The Köln Concert

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

“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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 🌟

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

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

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

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/

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

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

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.

Enjoyed it very much!

I don't know anything about this person or this kind of music - is it piano jazz/blues/classical fusion? So without any comparators or understanding of the tradition its drawing from, I don't have much to say, other than that I loved the journey these songs took me on, and will be playing it as background music frequently over the next few months. I particularly enjoyed the little bluesy flourishes he'd throw in when I wasn't expecting them at all.

I've dabbled in listening to various forms of jazz and classical piano in my adult life (Glenn Gould and Maurizio Pollini especially) and I've never heard anyone blend the two genres like this. Super cool. This one felt like a revelation – can't believe I've never listened to this before, especially since it's apparently the #1 selling piano recording in history. The elements of the live performance are extra fun (eg hearing the crowd whoop a few times). I'm fucking all about this.

Hell yeah

This is a solid album. I like Classical music but it's something I only listen to during panic attacks and always something that I only keep digitally. This piece really moved me. I don't know enough to breakdown what makes any type of music good. I just know it's okay, good, really good or worth 5 stars. A 5 star album is an album that every song is solid. This is a 5 star album.

Phenomenal album! Worth every bit of praise. I could listen on repeat forever

Absolutely sublime!

An amazing concert all by the power of the piano.

absolutely stunning album

Absolutely gorgeous piano playing. I love the little bits of life you can hear from both him and the audience, clearly showing how moved they were by the insane improvisation here. Great stuff.

Wow

Amazing recording The story of how it almost never happened due to the piano switch-up makes it even better I love how coherent it is even though it is all improvised. It's very easy to fall apart and have it just be collection of very different sections, without any cohesion

Beautiful live jazz piano💆‍♂️ Perfect for a rainy autumn day 🍁

wow, musically so so brilliant and interesting and with the backstory to the recording, a legendary album

Cannot believe he just freestyled this

This was unexpected. I was a bit skeptical that I would like this a few minutes into the first song but man - this slapped.

I know the name Keith Jarrett but I don’t know where I would have heard it.. I’m a bit of a sucker for piano lately, certainly one played so magnificently. You can tell by some of his noises in the background, that he is truly passionate and loves what he is doing, and this makes the recording all the better. Amazing improvisation: Seems some parts were somewhat exploratory, where others he knew just where he was going. Another great album I may not have discovered, courtesy of the 1001 project!!

Męczący solo fortepian na żywo

Keith Jarrett requested a specific piano for this concert. When he arrived, he learned it was a much different, smaller model. He almost didn’t play at all, but decided to improvise to make up for the lack of bass in the piano he was forced to play. I was blown away with his performance already, but after learning the background, it makes it that much more impressive.

As a (terrible) pianist, this really blows my cork off. It's unbelievable to be able to improvise piano music this good for this long on this bad of a piano in front of this many people. Jazz is a bit of a misleading genre tag for this album (I'd say it's closer to classical), but the improvisational style and chord choices clearly call to the strengths of jazz music. Definitely one of the albums you should listen to before you die if not for the incredibly playing, then for the story.

An absolute masterpiece. Stunning.

I haven’t heard this album in such a long time, I was too young to appreciate it then in my twenties, now I just cry when I hear it, finally hear it!

God level talent

Loved this album! I love anything instrumental or classical and this definitely didn’t disappoint. The first part was long, but had enough variety in it to stay interesting the whole time. You can also tell that a lot of feeling and passion went into the songs as you continue to listen to it straight through. My favorite part was “Part II b” and “Part II c”.

Gorgeous and inventive playing. I can see how contemporary guys like Brad Mehldau were influenced by him.

I was studying for my biology paper while listening to this and yeah I aced that shit So I think I like it

Artiste connu. Cet album est mon préféré de Keith Jarret. C'est de plus un des seuls album de piano Jazz solo que j'adore, cette liberté totale et sa créativité sont vraiment impressionnantes. Plus d'une heure de surprise improvisée, on ne sait jamais où l'artiste va nous emmener. Un très grand album qui mérite la note maximale ! =>5/5

I don't know how much of this is due to the fact that I was very much in the mood for classical music when I was listening to this, but this is incredible! Especially impressive given the fact that it's just one piano. Amazing find.

Absolutely beautiful.

