Reviews (page 2 of 13)
Recently I got really into the ECM catalogue and was somewhat surprised that I missed out a lot of great music for such a long time. From first listen this record breaths energy. Best solo piano live recording I've heard. This is the first album I did listen to before it popped up in the generator. 5/5
quite enjoyed this and i don’t usually for a purely instrumental track
This was an incredible performance made only more impressive by reading the backstory. Keith has a really unique way of playing, with him often using a repeating lower note as almost percussion while playing a gorgeous rhythm and melody over the top. I really have no complaints with this one.
muito lindo
If it hadn't been for this website, I would've never listened to this magnificent piece. It feels like true human spirit played through a classically trained grand pianist. Reading into the backstory, I think the shitty piano really adds to the whole experience. I had a really bad piano growing up, and hearing this same "tinny timbre" shoots me back to riffing on it when I was a boy. Maybe that's why this is hitting me so hard..
Absolutely brilliant! Keith Jarrett is a genius. A simply stunning album from beginning to end.
Grand, sweeping, but also dissonant and innovative. It’s wild to think this was improvised. The encore is the cherry on top.
MAN. KEITH JARRET IS A GENIUS.
this album changed how I perceive sound and music. it is one of the greatest recordings ever made. I have listened to this album more times than I could count, particularly in high school and college. I could hum along to basically the entire thing. I think my dad impulse bought this CD for me at a Best Buy in West Palm Beach, FL, when I was around 13-years-old -- some time when it was hot. Harry might remember the trip. this is one of those albums where I'm jealous of anyone who has the chance to listen to it for the first time. improvised solo piano concert? I wasn't exactly thrilled to check it out at first, but it wasn't long til I realized that I had never heard anything like this. continuous beauty, tension, silence, and rhythm flowing out from this individual in front of an enraptured audience. of course there's moments where his technical prowess shows, but overall this performance takes you on such a gorgeous journey -- I'm always tempted to start it over each time I listen. somehow every moment here is essential. some personal highlights: the moaning & exclamations from Jarrett from around 6:00 - 12:00 in Part I is completely warranted. I don't think it's possible for anyone to listen to the final 6 minutes of Part I without moving their body. the rolling, descending chord that starts the section off is unfiltered beauty, and by the end it's hard to comprehend that there's only two hands on the keys. in Part II (a), a playful moment at 5:48 proves there's more fun to be had here, and tension continues to build before eventually dropping out and shifting into a quieter phase. Part II (b) opens with a steady pulse and driving rhythm that provides space for Jarrett to create interwoven leads with his right hand, at first playing around the beat, then stabbing it. later in this section, around 11:00, feels like sunshine breaking through the clouds after a moody storm, to resolve into one of the simplest, prettiest moments at 14:08. Part II (c) feels like a celebration of everything that's come before, a blast of inspiration before leaving the stage. you can feel the audience hanging on every note and not wanting to interrupt the silence. I love this album and will always appreciate any opportunity to revisit it.
Got stuck on this one for a few days, listening to it over and over. Brilliant, life-affirming, tension and release.
Holly shit this was so good :)
On adore Keith Jarrett.
Intéressant. C'est assez modal/impressionniste comme approche, ça me fait penser à Bill Evans. Est-ce que ça mérite vraiment son statut de meilleur vendeur album jazz? J'en mettrais d'autres avant certainement. J'ai vu plusieurs 'footage' de Keith Jarrett jouer live, c'est un performer hors pair. Il mérite 5 pour ça, et pour la petite histoire autour de la préparation du spectacle (le mauvais piano livré entre autres)
Excellent et très beau. Olivier trouvait ça « trop agressant » mais on trust pas encore son opinion musicale.
permanently exploring Zelda BOTW POIs
Wow. Unexpected. Unknown. Loved every second of it. The delicacy, the intricacy, the technical prowess. I will treasure this discovery.
This was completely new to me, and what a treat to be able to hear it for the first time. Mesmerizing, beautiful, and evocative of more delicate worlds. I love this.
Wow
Absolutely stunning! The whole album is great.
Beautiful, delicious exciting
Ok, I've been geeking out on this album since yesterday morning. I was not familiar with this album before, and I'm scratching my head on why. I'm a fan of classic jazz, and a few things struck me right away about this album. First, most jazz is performed in bands or small combos. This however is solo piano -- no drums, no bass, just piano. Second, most jazz is based on a tune. An artist will take a tune like Autumn Leaves for example... play that tune and then improvise based on that tune and the chord changes. But Jarrett doesn't do that here -- EVERYTHING is improvised... therefore the abstract titles like Part 1. And lastly, this level of improvisation is being done in front of a live audience. I think the only way Jarrett could have been more vulnerable in performance is if he was naked while playing. After listening I dove into the story behind the performance, and from what I read this performance never should have been successful. Apparently Jarrett had been up all night hitchhiking from his previous performance in Switzerland, he had food poisoning earlier in the evening, and the wrong piano was delivered to the venue... one that was broken and had serious limitations (you can hear him using a broken pedal in places to produce a percussive sound) These limitations informed his performance ultimately determining which keys he would use and the tonal centers of the music. The performance didn't start until 11:30 at night because an opera had been performed at the venue earlier that evening. It sounds like they were ready to cancel the concert except that it had sold out and a crew had shown up ready to record. This album is so unique -- like a perfect alignment that was captured for posterity. It is no wonder that it is highly acclaimed.
All killer no filler. Jeg så en film om Vera Brandes og koncerten sidste år, der virkede Keith Jarrett som en ok anstrengende type men han har tydeligvis noget at have det i
HELT fantastisk, utvivlsomt den bedste improviserede plade på listen
Exceptional album. Will revisit. Fully immerse yourself.
I've never heard of Keith Jarrett before, which made it all the more intriguing to learn about him. A child prodigy, he was playing piano before he turned three, and by age seven, he was playing both classical works and original compositions. While he grew up learning classical piano, he grew to love contemporary jazz after seeing Dave Brubeck perform. This interest led him to turn down an invitation to study classical composition in Paris to attend Berklee College of Music instead. After playing at cocktail bars in Boston clubs, he moved on to The Jazz Messengers, the Charles Lloyd Quartet, Miles Davis' group by the end of the 1960s, and even started his own groups before pursuing a solo piano career. Keith reached the point where he performed totally improvised solo concerts, including one in Cologne, Germany, in January 1975. Now, this particular concert was marked by some adversity. It was organized by an 18-year-old Vera Brandes, who was Germany's youngest concert promoter at the time, trying to bring more jazz into her home country. The Köln Opera House only allowed for an 11:30 pm time slot for the concert on a Friday night, following an earlier opera performance. Keith had come to the opera house late in the afternoon, exhausted from several sleepless nights, only to find that the grand piano he had requested for the concert didn't arrive. Instead, a baby grand piano was delivered, and there was no time to get a replacement. Jarrett was ready to give up playing for the night, but Brandes was able to convince him to go on with the show. He did recognize that the concert was sold out and the recording equipment was largely set up, so on he went. What transpired that night was something truly spellbinding, at least from what I heard over fifty years later. The Köln Concert is divided into two parts, with Jarrett vamping over a few chords for prolonged periods of time. Technically, Part II was divided up into three sections due to the technical limitations of vinyl at the time, but it's largely forgivable, as one would expect to listen to the performance in full anyway. I think what set Keith apart from other piano players was his ability to play complex ostinatos, or repeated musical patterns, on his left hand, while simultaneously improvising with his right hand, without ever dropping a beat. This guy went hard to make that baby grand piano sound stronger than it normally would have, for minutes on end. I just get lost in how he came up with so many distinct movements on the spot, covering a wide range of emotion and bombast, never letting up. I didn't even mind it when Keith could be heard hooping and hollering on the recording, cause it seemed indicative of how into the performance he was. The audience was certainly into it every time he finished a part. The Köln Concert is such a shining illustration of facing any number of obstacles with true perseverance. Keith Jarrett would continue to perform until he lost the ability to play with his left hand in 2018. Of course, by that point, his legacy had been set as one of the most revered pianists to have ever graced this world, with this concert performance as a prime example of what he accomplished against all odds.
