The Köln Concert

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

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

This album blew my mind. Working in its favor: Piano is one of my favorite instruments. Working against it: I am finicky about jazz; there's a lot of jazz I don't like. But I loved this, and I feel like an idiot for not knowing this artist. I'm still on the fence about his vocalizations. I thought it was audience members at first, but eventually I Googled it to learn it was the artist himself. After that, I was able to get used to it.

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

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

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

Amazing!!!

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

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

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

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

5/5

human creativity at best.

Incredible solo performance

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

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

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

I can't believe this was improvised.

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

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

Beautiful, atmospheric piano music

What a wonderful thing to be lost in.

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

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

Super evocative. Loved it

Lifting soothing and moving

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is the 56th album I’m rating. Back to back live albums is terrible. Especially when they are this long. Adding to my Playlist - Part II C Not Adding to my Playlist - Part I, Part II A, Part II B Part I - This would be great if it wasn’t so long. I just can’t listen to anything over 12 minutes. Part II C - This sounds great and it is the perfect length for me. All in all I liked 1/4 songs. This album would be a lot better if he had split up those songs.

I just dig this.

Me 138 days ago: An hour long piano album?! Why the hell would I listen to that? Me when this generated: This sounds awesome! Bring it on. This album was brilliant and really shows how my tastes have changed since starting this project.

Amazing. Wish I could see it live. So much emotion in one instrument

In a word: perfection. I didn’t know how I’d feel as I both love ECM but sometimes want to fall asleep out of boredom. But this is a triumph. To know that Jarrett was improvising all of this makes it all the more awe-inspiring on the soul and depth of his playing. It surpasses technical skill - these songs sway, swing, punch, lilt, and ultimately hover and linger in brilliant melodies and rhythms. Part 1 is my favorite, but 2 grew on me more on a second listen, and I anticipate there will be many more listens to come. 5/5, no doubts.

just gorgeous!!! the story behind this is absolutely worth reading too. mind-boggling solo lines over ever-evolving progressions; it's amazing how engaging he manages to keep this over the span of an hour plus. one of those jazz records where i can't help but imagine the performer in front of me

Magical

Unexpectedly exactly what i needed that day

It’s a 5 obvs. All this is improvised after a really shitty day. It’s just phenomenal

Relaxing

I might intentionally inflate this rating since this is my mother's favorite record ever and she had told me about it many times. I really did enjoy it as well, though. Keith is a master of improv on the piano and keeps it engaging throughout with changes in the tempo of finding an interesting little rift to 'vamp' over (new vocab learned from the Wiki). Truly an impressive performance! 9/10

Listened to this twice while driving back from LA. Astounding live performance (maybe the best I’ve ever heard. Unbelievably dynamic & vivacious. No critiques from me. Couldn’t even fathom one.

Beautiful concert. And the story behind it makes it so much cooler. Keith Jarrett was tired and arrived to the concert hall to a shitty piano that had some broken keys. He nearly canceled. But he still went out there, and delivered some incredible piano work. Those noises he makes are just from being so shocked at how good his improvisations sound. This album's a treat

Storm of ideas, versatile, very melodic and complex. With all the melody randomness feels like a window into the person's heart

I will be listening to this a lot How did I not know about it ?

Good background music, soothing would listen again

- Admittedly not something I would ever seek out on my own, but I was quite struck by this. Wonderfully transcendent at times. - Considering this is a solo effort, the amount of skill displayed is hard to describe accurately. "Impressive" seems too tame. - This cat is living proof that race is a construct.

For me, the back story is what makes this recording magical. The power of ignorance on the promoters part, the dinged up master, the odd setting and late night early morning concert time. Go with what you have and make the best of it. With that in mind the enjoyment of hearing a master finding his way on a abused POS instrument. It was such a interesting audio journey. I found myself listening numerous times. Back story a must & mood is the other. F-Yah!

Really enjoyed this.

Incredible musicianship, was not aware of this album or this artist before

Simply wonderful!