Going into this album and knowing it was going to be a solo piano album spanning over an hour long, I was a bit nervous. I am glad to report this album is a jam session in which you can really just sit back and enjoy. It's wild how he manages to turn the piano into an instrument that can just jam out at times. I will say the grunts and moans at times kept throwing me off, but the music was so good, I quickly just let it go and kept listening intently. Definitely deserves its spot

I really enjoyed this

ki gondolta volna, hogy pont egyórányi szomorú jazzimprovizáció kell a szabadságos hétfő reggelembe ❤️ I LOVE

this is beauty. masterpiece.

Amazing solo piano concert, beautiful

Sure, it's an hour of background music. But the guy just played the piano for an hour straight - is that not impressive enough?

How many solo piano performance albums can you name? I’m coming up with a few. How many of them were recorded live AND comprise production quality concert tracks? This makes the Koln album truly unique. Did you notice the audience stood and applauded for two encores? Can you imagine even playing the piano that long? Kieth Jarrett is truly amazing as I was reminded while listening to this album.

Expected to feel the way I feel about most free-form modern jazz (ambivalent, with a slight tendency towards hostile) but instead was blown away. It was amazing to hear such great art being created live in the moment and I surprised myself by responding quite emotionally to it. It’s also amazing that my parents didn’t own this record, as it would have totally appealed to my mum’s love of jazz and my dad’s love of the piano. This will definitely be an album I’ll return to again and again and I’m sorry I only first got to hear it aged 56.

Beautiful live performance with a crazy story.

Spectacular.

The greatest improvised performance of all time.

This is essential.

9/10. Incredible pianist and reading the story behind it made it even more incredible. Hard time rating a one instrument solo performance like this — but for the type of performance I can’t imagine it getting much better.

Masterfullinen kontrolli teoksesta... Väännetään yleisöstä piittaammatta muotin reunoihin ei eletä hetkessä ei kiinnosta täydellinen tietokone soittaja gg nabs

First listen. Wow.

20240820 Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert 4.5/5 As someone with some musical background with the guitar, I have always been impressed by the musicians that are able to improvise above some basic chords, creating melodies on the go and continue during a long period of time without a stop. That summed to the fact that I love the piano as a solo instrument (more in neo-classical music than jazz), have made me enjoy this album very much. It's amazing how much of the melodies created during this concert live could be songs written with intention in the studio, after hours and hours of trial and error, and are "simple" improvisation in a concert. This is what makes this album so impressive for me. The energy on Keith Jarret, the sounds of the audience and the musician himself apart from the piano takes the atmosphere to another level. If I have to say something negative about the album, perhaps it is too much "jazzy" sometimes, a genre I have not got into yet. But it there is any tipe of jazz to bring me in, this is it. Favorurite songs: Part II, B

Really lovely concert album. Even more impressive reading others comments and learning it was improvised and changed on the spot to accommodate the lesser piano he was using. A truly gifted musician who was even thrilling himself. Glad this came up on the list as I’ve never heard of him before.

this album is amazing

5/5 - Again a reminder of why I'm doing this list. What a gem. I would never have listened to this otherwise and been put off by the long tracks. It just clicked for me in my head, like a lovely jigsaw piece. Just effortless flowing through the music and I was fully engaged throughout the whole thing.

I'd only tangentially heard of Kieth Jarret through his playing with Miles Davis and Art Blakey so I didn't know what to expect finding a full solo piano album of his on this list but I simply get it 100%. This was moving, it played with rhythm, it soared, it was dreamy, it was violent, it was passionate, this was just everything you want from a whole, complete piece of music. This was a gift from him to the world, I truly believe that.

Absolutely beautiful music.

Nice!

ITS IMPROV???!?!?!?!??!

What an awesome album. The story behind it makes the album even more fascinating. This piano in my mind was a precursor to the George Winstons of the world. Keith played a live show on a crappy piano and adlibed and adjusted to make the music work in that venue and time. This is music I will listen to again.

This is brilliant. I guess I don’t really “get” jazz but I got this. Maybe people overthink it - this was super easy to just enjoy and relax into.

fucking perfect

9 / 10 Virtuosismo al piano, pero que en ningún momento aburre. El punto de más es escuchar al pianista como está disfrutando y va incluso gritando.

Super Nice piano muziek

Fantastic…10/10