. I do like piano music, think of I could choose any instrument to be a master of, it would be the piano. The live recording of the concert made me feel like I've had a glimpse into a world which I wouldn't have experienced otherwise. Bravo He looks like Howard Moon on the cover. Probably won't listen again, but glad I did!

What a phenomenal piano player, it’s just that I miss some kind of cohesion in the songs. Still, love the sound, but miss a clear path. Piano solo for an hour becomes background music at some point, but it still sounds incredible

I wasn't a massive fan of this. It was fine and I enjoyed the bits that's sounded like The Sims music. I didn't like the weird grunting and singing along noises in the background. Off putting. A bit too long. Like obviously it was impressive piano playing so I'm not saying they're not a good piano composer/performer I just didn't really give a shit

I was engaged the whole time despite that was a solo piano concert. You absolutely have to read about the backstory to fully appreciate the musicianship. It's proof that equipment does not matter. Only what you're able to put into it. It's fair to say he was able to make every single key count. That fact that it's a live recording makes even better. Like listening to a time capsule. 10/10

There's a passage in Part II b) at around 7 minutes which is nothing short of sublime - he produces a sound like a cello is accompanying him. His phrasings, his legato playing on the bass notes, his use of the sustain pedal all combining to give a fantastically controlled resonance. I don't know what a purist would think of the crescendo in Part II b) when there are clearly hints of off-notes in his excitement - you do hear the thinness of the treble notes here which makes it all the more impressive he manages to draw attention away from it for most of the concert (or 'gig'). In truth I feel this is a four, but with every listen it grows. Highly proficient but highly expressive which is the real genius. Impossible to understand in a short period of time l, and I can say confidently this will continue to appreciate every time I hear it. Like a fine wine really. Hence on behalf of my future self, I award it top marks.

I probably need a few more listens to really unpack and get a true feel for this record, but I’ll gladly do so. This is an actual “record you need to hear before you die”, I think, and I wish there were more like it on the list. Jarrett’s playing is dense and complex, with many moments of absolute beauty. That it was improvised live is even more impressive.

Don't really need to listen to this, but if you insist!

YES I knew I had encountered this album before! A fucking monster of a solo piano record. With all the vamping that occurs, this feels very close to a funk record, basically stripped right down to the studs.

It’s honestly crazy to me that this is all improv

Learnt from the wiki page the piano used was small and suboptimal (lacking in bass). Does not show however in the album, beautiful piano, upbeat and intense improv runs. Liked the change in tempo and styles throughout the tracks and album/

Jazz is always a daunting genre for me, as I find myself either bored, hating it, or very rarely, in love. However, I feel like I've not gotten to encounter a lot of piano-focused jazz, let alone solely piano. I know how to play piano, or at least I like to think I do, so listening to this album, I was just in awe the entire time by the moments packed here. Many, MANY fantastic little ambient interpolations among chord progressions and passages of pure euphoria among Keith Jarrett's playing, and you can tell he is certainly into it as well, with his moaning and the such, which reminds me a little of Robert Wyatt. The first track, despite its length, has a ton of stuff to love, and is worth the price of admission, so the next three tracks are just cool bonuses. They capture the concert hall feeling perfectly, where you are solely focused on the playing, and very little else, and it can be entrancing. It is pretty long, and because of that parts of songs can feel unnecessary, but whenever a moment pops up I truly adore it all feels worthwhile. This may be a bit different of a jazz record, but it is pretty far up my alley, and I'm glad to have enjoyed it.

So I really enjoyed the Koln Concert album by Keith Jarrett – though I do tend to enjoy piano compositions by excellent musicians… I have enjoyed some of the longer piano pieces by Keith Emerson (ELP), Rick Wakeman (Yes), and the solo artist George Winston among others, and this one was right up there with them… Perhaps what contributed to my enjoyment, was the story surrounding it, as it’s just amazing… - Long drive earlier in the day from Switzerland to Germany for the performance, so late arrival… - Not much time for dinner, and then off to the venue… - Had not slept well for several nights, and was wearing a brace for back pain… - Had to play on a relatively crappy piano due to miscommunication of what he really needed… - Was a live performance, and the substandard piano had pedals and key sections were barely functional, so limiting what he could actually play… And then on top of all of this, Jarrett basically improvised all of the pieces he played that evening… It’s stunning to me that he could play that well given all of the issues that he was dealing with, and to create those compositions on the spot – as I find that truly amazing… Was awesome that the concert was recorded, and stands as a triumph of make the best of a challenging situation for sure… Enjoyed every bit of this, and never would have found it without the 1,001… This is stellar top-to-bottom, and gets a solid 4 form me – and would probably give it a 4.25 if I could…