Wow, this was enjoyable. Nothing was predictable about it. I think this needs a couple more listens for me to form a real opinion. And I will definitely give it a couple more listens. This is what I hope to get from this challenge. Great albums I probably have no chance of hearing on my own.
Best album so far. BRILLIANCE.
Absolutely lovely. Breath taking. A joy to listen to.
Writing schmaltzy jazz is easy. Writing avant-garde jazz sometimes seems like it might be even easier. Writing jazz that runs parallel to both tracks but never crosses either - that is sentimental without being cloying, clear without being cliché, complex without being unreadable, exciting without being desperate, masterful without being arrogant - seems like it ought to be utterly impossible, and yet Jarrett does it here, and on an empty stomach and a dubious piano to boot. There are multitudes here - among others, I located the genesis of Wilco's "At Least That's What You Said." Jarrett said he wished everyone would move on from this album, but shit, can you blame us?
This is so nice!!! I thought it would be a metal band and lots of screaming loool but I adore contemporary piano. Excited to listen to other stuff by this artist!!
Agree with other comments that the story of this album is interesting, even though it seems Jarrett is difficult but clearly a master at his craft, but with solely piano music it can almost be relegated to sounding like being in the The Sims editor mode. However, once you stop and listen it does sound incredible and it's nice that this list includes something different and interesting, even though it's one of the biggest selling piano albums ever. Also amazing that someone can find themselves in a situation with an instrument not fit for purpose and just riff on pure creation to make something like this. For everything above I can't vote anything less than 5.
Wonderful pianist and wonderful concert. Definitely worth revisiting.
extrremely pleasant
so lovely
My first 5 so far. Loved this. Knowing the story of the concert ahead of time just made it that much better.
brilliant. a new favourite. mesmerizing
It's piano, always good.
A masterclass in solo piano improvisation, Keith Jarrett creates a transcendent and deeply emotional atmosphere that remains unparalleled in jazz history. Despite the faulty piano, his performance is a perfect blend of melodic beauty and rhythmic intensity that absolutely earns stars.
Eric Andre??
Génial, tant de musicalité pour une improvisation
sugoi
What a beautiful composition, the closest thing to neo-classical music that we may get in this group. I listened three times. 5/5
If you're capable of making something like this under sub-optimal conditions with a defective instrument, then Jarrett is a genius who deserves to be on this list.
I'm not a huge fan of improvisational jazz, but this was a beautiful album. Keith finds beautiful riffs and runs over simple chords, and you can feel the emotion pouring out. This was a great discovery, and I'm giving it 5 stars just for how much this album surprised me.
Amazing album! The history behind the album is fascinating
I really enjoy Jarrett's music, this is a great one. 5.
De lo mejor de piano solo improvisado que he escuchado. Nunca se queda sin ideas, tiene una técnica impresionante y una forma única de expresar y crear melodías y construir sobre ellas. Te hace sentir que estás en el público viéndolo tocar. Tener en cuenta el contexto en el que sucedió le suma mucho valor como obra. Lo volvería a escuchar sin duda
An extremely good piano performance with an insane backstory. Most of the album being improvised is just even more icing. Eager to listen to this again soon.
One of the most incredible performances in not only piano or jazz, but all of music. It’s beautiful. And it works great for background or foreground listening! I love the story behind the piano used and how it wasn’t the right one or in tune. Yet that obstacle didn’t stop the music. Imperfection lead to perfection.
Tremendous piano
There's nothing to say about this that hasn't been said a millions times before. Incredible piece of artistry and as good as live jazz can be
Definitely my favorite Keith Jarrett album and quite possibly my favorite jazz album. Fascinating story of this concert, how the grand piano promised never showed up and how he had to play this out of tune damaged piano instead. He hates this album, the rest of us love it.
Well this is just stunning piano improvisation. Perfect concentration music for working
I dont liek doing imstrumental things for reviews, so this album is a bit harder, but its very good, like i assume most of the albums on the 1001 before you die list will be. with the songs were split up so i could pick sections i like, but whatever. 10/10 easily.
Normally classical/jazz piano doesn’t hold my attention as a solo instrument. But this is something else. Jarrett’s approach grabbed my attention; the pacing, the timing, the particular feeling he infuses in the notes makes it stand out. I just know - without expertise - that I’m listening to a master. It’s not suitable to classify this as classical or jazz; it is something new and distinctive. It was only after I listened all the way through that I learned that Jarrett had improvised this entire concert with a substandard piano, with a sore back, with an empty stomach… well, the greatest speak for themselves. True brilliance.
Fama
It took just one listen to this album. This man is a genius.
Keith is a phenomenal pianist. I'd never heard of him before, but I was hooked for the whole performance. The fact that it's improve is incredible.
Absolutely breathtaking. I’d never heard of this before. Exactly what you dream of for this project.
Wow! Didn't know anything about this going in, but hard to say it's anything but great!
What the hell!? This is PHENOMINAL...my first 5-star rating!
Dude from Allentown, PA shreds on the wrong piano for an hour in Koln.
Este es uno de los mejores discos de la historia. Yo no lo creía No he visto una demostración de talento musical tan grande en mi vida.
great background / dinner music.
There's so much to say about this recording. The full history and background. Im sure there's plenty in others reviews describing all the bits and pieces of the wrong piano, Jarrett's back pains, his attempt earlier on this tour, and have the tour was financed. There's a recent screen play surrounding this almost mythological concert called "Köln 75". The build up towards this concert from the perspective of 17 yo girl who acts like a promoter for jazz in Germany. As well, one of my strong recommendations is to at least abit try to read up on the evolvement of jazz until this point. How it's gone from big band swing, to be pop, to free jazz, to this... full on improvisation.
God do I love the piano, I need to start practicing it again
Just a man, his piano, and one hell of a song. Solid 5 Stars.
It’s obviously a 10. It’s just beautiful. I’m not really sure what else to say. To put together a performance like that on a piano that’s different from what he originally wanted to play on, and to craft something so lovely out of a flaw, persevering forward to make something that might be universally described as art… man. It’s just a remarkable piano performance that will evoke anything in anyone, and the wide variety of pictures it can paint feels as endless as the sky itself. Just go listen to it. It’s incredible. A masterpiece, even. It’s a 10.
Wasn't expecting to love this album, but I do. Maybe it's the right sound for a Friday morning, but I'm all. Reading about the concert is even more fascinating.