Always a pleasure to revisit this one, and it happened to be on a day where it made for the ideal soundtrack. One of those albums where the backstory makes it legendary, but there is a certain magic to it nonetheless

genius

leip indrukwekkend, eerste 5/5

Sensational, changed the way I view jazz and improvisation

Read the wiki entry on why this is so special. Awesome.

there aren't many words to describe The Köln Concert or Keith Jarrett's creativity and passion on the piano. i just think you, the reader, should know three things: 1. this concert was recorded on a broken piano while Keith Jarrett was wearing a back brace, tired, hungry, and had spent hours driving with Manfred Eicher in his beater Renault cross country in bad weather. everything in the universe transpired to prevent this recording from happening and it still happened. 2. yeah, sometimes the moans are funny, but don't you wish you could do something as well and with as much of yourself as Jarrett does while playing piano? don't you want to be lost in the feeling? 3. the dual strokes that Jarrett suffered in the 2020's, thus paralyzing him and preventing him from ever playing piano again, is one of the greatest artistic tragedies in jazz and American art in general. we won't realize it until he's gone. that's all.

Never listend to classical music really, but the passion in this is insane. Really love how you can hear Keith Breath and gibibyte everything.

❤️

I’ve never listened to his music before and I’m not sure if these pieces are improvisational or not but regardless this live album is a demonstration of pure talent and accomplishes everything it could.

Breathtaking, beautiful music. I just listened to “Pt. I” and it’s one of the most stunning pieces I’ve ever heard. Keith Jarrett is an amazing performer. He moves from classical to jazz to Beatlesesque pop all in the same piece. It flows wonderfully and with a playful spirit. There were moments too when I could hardly believe one person was producing all of this sound live in concert. There are passages of stunning, fluid music that sound heavenly. What a gift. I look forward to listening to that again. “Pt. II A” is delightful! It reminds me of Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy.” It has a bluesy style (man, is there any genre this guy can’t fold into his music?!). I love these occasional moans you hear from Jarrett. I’d love to see a video of him performing. I can imagine he’s a very passionate performer.

What a beautiful album! What a wonderful surprise this album/performance was! An instant classic to add to my rotation.

wow, went in really not knowing what to expect. This is quite a journey. I was surprised at the emotional landscapes it got me to. It started airy and light but at some point in the first track I felt claustrophobic and my chest started feeling under tremendous weight. This is really something. Not sure if I'll listen to it again of my free will, but it's something. Also, I read that this is jazz improv, but it didn't sound like jazz improv, more like... classical improv? Anyway this is truly something I'm better for having known. Easy five starts.

After reading the story of how much effort was put into Keith actually performing and all the fuck ups that nearly canceled the performance it really makes me appreciate more how nice the album sounds, definitely gonna listen to this another time under the influence of smth

Never heard of this album or artist before - another rare gem from this generator. Absolutely loved this, even though I normally disapprove of live albums being included. The difference here is that the entire piece was apparently improvised, and there is true intimacy in the recording. The piano playing is great, and I love hearing the moans and grunts of Jarrett as he plays. He really seemed to be in a state of pure flow.

This is of course a true classic and rightly so. What an album! Jazz can be all too academic and intellectual more than emotional, but not this album. What a feat pulling off this improvisation, live, under very difficult circumstances (wrong piano, tired etc.). This is very easy to listen to, but, luckily, not \"easy listening\". Works in the background but especially for a careful listen, wondering which direction Jarrett will take next (and the album does go through a range of \"feels\"), but it's always a good direction. A very easy 5.

Bästa skivan nånsin. Känner mer kärlek till denna skiva än den sammanlagda kärleken jag känner till mina barn. Finns passager som är så bra att man sprutar regnbågar av lycka. Fy fan vilket mästerverk detta är alltså.

even without the backstory, this would be stunning. wowza.

I really enjoyed this. It's jazz, but accessible and fun to listen to. Sometimes, jazz for me falls into the trap of being a bit too clever to be fun. This didn't. That doesn't mean it's not clever, but it's musical enough that you can uncover the layers for yourself, rather than having them thrust down your throat.