Well this is just delightful, one of the best piano performances I've heard. Elegant but playful and expressive. Completely enjoyable to hear. The story behind this makes it all the more impressive. Fave Songs: Part I, Part II a

It was the worst snow storm in 30 years. The piano was an old packing crate strung with fencing wire that had been dropped out of a third storey window. Keith Jarrett had smallpox, dysentery and one leg amputated below the knee. The crowd rioted because he refused to play The Chicken Dance. It was all recorded to wax cylinder. This is one of those records where the story is half (more than half?) of the pleasure of the album, and the story seems to get embellished with every telling. Really, this just 65 minutes of pleasantly lyrical improvisation, vamping over a few chords. But people talk about it like it's the Taj Mahal of improvisational jazz (which it ain't). I find this to be pleasant dinner party wallpaper. It's unchallenging piano bar jazz. It's jazz for people who want to tell you how much they like jazz, but don't actually like jazz. It concerns me that you can get the transcripts (arranged for piano or guitar!) for this album, and that people are learning it note for note. That's missing the whole point, people -- this was a moment in time, now go forth and improvise your own thing! I think that Keith Jarrett would agree. 2.5 stars, rounding up because it really is a great story, truth be told.

Nr. 114/1001 Part I 3/5 (3x) Part II A 3/5 (2x) Part II B 3/5 (2x) Part II C 4/5 Average: 3,13 Really impressive that this was completely improvised

This was pretty good, overall. Nice as a background sort of thing.

The performance was fair, but the sounds he made throughout were weird and distracting, even for a live album, where minor interruptions and inconveniences are to be expected and forgiven.

Very interesting finding out that this is all improv. Wasn’t really that into listening to just piano for over an hour but also didn’t hate it.

I am the music man. I come from far away and I can play. (What can you play?) I play the piano. Pia pia piano piano piano – Pia pia piano pia piano An hour of uninteresting piano playing. Dull!

Surprising. Never boring. Insanely hard for a piano player without any vocals to keep the audience that focused. Watching the concert must have been amazing!

Man, this is honestly really impressive and a masterclass in improvisation. Give yourself solid footing, find a progression/melody to play underneath, and establish your key. Then create interesting melodies over that, and once you've exhausted an idea, change a chord slightly and completely change the tone of what you've been doing. Knowing that this is not what the concert was intended to be only makes it all the more impressive. Honestly, his use of dissonance is really impressive as well. I think it's generally pretty easy to improvise while avoiding dissonance, but to use it and use it well makes it much more enjoyable to listen to and gives it much more impactful development. I wasn't fully sure what to expect, or how I would want to rate this album, just because it's so much different than nearly everything else on this list. It's labeled as "Jazz" but it's much closer to a classical style solo pianist performance with lots of jazz influence. It won't be everyone's favorite album, but I do think that is enjoyable by everyone. It's really approachable. It's also complex and interesting enough that highly trained musical ears will eat this up. Favorite Song(s) (even though this isn't that kind of album): Part II c

Forgive me for not being eloquent, but I enjoyed the shit out of this one. Jarrett is a supremely talented pianist.

Good show 9.5/10

Amazing

One of the first albums in this project to leave me speechless. Awe-inspiring performance, and learning that it was almost entirely improvised just deepens my appreciation for the recording. Such a diverse soundscape that makes this so much more than a "jazz piano album"

The Köln Concert I thought this was absolutely fantastic. I’m definitely more open to Jazz than I was before doing this, although I don’t think this felt particularly jazzy, apart from the fact it was improvised. It feels more like a classical piano composer like Lizst or Satie or Debussy, or a more modernist composer like Bartok or Phillip Glass, but made up on the spot. As well as his incredible touch and tenderness there is something very visual about his playing, managing to conjure images and movements, incredible really for one man on a subpar piano. And I love the growling and shouting when he hits upon a passage he knows is great. And the amazing backstory really does add to the whole thing, knowing the limitations of a slightly fucked baby grand has resulted in in an hour of superb improvised playing. This is a 5, just incredible skill and its virtuosic in the greatest sense, it’s not empty technical mastery or grandstanding, it’s just an exceptional hour of moving, magnificent piano playing 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹 Playlist submission: It’s all great, but I did like Part IIb for some particular reason

Really fantastic piano album, and the story behind it, and the fact that so much is improved, makes it incredible.

After two albums that I struggled to get through, I was so relieved to see this come up as my assignment for the day. This album is an absolute treasure that I have listened to an astounding number of times. I really don't listen to a lot of jazz or solo piano but this album seems to hit all the right notes and it just creates a perfect place to escape to. I read something about this album a while ago and it mentioned that some people complain about his spontaneous utterances during the performance but to me they are magnificent. It is those moments when the music he is creating affects him deeply, an unconscious realization that "this is fucking amazing what I am doing here" and we all get lost in it with him. I couldn't love this album more than I do. Can I have a sixth star for this one?