Storytelling without words in a magnificent form. Holy shit this is amazing. And the immortalisation of moments of awe from the audience, gasps and exclamations of delight as the playing effortlessly eases from season to season in a narrative that feels like it's unfolding completely organically.
A great display of musicianship, way more captivating that I thought an hour of solo piano could be. His mastery of dynamics and ability to take the same phrase and then pivot to a different direction is awesome
Transcendent improvised piano mastery. Man BECOMES instrument here. This is one of those rare tomes that exists in the liminal space between the seen and the unseen, the known and the unknown, the real and the surreal. Keith Jarrett was a vessel for brilliance and human perfection with all of its glorious triumphs and blemishes.
favorite song: N/A vibe: unlike anything else. beautifully musical rating: 94/100
Pure poetry
I loved it! It got me through a very stressful hour of work 5/5
One of my favourite live albums ever. The story behind this shambles of a concert and how it came together better than anyone could have imagined just adds to the stunning playing on display here. I love Jarrett’s total immersion in his performances and this is probably his best.
Very expressive, inventive.
I thought this album was beautiful and quite emotional at times. Then I read the background and found out it was entirely improvised in far from ideal circumstances. Incredible! I will be listening to more of his music. Oh, and the album cover is great too.
fantastic.
Tento album som si naslepo kúpil svojho času v DDR. Okamžite som si ho zamiloval. Pre mňa je to 5+
Loved it. 5 stars. Honestly though I'd give it 4.5 because of the occasional vocal exclamations that you could faintly hear in the background throughout the album. I don't begrudge him getting excited and exclaiming while playing but I kept thinking it was someone shouting at me and then I'd realize it was from the album. So a little distracting. Otherwise fantastic.
Absolutely incredible. Like a jazz improvisation on studio ghibli themes. Mesmerising and joyous. Absolutely blown away by this album
Last.fm tells me I have listened to Keith Jarrett before, but apparently it hadn't won me over enough for me to listen to more than a few tracks. I think that all changes today, because this was phenomenal. Probably one of my favourite discoveries from this project so far.
Amazing music. I’ve listened to this thousands of times and still love it.
A masterpiece
Piano melodies
Reading about this concert helped a lot. I had a similar experience (though I'm not Keith Jarrett) when I travelled overseas for a show and they presented me with a keyboard that was literally a toy. 4 octaves, plastic, no pedals. I completely freaked out and didn't want to play. Had to rework my whole set and it was terrifying. Hearing this concert in it's mastery and knowing that it was an incredibly stressful case of improvisation.. it's IMPRESSIVE
Classical piano but with a twist. So energic, nuanced and exciting.
Woah this comes from the source!!! Those bottom keys!!!!! Fuck it 5/5
Finally an album in this project that is not pop, rock or rap. I wish the creators of the list were more adventourous. .
Excellent. Learned that this was entirely improvised. Impressive display of talent.
Halfway through the first track I knew this was an album I’d return to again and again.
Spectacular! I went down the rabbit hole learning about Jarrett and his incredible improvising skills.
ABSOLUTELY GOATED SHIT LET'S GO KEITH‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ if you don't like the jarrettnoises you are missing the point i fearrrr this man loves tunes so much he's moaning to the music get used to it 👏👏👏
Well now... this one struck a chord in me. I've heard it once before and I don't recall being moved by it back then, but upon listening more actively this time, it evoked a lovely sense of familiarity and homeliness. The ebb, flow, comforting major tonality and general structure of Part 1 reminded me a bit of John Butler's Ocean - one of my all-time favourite tracks - which set me up for a pleasing listening session throughout the rest of the album. That's not to mention the story behind the recording - to hear it almost never came to fruition! This is definitely at the top of my shelf when it comes to instrumental music. Magnificent stuff.
Väldigt välkommet med lite jazz! Det känns som att det varit allt för mycket rock på sistone. Har inte lyssnat på detta album på flera år, men visste att det låg i listan så det är ett av de albumen som jag har lite väntat lite på. Fantastisk konsert! Så otroligt uttrycksfullt. Älskar alla hans små stön och utrop. Man verkligen känner hur inne i musiken han är. Part II c, eller Memories of tomorrow som den också heter, spelade vi ett gäng gånger när jag pluggade. Gillar den skarpt.
Vilken king, att med de förutsättningarna gå upp och leverera det där. Som sen ba blir bäst säljande solojazz- och pianoalbumet genom tiderna.
Att detta är totalt improviserat har alltid övergått mitt förstånd. Bara vetskapen att det här sker i stunden där och då tillför så satans mycket till upplevelsen. Och att han dessutom spelar på ett kasst övningspiano som han hatar gör det ännu bättre. Dynamiken och de lediga övergångarna mellan stämningslägen och genrer är fan sjuk. Kommer aldrig sluta avundas de som fattar ett instrument på ett så här djuplodande sätt, som att det är en del av deras egen kropp. Man kan börja tro på Gud för mindre. Allt är otroligt. Svänget varvat med det finstämda och vackra och så hans röst som hela tiden fångas upp av micken, ena stunden sjungandes och andra stunden småstönande. 5a!!
A joy to listen!
A true testament to the creative process trudging through adversity.
wss nothing short of delighted to see this as the album of the day. best piece of improvisation OAT
I'll search for information about this iconic jazz album to provide you with a comprehensive review. Let me search for more information about the musical structure, themes, and critical reception of this album. Now I have comprehensive information about this iconic album. Let me provide you with an in-depth review. --- ## **The Köln Concert** (1975) — Keith Jarrett ### **An In-Depth Review** --- ### **Overview & Historical Context** Recorded on January 24, 1975, at the Cologne Opera House in Germany, *The Köln Concert* stands as one of the most remarkable achievements in jazz history—and arguably the best-selling solo piano album of all time, with over 4 million copies sold worldwide . What makes this recording extraordinary is not just the music itself, but the almost mythical circumstances surrounding its creation: it was entirely improvised, performed on a substandard piano, by an artist who was sleep-deprived, in pain, and initially refused to play . The concert was organized by 17-year-old Vera Brandes, Germany's youngest concert promoter at the time. Jarrett had requested a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand, but due to a delivery strike, the venue provided a much smaller Bösendorfer baby grand rehearsal piano instead—out of tune, with malfunctioning sustain pedals and a thin, bright upper register . Jarrett, who possesses perfect pitch and is notoriously particular about his instruments, initially threatened to cancel. Combined with back pain, sleep deprivation from a five-hour drive from Zurich, and food poisoning from a bad meal, the conditions were catastrophic . Yet Jarrett performed. And in doing so, he created something that transcended jazz, classical, and popular music boundaries. --- ### **The Music: Structure & Analysis** **The Performance Structure** The album consists of four continuous sections: - **Part I** (26:09): The monumental opening improvisation - **Part II a** (14:55): Transitioning from elegiac to more rhythmic territory - **Part II b** (18:14): Building intensity and complexity - **Part II c** (6:57): The composed encore (more on this below) **Musical Language** Jarrett's improvisation operates in what scholars identify as a "modal context"—harmonic progressions that don't follow classical jazz cadences like II-V-I turnarounds, but instead use "direct transition" techniques to modulate between tonal centers through common notes . This creates the album's characteristic suspended, floating quality. The opening motif—five notes that mimic the opera house bell calling the audience to their seats—demonstrates Jarrett's immediate responsiveness to his environment. From this simple cell, he develops a 26-minute journey that musicologists have analyzed as containing: - **Pentatonic scales** combined with pedal tones creating modal centers (reminiscent of