Really enjoyed this

Enjoyed it very much!

The noises from the crowd (or Keith?) are a lil weird. Other than that, very listenable and I like how he shifts across different styles (gospel/blues, classical, contemporary) but all of it is done well. Definitely on my list to get on vinyl and drink whiskey with.

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.

This is what I came here for. While clearly a well-known album I'd never encountered it but it has very quickly gone in to rotation at home.

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.

- This one is a perfect example how the whole idea of "rating" some of these records just doesn't make any sense: How do you rate this? It's art, a performance executed under extreme circumstances ... I'm not qualified to "rate" this ... and neither are most of the other yahoos signed up for this project ... 5 because it's art and art is everything .... -

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

No idea who this is. Catchy and positive piano playing. Makes me think a little of a bluesy Reich set of pieces.

What a spellbinding performance and hence album.

Allegedly fully improvised piano concert. The skill for that is incredible. There is one reoccurring section of notes (motif?) That feels so familiar I could swear I've heard it before. Doing that while improvising is incredible.

I just bloody love this album. Jarrett gets some incredible sounds out of a poor instrument and the way he adapted his playing style to get the most out of the piano is so interesting and honestly incredible. It's the best-selling solo jazz album and the best-selling piano album for a reason, it just blows me away every time I listen to it.

Genius personified. And it’s not even Keith Jarret’s best album.

I've always really liked this album but now that I know he was using a very beat-up piano that was not his choice almost didn't play it is even more remarkable for that alone that it also happens to be an incredible performance.

I consider this Robert Dimery's apology. For making me sit through countless mediocre Britpop albums. For making me explore the entire discographies of artists that I don't care for. For recommending some extremely tone deaf choices for genres he is woefully ignorant about. Thank you for turning me on to this masterpiece. Apology accepted. All is forgiven Bobby. All is forgiven.

Absolutely brilliant. He is always a joy to listen to and watch play.

Fantastic, great jazz piano performance

This was magic.

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.

Considering this was performed on a broken piano, with a busted back in a brace, on an empty stomach, at 11pm is incredible. Jarrett wasn't even planning on playing the show but the recording engineers were set up so he just said 'fuck it, call it a rehearsal tape'. The resulting is a beautiful capturing of the skilled pianist not thinking, but listening and reacting, completely in the moment. He's using the broken piano for what it is, stomping the broken foot pedals percussively, embracing the dulled keys when they suit the mood of what he's playing. And he plays with such energy and dynamics as well, offering plenty of uptempo alongside the slower modes. You can hear the mics pick up him vocally emoting throughout the recordings, which is touching and delightful. It seems, aside from your average rollicking barroom ragtime, solo piano is often associated with pure sophistication and prestige. Jazz pianist Keith Jarrett doesn't forget one truth, however, and that's that playing piano is super fun. Given the constraints of the unmaintained equipment he was forced to break on, it seems he enjoyed approaching it in a whole new way.

Another great jazz album discovered thanks to 1001albums. The story is amazing, the result even more so; this is truly a mindblowing example of chaos turned into art. I love how the circumstances turned something that would have been a (probably) great concert to an absolutely unique work of art. I've never heard of this album, least heard it. I'm glad I've done it now, and I know I'll come back to it.

An extraordinary pianist. Such gorgeous music. So very beautiful.

Certainly one of the classics in music history, even when taking all music directions into account. Great and always worth hearing.

Let’s leave out all the back story about the faulty piano and so on. Not needed. A masterpiece of improvisational piano-playing.

Inaspettato, carina la storia che c’è dietro al concerto

This is both the best-selling solo jazz record and best-selling piano record of all time for a reason. For nearly an hour it’s just Keith Jarrett and his instrument, leading the listener on a musical odyssey, and its spectacular.