Bloody beautiful, this is. Part I, wow The footstomps/pleasure noises, subtle little noises, add even more to this. They're like the cherry on top. The last part of the track from about 20:00 to the end is truly the most magnificant climax to one hell of an opening track. THIS beauty is an example of why I started the 1001 album generator, to find gems like this. Finding genuinely beautiful music is a mystifying experience. Live albums, particularly "solo piano" are hardly my thing. But this? This is iiano playing that takes you to a higher plane of existence. As hippy as that sounds, there is something both spiritual and transcedent about experiencing this. Second track is, in some ways, more gorgeous, more melodic than the first. It's like track 1 was just Keith getting warmed up, and he really takes what he gets from the climax of that song and puts it into the next song. I'm not too familiar with the story behind this album. I'm vaguely aware there is something behind it, but I'm rating this purely on the music. Because even without the story, this is still a musical marvel. Third track is a little steadier (and honestly, weaker) than the first two. Much calmer, but still very good. 4th tracks picks up again, and is a lovely way to end a brilliant album. Apparently Keith Jarrett himself wants to burn any recordings of the concert. Which is truly a tragedy.

yes 5/5 yes 5/5 yes 5/5 yes i did an analysis of this concert in yr 9 yes i have the original cd yes i have all the songs on my playlist yes this is the greatest jazz album of all time yes

Just gorgeous stuff. Jarrett looks like Eric Andre on the album cover.

what a journey

Lofi Piano to Study To

Incredible. I particularly liked II b but this is beautiful throughout and it’s simply wild that a human can do this.

Oh, wow. One minute and twenty-one seconds of a standing ovation is only right. Really, really beautiful. The tone was absolutely impeccable; warm, while still retaining mystery and glamour. Just purely magnificent all-around. Perfect album.

After reading this guy sued Steely Dan for copyright infringement, and getting this the day after reviewing Steely Dan's Aja yesterday is a coincidence worthy of a chuckle. This usually isn't my style, but wow, what a beautiful piece of music. I can see why this is the best selling piano work of all time. The story behind this is great, and the fact it's all improvised is unreal. I don't know shit about piano, chords, or music in general; but I do assume that playing piano like this is particularly hard. Fucks knows, though. It does linger on for a bit long, but that is probably just my inept Gen-Z brain demanding more brainrot Instagram reels since I hadn't gotten my dopamine fix today. I enjoyed every moment of this nonetheless. Truly spectacular. I also enjoyed the audience input for not apparent reason, unless they're in on something I'm not, which is likely. I spent a lot of time during this record reflecting on all the music on my journey with 1001 so far, and the 200+ albums I've rated thus far. I'm incredibly thankful for finding this site, by sheer coincidence of looking for a random album generator. Unrelated to the record, I know, but I think a good piano ballad really does encourage deep thinking. Maybe I'm just being pretentious, who knows. Really hard to believe I'd give some cunt just playing a piano for an hour a 5, but here we are!

There is no other way to describe this other than it was a thoroughly pleasant experience that I enjoyed immensely. Definitely could have been longer. 9/10

Arguably more famous for the circumstances regarding its recording than the music itself. However, I did not know this until about halfway through my first listen. As a self-professed Cro-Magnon tier consumer of Jazz, I can't say much about the intricacies of the music but I was frankly blown away when I realised that this is entirely improvisational. Specifically 7:20 to about 8:45 in Part I is magical, I was totally rapt. I have no idea what the artist did on his keyboard but I know what I will be doing on mine: Typing "Keith Jarrett LP for sale" into google.

I don’t know what it is about jazz. I either really love it, or I really don’t want to listen to it at all. This I loved, this was great, a pleasure to listen to.

Great record one of the best examples of improving jazz with a great story behind it

Really enjoyed learning more about this after I listened to it, I think if I knew before hand it was improvising I would have been listening out for it, but it stood as a work of art in it's own right.

There is a reason why this is the best-selling "jazz" album. It's a bop.

Amazing!!!

Found this really easy and relaxing to listen to at the end of a busy day. That doesn't mean it was background music - it captured my attention. Will listen again.

Really pleased when this style of music gets an airing during this project. The samey rock guitar stuff can get monotonous at times! Beautifully arranged music and a pleasure to listen to, despite the protestations!