Debussy's *La Cathédrale Engloutie*) - **Power chords** (root and fifth without third) providing harmonic suspension - **Contrapuntal dialogue** between short rhythmic cells in left and right hands - **Genre fluidity**: gospel rhythms, Middle Eastern trance influences, country flavors, blues, and classical romanticism all woven seamlessly The physical limitations of the piano ironically became strengths. The bright, thin upper register forced Jarrett to concentrate in the middle range, creating a more rhythmic, hypnotic approach than he might have otherwise taken . The instrument's deficiencies demanded a percussive, groove-oriented attack that gives the music its driving momentum. **The "Composed" Question** Musicologist Peter Elsdon's research reveals that while most of the concert was indeed improvised, the final piece ("Part IIc") was likely a pre-composed piece called "Memories of Tomorrow" that Jarrett had written earlier that year . This doesn't diminish the achievement—it was standard practice for Jarrett to end concerts with prepared encores—but it complicates the "pure improvisation" mythology. More importantly, Elsdon demonstrates that even "pure" improvisation isn't chaotic; Jarrett employed strategic patterns and "rescue maneuvers" when stuck, developed over weeks of touring . --- ### **Production & Sound** Produced by ECM founder **Manfred Eicher**, the recording captures the concert with remarkable intimacy despite the piano's shortcomings. Eicher later spent days in the studio working on the tape, and ironically, the album won awards for its sound quality despite the compromised instrument . The production choices were deliberate and influential: - **Minimal microphone placement** capturing both the piano and Jarrett's physical presence - **Retention of audience applause** reminding listeners they are witnessing a shared, temporal event - **Inclusion of vocalizations**—Jarrett's humming, moaning, and foot-tapping—which became controversial but essential to the document's authenticity The ECM aesthetic—clean, spacious, reverberant—perfectly suited this music. The label's 50th anniversary vinyl reissue (2025) demonstrates the recording's enduring sonic quality, with "Tubey Magical Midrange" that modern records struggle to reproduce . --- ### **Themes & Interpretation** **Presence & Imperfection** The album's central theme is **mindfulness**—being utterly present in the moment. Jarrett has described solo concerts as "the most revealing psychological self-analysis imaginable" and "like stepping onstage naked" . The Köln performance embodies this: an artist accepting limitation (the piano, his physical state) and transforming it into possibility. **The Architecture of Improvisation** Jarrett's approach treats improvisation not as randomness but as **spontaneous composition** with structural integrity. The music builds through "thematic episodes arranged in plateaux," each originating from rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic ideas that develop organically toward climaxes . This architectural approach—comparing Jarrett to Le Corbusier in his systematic yet creative method—reveals deep formal intelligence beneath the surface spontaneity . **Spirituality Without Dogma** The music radiates what producer Manfred Eicher called a "miraculous kind of quality" . Listeners consistently describe spiritual experiences—transcendence, emotional catharsis, meditative states—without any religious framework. The album functions as both "sophisticated background music" and "emotionally stimulating foreground music," serving different needs for different listeners . --- ### **Influence & Legacy** **On Jazz Piano** *The Köln Concert* fundamentally changed perceptions of solo jazz piano performance. It demonstrated that extended improvisation could sustain emotional and structural interest without ensemble interaction, existing material, or predetermined forms . Pianists like **Brad Mehldau** owe their solo recital careers to Jarrett's breakthrough . **Beyond Jazz** The album's influence extends across genres: - **New Age/Ambient**: While Jarrett disavowed the "New Age" label, the album's accessible, contemplative qualities spawned countless imitators (including George Winston), for better and worse - **Classical**: The recording introduced jazz improvisation to classical audiences through its Debussy-esque harmonies and formal coherence - **Popular Culture**: By the late 1970s and 80s, the album was ubiquitous in boutiques, wine bars, and bookshops, becoming sonic shorthand for sophisticated taste **Cultural Impact** The album made ECM Records financially independent and established the label as the premier venue for "chamber jazz" and improvised music . It proved that avant-garde-adjacent music could achieve mass commercial success without compromising artistic integrity. --- ### **Critical Reception: The Schism** The album inspires polarized reactions that reveal much about listeners' relationship to improvisation: **Acclaim** - "A certified work of genius" that "redefines jazz" - "The best-selling piano album of all time" and "landmark document" - "A lullaby for anyone who has no need for slumber" - "Proof that equipment does not matter" **Skepticism** - "A brilliant trick masquerading as jazz" - "Pleasant dinner party wallpaper" and "jazz for people who want to tell you how much they like jazz, but don't actually like jazz" - Criticism of Jarrett's vocalizations as "moaning" or "giving birth to a square baby" - The "background music" problem—some find solo piano for 66 minutes becomes ambient texture rather than engaging art --- ### **Pros & Cons** | **Pros** | **Cons** | |----------|----------| | **Unprecedented spontaneity**: 66 minutes of sustained, coherent improvisation without pre-planned material (mostly) | **Vocalizations**: Jarrett's humming and moaning distract some listeners, though others find them essential to the emotional document | | **Structural mastery**: The music maintains architectural coherence despite being created in real-time | **Accessibility vs. depth debate**: Some jazz purists find it too "middle of the road" or "vanilla" compared to more challenging free jazz | | **Emotional range**: From melancholy to ecstasy, intimacy to grandeur | **Length**: At 66 minutes of solo piano, it can become background music for inattentive listeners | | **Historical significance**: Changed the perception of solo piano in jazz and improvised music | **Mythology overshadows music**: The backstory (wrong piano, bad conditions) sometimes dominates critical discussion over the actual musical content | | **Production quality**: ECM's recording captures the concert's intimacy and acoustics beautifully | **The "New Age" association**: Spawned countless inferior imitators that diluted the album's innovations | | **Genre transcendence**: Appeals to jazz, classical, and pop audiences alike | **Part IIc is pre-composed**: The "pure improvisation" claim is slightly undermined by the prepared encore (though this is minor) | | **Inspirational narrative**: Demonstrates how limitation can breed creativity | **Physical demands**: Jarrett's subsequent health issues (chronic fatigue syndrome) may have been exacerbated by this intensity of performance | --- ### **Conclusion** *The Köln Concert* remains one of those rare artistic achievements where circumstance, limitation, and genius converged to create something unreproducible. The "wrong" piano forced Jarrett into a rhythmic, middle-register approach that became the album's signature. His physical distress may have lowered his inhibitions, allowing raw emotional expression to flow unfiltered. The late-night setting (11:30 PM start) contributed to the dreamlike, suspended quality. Is it jazz? Classical? New Age? It is none and all of these—**it is simply music**, created in the moment, captured by technology, and preserved as a document of human creative potential. Whether you find it transcendent or tedious may depend on your capacity for sustained attention and your tolerance for vulnerability in art. For those willing to listen actively, it offers a masterclass in improvisation as architecture, limitation as liberation, and presence as practice. For those seeking background ambiance, it provides that too—though perhaps at the cost of missing what makes it genuinely miraculous. **Essential listening for**: Piano students, jazz enthusiasts, meditators, lovers of spontaneous creation, and anyone who needs reminding that perfection is not a prerequisite for beauty. **Rating**: ★★★★★ (Masterpiece)
tragica historia de fondo
Probably one of the best instrumental albums I have ever listened to. I really enjoyed the vamping. The hoots during the song were a bonus.