I listened to a podcast (Cautionary Tales) about this album and how circumstances almost conspired to prevent it from happening. But despite somewhat dire conditions, Keith Jarrett overcame these to give an astounding performance, and the recording went on to become one of the best-selling Jazz records of all time, so I think this definitely deserves at least the 3-star, makes sense on this list rating. I think this gets elevated though considering the circumstances, which make this a singular, fascinating document of a performance. While I mostly don't like live albums, there really wouldn't have been any other way that this could have gone, since the performance was improvised, and the artist was reacting in real time to the specific conditions of the night. This is one important album that really shines once you have the additional context.

Wow.. just wow

Breathtaking. The musicality is really enjoyable. The sincerity of a single piano player in a live environment, capturing the little sounds from the player and the audience is just magical. Favorite track: Pt. II A

Awesome

Que cosa más bonita de disco, tío.

5/5. A beautiful and impressive album, with only one instrument guiding each song it still feels more powerful and fulfilling than most other albums. With my ADHD brain, it can be hard to stay focused but that is only an issue on my part. There is intent with each stroke of the keys and there is no doubting the mastery of the piano. This is just a necessary listen for anybody willing to experience beauty. Best Song: Part I, Part II B

Quintessential.The very record to show an artist channelling momentous inspiration. A sole person and his instrument in parley. Listened to it potentially a hundred times and will do again and again. Not an easy listening, despite some moments of beauty and bliss. How exhausted he must have been after these concerts.

4/18/24. Masterful piano playing here, you get lost in all the notes. Just perfection.

Classic album with a classic story behind it. Exquisite music to put on any time.

Familiar with album from way back but apparently wasn't aware of the history - sounds like he made the most of how the piano sounded and it was magical even before I knew the story - so many little gems within the work as a whole. You can't analyze it from a conventional song structure perspective. It's remarkable hearing the struggle and then finding the sweet spot - totally understandable he would exclaim in delight! Like someone else said it's a testament to the power of being in the moment.

Great easy listening for background music. Gatherings. Winter fires. 10/10. Not too intense. Not too serious. Very enjoyable

Thanks to Reddit, I found this album about half a year ago. The album by itself is quite good. Beautiful music. But the story behind the album is incredible! It will give you a new level of appreciation for the man and for the album.

I was listening to this record a ton last spring, about a year ago, so it's funny that this came up. Really beautiful stuff. The story behind the record is really interesting too.

Easy instrumental music to relax to. I don't need vocals to enjoy music.

Listened to this immediately after Joanna Newsom’s Ys. Beauty overload. Keith Jarrett’s spontaneity and ability to improvise even under difficult circumstances puts in a spot where few other pianists come close.

I knew this one before and it is my favorite album so far. I also share some special emotions with it. I like everything about his passionate piano playing.

Haven't listened to an album that made me want to cry in a long time. Absolutely beautiful performance

Very good. I started out thinking he reminded me a lot of Julian Lage and just then he started the Lage-ian move of grunting along semimusically. Can be distracting from both of them, but the performance is so good can't blame them. Like Lage this is jazz I can wrap my head around, feel frisson with etc. Not sure what it is - structural elements- simplicity? Surely Miles Davis and some others have the thematic build to great moments and tension and release that I hear here but I'm just too dumb to recognize it?

Incredible

I'm sorry to say that I didn't even now Keith Jarrett's name and I wasn't expecting to really enjoy this album, but I did. It's really quite wonderful and remarkable. It's very good music for me to code by. It's floats between inspiring creativeness and pushing work forward. I will definitely listen to others of his, but I think The Köln Concert will always be a favorite as the album that got me interested in Keith Jarrett.

modern classic

More than 1,000 trains daily pass over the Hohenzollern Bridge which connects the Köln Hauptbahnhof with the other side of the Rhine. But Jarrett arrived by automobile, tired and sore, like an imbecile. The opera people provided him a tired and sore piano too, but nevertheless he served up this improv masterpiece. Can you even imagine if he did go by train instead?

I sense this will make its way into regular rotation. Big fan of the enthusiastic cheering/moaning/shouting heard throughout - even more impressive reading the backstory about the shitty piano, late showtime, and unrested state post-travel.

Blows my mind that this is all improvised. Also love how you can hear him grunting.