10/10 Everything about this concert experience was amazing. The crazy backstory was great to read, but more importantly the music. Jarrett absolutely killed this improvisation. His adlibs gave off the impression that he was one with the music, and so I was fully invested too. He was nonstop flowing on the piano. I would definitely come back to this album as it was truly an experience to remember

a solo piano performance that combines (post) minimalism with jazz harmonic ideas is basically something plucked right from my imagination and i have to stand in awe of its reality. i will listen to this many more times, but for as many Landmarks as there are (including more impressionist sections, sections that pull more directly from the language of western popular music, more minimal sections and more overwhelming sections) i can tell i want this to be as un-navigable for as many listens as i can, so the best parts can surprise me every time. u will be unsurprised to learn that several progression and vamps, sometimes fleeting ones, moved me almost to tears. maybe the final answer for What Is Music Supposed To Sound Like

5/5

human creativity at best.

Incredible solo performance

Ik heb me erg laten verassen door dit album. Totaal niet mijn smaak maar heeft me toch kunnen raken. Erg gevoelig pianospel, wat niet eens heel jazzy klinkt, maar wel onder een jazz concert zou vallen. Dit klinkt naar mijn oren meer geïmproviseerd pianospel in de stijl van klassiek dan jazz. Desalniettemin een geweldige luister ervaring, zelfs voor iemand die nooit naar zulke muziek luistert. Ik wou het eerst 2 sterren geven maar die man in het publiek ging zo hard hierop dat ik het er maar op moest geloven dat dit een geweldig optreden was. 5 sterren!

Thought this was sensational. I'm sure some jazz purists may not like it, and I can hear some of the pop and easy listening tropes along the way, but not sure I've ever heard someone so inside their playing before.

i adore this album. it inspired me to listen to other Jarrett albums, but nothing is quite as passionate or emotional as this one; it’s the best live album i’ve ever heard

I can't believe this was improvised.

I never knew I would enjoy one hour of piano improvising this much. This never got boring at any time and his playing is just incredible (I can only dream of being able to play the piano like this). The backstory behind this concert is very interesting as well. This list needs more albums like this.

The piano is a piece of crap. Some of the keys don’t work. Some of the remaining keys are out of tune. The audience is expecting something different. Jarrett is in a foul mood. The album is transcendent. How to work within limitations to expand boundaries A top 10 jazz album. And a must listen.

Beautiful, atmospheric piano music

What a wonderful thing to be lost in.

Unbelievable. One of those meteoric pieces that the world conspired in a bunch of mistaken ways to birth. Jarrett’s felling and genius comes through in every note. He made this instrument sing like only a true virtuoso could. This very much deserves to be the best selling solo jazz album. Going to buy a copy now.

I had a friend who said "Why would I go and watch **** live? I can listen to all their songs perfectly on CD." For me, this album is the reason. Songs shouldn't exist in one perfect form - they are living, evolving things. And on this album, with Keith Jarrett improvising them from the musical either, that is demonstrated to perfection. He shows music isn't about the best piano, the best rehearsed, the best produced. It is also about the immediacy of the moment. My only problem with this album is that it sometimes reminds me of the theme tunes to those 80s US law dramas! They really spoilt melodic jazz for me.

Super evocative. Loved it

Lifting soothing and moving

Do yourself a favour and find a quiet spot put on some headphones and enjoy the ride.

Solo Jazz piano crossing over into a quiet small 70s drama soundtrack - brilliant

Never would have listened to this if it weren't for this project, and I loved every minute. Absolutely worth reading the wiki article for the background of this recording.

This was beautiful. Like, this was actually beautiful. After learning the story of this album, this is genuinely one of the best albums I've ever heard. Knowing this is the best selling Piano and solo Jazz album of all time, just makes me happy. Truly incredible this whole thing was improvised. Truly a miraculous album.

This was beautiful. This is exactly the type of album I was hoping to discover through this project. Keith Jarrett is insanely talented and I'm blown away by how phenomenal this album is.

This album is one where I know it's at least a 4, but I could see it going up to a 5, if I find myself going back to it frequently enough. This also inspired me to check out more of Keith Jarrett's stuff, who I'd never heard of before. I really appreciate his playing style, which reminded me a bit of Gould. I'm putting my favorite track as the last one mostly out of necessity, because while I prefer part 2, it's split across 2 tracks and so doesn't really function as 1 song. I also really got a kick out of the synchronized clapping at the end. Edit: I'm moving it up to a 5! Favorite Track: Part II c

Got me into some reading a book on the train core. I was listening to the beautifull piano sets and the time passed unseen

Learning not to trust my preconceptions. An hour of live solo piano improvisation from 1975, what could possibly be worse (musically that is)? Well … Keith Jarrett has joined the jazz and classical oceans to create a beautiful recording that carries so many moments of musicality it is extraordinary.

Where has this been my whole life? Absolutely beautiful piano. Not only will I be returning to this often, I will be seeking out much more of his music.