I think this is a rare gem in that it is simply a virtuoso making do with a broken instrument, on no notice, and improvising a full hour of some really sublime music. It's some microphones capturing a single hour, uncut, 50 years ago and it's here for us to enjoy. Fantastic.
Just a nice bit of pianer
Na poslu sam i ne mogu da ga slušam ful, sli se sjećam da sam ga slušala par djelova prije nekad i da mi se mnogo dopalo to što je pisano kao koncert za klavir i dajem 5-icu jer i ja sviram klavir, pa moram
Improv. Think about that. Improv.
Increíble mierda. No conocía. El colega se lo tankea él solito. Una horaza de improvisarla sin estar en el mood y god damn. La primera parte esta increíble, y según empezaron a aplaudir yo pensaba que ya era el disco entero pero vi que todavía quedaba otra mitad y dije pero qué. Muy bonito. Me lo guardo bien guardado para ponérmelo en momentos chulos chill.
wow
This was fantastic.
What a great and unexpected surprise inclusion on this list; I had never heard of this, but it was amazing.
Not an album I'll likely listen to again, but one I'm happy to have listened to. Absolutely perfect for this list.
He is insanely confounding. Improvised. Wow. Love it.
A beautiful piece of music!
The highest selling jazz album of all time, so pretty much bullet proof as far as criticism is concerned. Whether it actually is a jazz album is up for discussion. Some people say that its complete lack of jazz rhythm, jazz harmony or ... you know ... jazz kind of rule it out. If a solid hour of improvised solo piano in a kind of "70s modern" style sounds like something you'd run a mile from, then it probably is. But you might find that on another day, in another mood, at another time this is the most sublime thing you've ever heard and might just change your life.
Beautiful jazz improv. The live recording is so full of life.
Wow. Just wow. This is what I do this for. Discovering new things like this. This is beautiful.
Raw and reflective, as easy to listen to as it probably was hard to play. Had not heard of Keith Jarrett but will be adding this into my normal listening.
I'm a sucker for a good "created great art despite the circumstances" story, and the wikipedia article absolutely elevated this for me
Never knew it, never heard it, now I have. Excellence.
One of the great benefits of doing this is when you get to hear an album you’re aware of but have never had a good excuse to listen to. So, Keith Jarrett. I expected something more austere, po-faced, clever but charmless. But this, dear reader, is none of those things. Excuse my French, but it’s an absolute fucking joy. Jarrett’s incredible talent is in evidence throughout but as a means of bringing his imagined melodies to us, not for musical show boating. Beautiful, thrilling music
This was wonderful to listen to. I've never come across a whole album of improvised piano music before and it was live. Great find!
Holy shit, that was gorgeous.
KJ is my favorite musician of all time and the KJT Blue Note box will be buried with me. I'm more partial to his work with his bands, but his solo work is incredible and this is probably the pinnacle of his solo records. If it were composed note for note, it would be an incredible, if scattered, achievement. That it was completely improvised elevates it to the stratosphere. I was blessed to see the Trio several times and KJ solo several times, and each time was unique and wonderful (and frustrating, for those of you who know his famous temper and the way it derailed some sets). This one would be high on the Time Machine list.
This was such a joy to listen to. I will come back to this for years to come.
Очень красиво
Immer noch ein unvergesslicher Meilenstein
An incredible piece of music played beautifully. With that backstory, it earns a 5.
Muy pesado para escucharlo en el coche pero que hermoso instrumental
Loved it jazz was jazzy
A lot of times the Wikipedia entry is interesting but doesn’t really change my view on an album. For this album it did. An improvised concert on an accidentally provided old rickety piano that was barely tuned hours before thr performance, leading to the artist changing his style to fit the instrument. The pieces are a little long for my preference and I’d prefer more distinct melody, so that brings it to a 4 instead of a 5 for me. Actually on second listen I retract that last statement.
So good I've listened to it three times.
Yo that was crazy, there were times where I had to remind myself that there was only one person playing the whole time
Awesome
Incredible piano album. I heard he had to use the practice piano because the grand piano he was going to use didn’t get shipped in time. I think that made it even better, the piano sounded like a rusty old car with an expert driver behind the wheel. Love his vocal inflections and passionate noises he makes.
This is the perfect lemonade from lemons story I've ever heard. Tired, in pain, sub-standard piano...I'll just wing it for an hour and see how it goes. Brilliant.
Truly beautiful
Phenomenal performance. So intimate and clear.
I listened to it on a quiet Sunday evening with a cup of tea, it sounds amazing.
Po pierwszych paru sekundach wiedziałem, że będzie maks nota. Bardzo osobiste doświadczenie. Wiem, czego będę słuchał na narkotykach następnym razem. 6/5
Been listening to this on repeat this year
Piano makes me lose control. My sole complaint is the audience noise. I listened to this while walking on a barren, quiet path where my only friends were the squirrels. Every time I heard a grunt I whipped my head around to find the culprit. I must've looked loony.
sujeto a cambios xq no lo volví a escuchar pero cómo me mama, legendario. qué pedo que hicieran una película con el john magaro como keith jarrett, como decían en un video, imagínenselo con eric andre jsjsjs pero que según esto jarrett no es negro veá
Yeah its a banger
Transcendental. Whispers and waltzes. Swinging in the breeze. Elderflower. Daffodil. Cream and golden yellow.
Único, irreproducible, fantástico. Keith estuvo en un momento sublime con un piano en un diálogo entre genios.
Yesterday morning, I was all "Keith who?" and wondering whether I was going to stay awake during piano compositions of 25 plus minutes. But then you listen to the music. You marvel at the improvisation, the handspeed, the endless jaw-dropping connotations around a simple theme or motif and the thrilling segues between the sections. And then you find out about the story, the late night concert and the 'broken' piano and you realise the genius of the musician you are listening to. Of the albums I have listened to so far, this is the most mindful and moving. It is real time emotion, where one subtle key change can instantly elevate or totally devastate you. It is a beautifully crafted musical collection, and the easiest five stars that I'll ever give.
My cup of tea. Loved it. The quality of the recording is astounding given the year.
Well yeah
This was already a favorite of mine. Jarrett is just brilliant.
This album has a pretty magnificent backstory, so thankfully the music is pretty damn good too. Incredible the kinds of sounds that Jarrett can coax out of an out-of-tune piano and a pair of deft hands. The sounds coming out of that baby grand feel so natural underneath Jarrett's mastery that it just sweeps you away. It feels like a natural extension of his body. It's lounge-back background music that simultaneously demands your attention. They have their reasons for not putting more classical and old-jazz adjacent works on this list (not that this is 'traditionally composed' like most orchestral pieces by any stretch of the imagination - it's still improvised jazz, even if the 'jazz' label feels a little iffy) but it makes me long for more of this sort of conventional hall-style instrumentation in the 1001 marathon. fav tracks: Part I, Part IIb
One of the best things the world has to offer. Can never get enough of this album or Keith Jarrett.
wow
majestic
Love love love
This is wonderful. Perfect record.
Mmm, delicious. Like hot chocolate on a cold afternoon, but the most interesting hot chocolate. What are all those subtle flavors? The tone is constantly shifting from melancholy to happy, cool to warm, still to moving. I'll be coming back to this one.
Loved this
Never gets old
Keith Jarrett – The Köln Concert Rating: 5/5 It’s hard to overstate what Keith Jarrett pulls off on The Köln Concert. Improvised solo piano albums aren’t exactly rare, but nothing else in the genre feels this alive, this inevitable, this impossibly whole. Jarrett walked onstage exhausted, annoyed, and saddled with a subpar piano… then delivered an hour of music so coherent and emotionally rich that it feels like it must have existed long before he touched the keys. The opening section alone is a bit of a miracle. It’s mesmerizing, full of looping vamps that bloom into long, lyrical arcs. Jarrett stretches ideas until they glow, then lets them melt into something completely new without ever losing the thread. What should sound like an improvised maze instead comes across as a fully realized composition unfolding in real time. As the concert moves through its later movements, the emotional colors shift—sometimes meditative, sometimes earthy and rhythmic, sometimes weightlessly melodic. The whole performance somehow balances vulnerability and command. It’s spiritual without being precious, virtuosic without showing off. Just a guy at a piano, channeling something bigger than technical skill. I put this in the rare category of music that feels like it rewires your brain a little. It’s both maddeningly inspiring and completely humbling. And it earns its reputation: this is one of the greatest solo piano records ever made, full stop. A stone-cold five.
Hornsby's hero
The fact that you can hear him moaning and groaning at times makes me laugh. He’s really feeling the music. And I don’t blame him because holy cow, what an incredible performance. Legitimately took me on a musical journey with highs and lows and the route that we took was just filled with incredible scenery. Not exaggerating when I say, not a minute went by where I thought this was bad. Front-to-back, page-to-page absolutely beautiful. 100% saving this album to come back to.
This album is truly something special, there is something enchanting in the way the songs sound and evolve. I've liked it a lot, it's very sweet and delicate but also very interesting and with many variations. There is nothing bad I can say about it. This one is really good!
This is one of my all time favs, it’s such a joyous, beautiful album.
without a doubt one of my favorite albums ever (vinyl)
This brilliant concert was entirely improvised live, on a piano with broken petals that could not be properly tuned, requiring Keith Jarrett learn a new instrument as her performed. It ended up becoming the bestselling piano solo album of all time. Is great music about invoking emotions? If so, musical improvisation from highly talented musicians is a raw expression of this. For me, sometimes truly great music is more about creating new and interesting sounds, again well-done improvisation can deliver, as this album demonstrates. Anyway, this was absolutely Incredible music. I loved it. Considering that most modern music can ultimately be traced back to jazz, it would be great to see a little more of the genre represented on this list. For those wanting to take a deeper dive, Devens’ “A History of Jazz” podcast is a great start and does so one album at a time, much like this project. If you are reading this and want something more recognizable as modern jazz, I strongly recommend Jarrett’s “New Vienna (live). I have specif criteria for what constitutes a 5* album for this project. It has to be personally enjoyable, it needs to remain consistently solid throughout, it needs to be something I will revisit again, it needs to be a seminal album for an artist or an album that was highly influential contribution to music, and ideally something that makes me want to take a deeper dive tnto the artist or similar music. This album hits all of these notes. **************************************** Here is a brief video that provides the fascinating story of this album’s production, the challenges go way beyond the broken piano: https://youtu.be/wIXMkZAcgRo?si=5v0azTCB-9Sk6NNw
Phenomenal musician.
A classic—and deservedly so.
Музыка и сложная вроде бы и доступная при этом. Очень интересно.
The best jazz solo album ever! The story behind this performance is amazing as well
2 minutes in and you can already hear him humming to his own solo. What a performance. One of the best pianist on earth!!
liked it alot
This man is, quite simply, a revelation. It takes a special kind of talent to notch up a performance of this calibre on an entirely improvisational basis, at the dead of night and with a last minute substituted, hastily tuned and adjusted baby grand piano. It's those imperfections and limitations with the instrument heard, combined with Keith Jarrett's boundless creativity, that firmly imprint this recording into the history books. An emotionally poignant and immensely passionate showing, not just through the breathtaking playing in and of itself, but also through the interspersed vocal ticks and welps of enthusiasm from Keith Jarrett that give the recording a deep-seated interpersonal feel. I wish I could have been there.
Kan inte tänka mig en snyggare dans mellan jazz, klassiskt, pop, rock o gud vet vad men att kunna utföra såna sömlösa passager på ett piano är inget mindre än fenomenalt.
Wonderful. Excellent in background while working. Phillip Glass vibes during some moments.
Це сходу 5. Топ концерт, де сам контекст і історія не менш цікаві за музику.
I owned this on CD for years before hearing the story of the fucked up keyboard he had to do gymnastics around to get this gorgeous performance. Can we give it another point or two for degree of difficulty?
Great album
Incredible musicianship and talent. Enjoyed from beginning to end.
Ayo, is this just a tired dude improvising on a low quality piano for over an hour?! Say no more.
9/10
Kori’s review is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. He’s having technical difficulties. I wonder if it’s because we lost 7 hours of our lives in the past couple days. I have actually listened to this album before! It was mentioned in a book called “Messy” by Tim Harford. Keith Jarrett showed up to perform this concert and was faced with a piano that was out of tune or broken or something and this was the masterpiece he managed to create. You can actually hear him kind of moaning and expressing the effort he’s exerting to bang out the melodies on the keys. I give it five stars as well.
Incredible! I don't know what style of jazz this is, but I love it. There's some classical in the mix, but also blues, and some other elements I can't put my finger on. Very improvisatory. Also I'm pretty sure I heard "the lick" at some point in the first song on the album lol (iykyk). IMO this is the best album on the list so far. 10/10
Wow, an absolute masterclass in musicianship! Every note felt perfect and the dynamic control often had me forgetting that I was listening to a solo pianist the whole time. On top of this having been executed live, the story behind how the performance came to be only deepens my respect for Keith Jarrett. Incredible performance/album and my first 5 star rating!
The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett I think is one of the most deserving of the title "album you must listen to before you die". It is one I probably would have never picked up or even found without this list, so unassuming. What a performance, I had chills. Just so everyone is in the know if not already, but the backstory behind this whole thing is NUTS. Jarrett was hired by an 18 year old concert organizer to perform in a opera house in Cologne, Germany for an 11:30 PM show following some other acts. In some confusion, the grand piano Jarrett was meant to play was not delivered to the opera house, and it was found out too close to the performance to deliver a new one (plus it was raining outside). Jarrett was driving in from Switzerland and arrived very tired, due to the drive and poor sleep quality from the last 2 nights. The guy gets barely anything to eat, since the show time is so close to his arrival. Then gets to the opera house to find out he will be playing this shitty rehearsal piano that has barely any cadence in the high and low sections of the piano (Oh also the pedals didn't work properly). He was about to not play the show, however this 18 year old kid convinced him to play since the recording equipment was set up and ready to go. To a sold out opera house of 1400 people, Jarrett whips out a 1 hour improvisation performance so that he can play to the strengths of the current piano he's playing. He scrapped his WHOLE plan and improvised, focusing on playing in the middle of the piano to avoid the higher and lower sections that didn't sound good. He then proceeded to blow the roof off with some absolutely beautiful piano playing. The story here is what bumps this all up for me, there's so much to it, such a once in a lifetime thing to occur, and to get it all recorded and put into the form of an album? What are the odds. How could I not give this 5 stars.
This album is personally significant to me. As a young piano player, I stole this album from my Dad’s shelf and became obsessed with it, even before I knew the story or that these were improvisations. It’s pure storytelling with an instrument. Very inspiring. Must-listen #227.
¡Llegamos a octubre! El tema es en qué estado mental. La única certeza es la novedad de éste artista y éste disco. Automáticamente entro en estado de hipnosis con éste tipo. Me recuerda a Charly García. O Charly García me recuerda a él. Agradezco el mimo musical y hasta mañana
i guess this is supposed to be really lengendary. anyway its legendary. 5/5
I like solo piano in this style. I've been a George Winston fan since I was a little kid, and there are similarities here. It's pretty incredible that Jarrett improvised this whole concert, and on a shitty piano nonetheless. It does, however, sound like he's making it up as he goes, and maybe that's just how jazz works, but I wonder what this performance could have been if he had played composed works. I did listen to a bit of his prior studio album, though, and it wasn't as good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My first LP to listen to was The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett. I've included a wiki link of the LP itself and a youtube link: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=c77djHcrmVE&list=OLAK5uy_nCadsSovaCieKT8xqxSZlxJgK1pg7Uw_c https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_K%C3%B6ln_Concert I'd Never listened to it before even though It had been recommended to me several times. It's Brilliant. What a shame I've deprived myself of it my whole life. The story behind the recording is just as remarkable. Like
I was surprised by this album being so jazzy
I was not aware of this album, and oh man, this is great. Definitely going to listen to this again.
Superb. Nach wie vor.
THIS IS WHY I'M LISTENING TO THIS PROJECT! It's very rare that a piece of music can grab me so completely and so fast. I fell in love within the first 30 seconds and this album kept my attention for it's entire run time. This is some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. The fact this was improvised live on a crappy piano is unbelievable. This album instantly made it on to my top 10 list. I could listen to this every day for the rest of my life and still not get sick of it. 5 stars is not enough.
Classic
Astounding. I have no idea how I and my acquaintances missed this genius. Really worth a listen. Almost too intense and piano well played always is. Definitely should be in list
Loved it on this fall feeling/ rainy day
Love some jazz piano. Excellent atmosphere.
Extraordinary just by itself. I'm impressed by the recording quality of a live concert in 1975 - how!? And... it is a mind blowing performance if you know the story behind. True skill makes the best with what is at hand.
Beautiful piano playing whist drinking wine and reading a book.
A phenomenal listen, full of passion and interesting quirks, a legend, that I can't believe was improvised in parts. Jazz sometimes can be a little tough but not here, it's hopeful, it's bright, the piano sounds incredible, and the whole legend around that piano (it was a janky one, certainly not what he requested) just builds the myth that is that album. I understand fully why it is so popular and the best selling piano record of all times, it's full of little moments that you catch while going through it mutiple times and it i full of emotions. I can already tell you I'll be listening to it a lot.
If I could play piano like this - no, if I could IMPROVISE on the piano like this - I would never, ever, ever stop playing.
Holy fucking shit. Bravo, Keith.
The live performance captured on this jazz album is mezmerizing, made all the more impressive by the fact that all of it was improvised by Jarrett (who was also in a position where he had to perform using a piano that was not fully functional, making him have to compensate for things like pedals that didn't work). This is a masterwork by a highly accomplished musician at the top of his game.
Absolute genius. The backstory on this makes it even more special. A performer at the absolute top of his game captured giving a once in a lifetime performance. If you're coming to this cold you should google the story of the concert. It will help you understand.
Fantastic.
Lirismo é o que melhor define esta performance absolutamente genial de um pianista de jazz que não se prende a um estilo ou forma. Disco simplesmente maravilhoso e indispensável.
great
I dove blind and discovered an extremely exquisite piece of music. Unsure the technical playing is good or not, but the feelings it transmits are everything. Definitively the kind of experience I joined this "challenge" for.
Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.
Just wow. Every time. Relistening to this is simply fantastic.
I found out about this album because of the story of the piano and the concept of creativity being bourne of constraint. I'm not a solo instrumental piano listener but this album changed me and I love that it exists. It is a perfect artifact of the moment. This is a required listen for sure.
Really cool stuff
Really incredible performance and a very interesting story! Will be the first thing I play in my new car
Hermoso álbum. El desarrolo motívico que hace Jarrett a lo largo de cada improvisación es impresionante. Todo interpretado con una fluidez sublime. Considero que a pesar de ser un álbum de jazz para piano solo en vivo, es de carácter accesible, con muchos momentos "pop", no es una obra controvertida. Me gusta la calidad de la grabación, el piano suena claro, y brillante pero sin que los agudos sean punzantes.
I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Mixes melody, structure, tradition, and experimentalism in interesting ways.
Parfait
Lyrical without any lyrics. True spontaneity. Soulful. Sometimes fragile and intimate and at other times expansive and transcendent. Never quite sure where each moment will go next. A constant shifting, changing, flowing meditation. I love piano music. Usually more of a Chopin man and jazz piano can be a hit or a miss for me, but this is the right level of accessibility whilst still feeling truly improvisational. I love the sporadic noises he makes while playing, caught up fully in the moment. An example of the way music can take over, take hold. I have no doubt he felt what he played and so we can feel it too. Beautiful. 9/10
Originally came across the Koln Concert when I was going through a list of the greatest jazz albums, and it was a standout and instantly became a personal favorite. Such a fascinating listen
Felt like a rollercoaster
This one was great to listen to while driving!
Uno de los mejores álbumes de piano jazz que he escuchado. Que además sea en vivo, lo llena de una vibra increíble con las expresiones que lanza Jarrett cuando las piezas se ponen intensas. Un tremendo viaje musical que nadie debería perderse.
Wunderschön und zeitlos
Banger live jazz piano, no notes
Some of the best piano playing in the history of ALL THINGS
It's albums like this that make this exercise worthwhile. I hadn't heard of Keith Jarrett before, had no idea about his art and am so glad that this list introduced him to me. His playing is soulful and beautiful and the story behind the album is a ripper. I'll be listening to this for a long time
This would've been a 4 without the context, Jesus. Play your shit Keith.
Absolutely stunning! Keith Jarrett is one of the pioneers of the "ECM style" of jazz, and on this performance he demonstrates it perfectly. 66 minutes of improvised goodness, reportedly on the wrong piano while Keith was suffering back problems, expertly toeing that murky space between jazz and classical music. Nothing but bliss the whole way through.
What an absolutely stunning performance. I was constantly floored by how much depth and variety Keith Jarrett can achieve on improvisation alone, under a heap of shitty circumstances, for an entire 66 minutes. Bravo Mr. Jarrett!!!
Holy hell, what a surprise! When I saw we were getting a 66 minute improvisational piano album i thought I would have to tank it at least a little bit. Absolutely not, it is amazing. What a journey. I don't think a piano album has ever held my attention like that. I will be listening again and again for sure.
An hour of chill piano instrumentals. Although it isn't what you'd usually call ambient music, it fits the criteria in that it can sink into the background but still rewards close listening.
Listening to this during my lunch break while drinking a warm caramel macchiato while reading my kindle in my car, as it’s raining. The perfect song for a moment like this. I have a lot of homework for school to do I’m in grad school right now and I work full time as a business system analyst in IT for a natural energy company so the work is always spellbinding. Moments where I can be calm and present are super important to me, I like the particular song I’m hearing now, it’s really nice to hear able to hear it. It’s like becoming yourself again after now being so for a while. Atleast for me
If I didn’t know the backstory, this might be rated only a 4. But I can’t separate the music from the story here.
5/5 - This is an example of why I started on this project — to be introduced to worthwhile recordings I would never have listened to on my own. This is way out of my usual listening tastes, but I absolutely enjoyed it. Would listen again.
That’s a modern classic. I got lost in the music and didn’t notice that an hour flew by.
Just what I needed today - I had a headache and was feeling pretty lousy, and this went down smooth as I worked on an art project. When I was listening, I didn’t know anything about the backstory - I played it again after reading the Wikipedia article, and I enjoyed it even more after learning it was improvised in less than ideal circumstances. Part II a and b were my favorites. I got goosebumps toward the end of II-b. 4.5 rounded up
The fact that this is improvised is mind boggling AND on the wrong type of piano? I'm not super familiar with this genre but that's the beauty of this list I suppose. Proper gem
I had never heard of this album or this artist before, and initially I appreciated it for what it was - a nice jazzy piano album. But after hearing the story behind it and realizing it was entirely improvised? Definitely worth listening to!
This was wonderous, a fabulous entry into the 1001 list, made even better by the backstory. Like the pure symbiosis of human and instrument
When I first started listening to this I was not at all interested. As this dude banged on his keys more and more I couldn't believe how enthralled I was.
This album is entirely improvised and that's crazy. I love piano so I'm expecting to love this. Yeah, this was dope. He made some weird moaning noises throughout which was odd, but I guess that's his thing. This guy is nuts. 9/10
Sensationell!
En av mina favoriter.
First thing I noticed was that it took place on my wife's birthday which is cool. Very relaxing sounds right off the bat. Absolutely gorgeous so far. I'm truly impressed. Surprised I had never come across this before. Way too early score: 5/5. Let's see if it holds up. Absolutely enjoyed this one a lot. Guess good things happen on Jan 24 5/5
I love this album!!! The backstory makes it even better, but even without the story, it's still an hour of some fantastic jazz piano improv. I should buy the sheet music for it some day even though Keith was kinda unsure about that.
Muy lindo. No se si obra maestra, pero lo volveré a escuchar si o si.
This such a great album! A Milestone in Jazz Music!
This is an absolute masterpiece, a work of art in its improvisation and spontaneity, capturing a genius at his best. Just sit back and fall into Jarrett's world.
Wow! I loved this so much I'm going to keep listening to the rest of his catalog.
FUCK!!!! FUUUUUUUCKKKKK!!!!! This was so good. added to the immediate rotation
It's perfect
Beautiful!
An unexpected 5/5. I didn't know this album existed and have only vaguely heard of Keith Jarrett before, but this was a journey. I listen at work, but I had to stop working to just listen on several occasions.
Exactly the kind of pretentious shit I love. His ability to take you on such an insane journey with only one instrument and no vocals is like nothing I have ever heard before. I love the incredible range of vibes and styles shown off, seamlessly blending moments that are suspensful, anxious, and epic all managed with nothing more than one simple piano. Absolute unsuspecting gem, so glad I've been exposed to this.
great album
Absolutely stunning
There are not the words to explain how good this is. Perfection
Magical. Everything I hope for in a Jazz record. Just Jarrett, the piano, and magic.
Excellent.
A very pleasant listen. Giving this a high rating because I don’t know enough jazz or classical piano, so if I’m in the mood for that - this is what I want to put on. I feel a lot of classical music sounds very heavy, emotional, sad - while the majority of this actually felt very positive, or uplifting. I love hearing him throughout the recording as well.
5/5
When I thought about what might make this project exciting, it wasn’t about trying to make it through 1,001 albums. It was about hearing music like this that I never would have found on my own. This is an astonishing recording. In fairness, I am a big fan of artists who are piano players. While everyone always thinks of Billy Joel and Elton John, there are plenty of others who are every bit as talented as them, such as Bruce Hornsby or Sara Bareilles (who has undoubtedly the best voice of the group too). But almost regardless of who it is, some of my favorite music comes from acts featuring lots of piano. The point is that I'm predisposed to any great piano playing and I'm bound to favor it more than others. That said, what makes this truly unique from anything I have heard before is not just that it is solely piano playing (no singing, no band), it's that it is nothing but improvisations for over an hour. With that as a backdrop, what results from this is truly jaw dropping. To know that he had something else planned, but completely shifted when the piano he requested did not show up, and then had the confidence to just play whatever came to him in that moment? And to have it come out as incredible and melodic as this does? It really speaks to Jarrett's masterful ability and ear for music. While there were a lot of highlights in this, my favorite part was from about 7:20 to just past 12:00 into the first song. I have to have listened to this part at least 10 times by now. It’s incredible to hear what he effectively created on the spot, just by focusing on the middle of the piano. Really an amazing album.
What is this? Is it considered jazz just because it’s improvised? Is it neo classical, modernist (in the 70s at least)? In the first song/movement I was worried I was going to be kind of bored because of the extremely repetitive left hand/bass notes but then I quickly realized it was essentially putting me in a trance. I let it just take me along for the ride and I absolutely loved it. Is it actually 5 stars? Maybe not but this hit me at a great time this weekend and I was real into it. Very inventive and something I’ve never really heard before. Also the story about how he recorded and improvised all of this is fascinating.
Muy variado y con momentos especialmente emotivos, increíble improvisación. Es una obra maestra para mí
Идеально для монотонной ночной работы
A bit outside what I typically listen to, but this will be going into the heavy rotation. Really easy to get lost in.
Incredible playing, minus the grunts.
In a lot of ways, this album represents what makes music so special to me. Musicians being present in the moment just creating from stream of consciousness while the audience is simultaneously present feeling the magic together. It's a unique experience where the artist and the audience can connect on music being created in the moment to never be created in that way again. It's very fleeting but so rewarding. In this case it was just him up there for an hour. He didn't have any other musician to lean on if he ran out of ideas or inspiration. Keith Jarrett is very talented and I quite enjoyed what he was able to come up with.
M'encanta
I feel richer for having listened to this album.
Incredible document of an astounding talent in his element. 5 stars
Perfect, no notes, just some really fucking beautiful piano
When I saw this selection I was prepared for the worst and then I saw it was four tracks and over an hour of playing time and realised I was totally unprepared. But thankfully not in the way I expected to be, this is what I was looking for when I started this challenge, something totally unexpectedly excellent. Solo piano that's soulful and bluesy and never a hard listen, there's always something interesting and enjoyable going on. Way more accessible and enjoyable than I expected it to be.
Loved it ! Thank you!
This is not something I would have ever listened to if it wasn't for this list. Absolute massive talent and will come back to this album again.
Absolutely beautiful album. Its very clear why this is one of the best selling jazz albums of all time.
First time hearing this and I'm blown away, an artist that has Mastered their craft. I found the whole album so immersive, the fact it was improvised is no surprise, it felt like he was really feeling what he was playing.
Love him
Holy Lord
An absolute triumph
5.0 - Awesome
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