Always a pleasure. I love improvising at home, but this is a whole other level. On a wholly different planet.

Um acho magnífico. Já estou escutando outros discos dele.

Amazing, wonderful, beautiful. None of these words really do justice

A masterclass in improvisation.

Smdh so good

I could listen to this all day. Piano is my spirit animal. I prefer this to any other instrument especially when played solo and freestyle. It soothes my soul and inspires. If you listen close, sometimes he even moans a little bit. Keith Jarrett, thank you for this. 10/10

Somehow one man improvising on a piano manages to produce one of the most entertaining and profound pieces of music I've ever listened to. Simply phenomenal.

Nice piano only album.

fuking amazing

New go-to album to RELAX but ~concentrate~. Beautiful.

I've never heard this level of improvisation in Jazz. An amazing album. Totally worth it

Love this one

Out of my usual genres but it would be amazing even if it wasn't improvised.

This is absolutely incredible. More words couldn't do it justice.

A strand of beautiful jazz improvisation I will listen again in the studio and/or at work.

yes!

Wow!! I absolutely loved this listen.

Eka osio on ihan huikee. Väkisinkin alkoi hymyilyttää.

So gorgeous. Even more so when I discovered that the whole thing is improvised. What an incredible talent! You can just lay back and let the whole thing wash over you. Exceptional.

Really surprised how good this was. A single piano and all improvised.

This album is so good I am eating my words about having live albums on this list. I don't need more drawn out guitar solos, but I do need more artists at their best.

Me ENCANTÓ este álbum. Una enorme capacidad para improvisar de una forma creativa y ligera, fuera del ego y del yo. Crea unas atmosferas hermosas.

Good

this was amazing. It's the kind of music I was hoping to hear in this little expirement.

One of the greatest of all time - I wish I could play like this.

Inesperado, brillante. 5/5

Some of the best solo jazz piano you’ll ever hear. Great upon a first listen and gets better with every spin. Impressive, extended improvisations that don’t get dull or wanky. Excellent for active or passive listening.

Good music.

wow. this is fantastic. wish i had this on vinyl!

This is a great album, have loved it for decades.

Sublime

Gorgeous and moving jazz piano performance, spanning the full range of human emotion, and flaunting Jarrett's tremendous ability to find and build on simple melodies. Adventurous, but also incredibly accessible. The story behind this album makes it even more impressive.

Knew of Keith Jarrett but not this album but having now listened cannot believe I have missed this for nearly half a century. What a corker of an album which if it even doesn’t happen again has made subscribing to this site so worthwhile. One man and one piano making music up on the hoof has kept me captivated for over an hour. This is one of the best improvisations I have ever heard and it goes beyond my level of understanding on how the hell it is done. So talented. Jazz (if this is pure jazz, i’m not so sure) used to leave me cold but recently I have become more interested in it so I was very receptive in giving this record a listen. Hearing just the few notes I knew I was hooked. For a live album it is also sonically excellent. When the music gets upbeat I hear Keith (I assume) shouting in the background and in pleasure, along to his rhythm’s adding to the warmth and intensity of the music. Having read the background to this concert I know that it was thwarted with various problems so I’m astounded that such an excellent piece of music resulted at all. So impressed I’ve now bought the album!

This is a mindblowing musical and improvisational achievement. I had heard of Jarrett but wasn't aware of how good his music was.

ne mogu virovat da je ovo improvizacija!!! odlican mi je, ko love child Debussyja i jazza

Listened to this several hundred times 5 stars

Brilliant performance. Pure musicianship.

This album is the epitome of music's core function: it invites you to be completely absorbed in the present, to navigate the depths of your emotions, and to resonate with the shared experience of others. It only took one poor-quality piano and one tireless trooper on stage to bring this masterpiece to life.

Beautiful ethereal emotional journey. genius

I have never been so moved by music in my life. A man and a piano providing a building, swirling, enveloping auditory experience that defies explanation and must be heard, begs to be heard. I confess I barely have words for the technical aspects other than “sheer brilliance.” Transcendent listening that I cannot recommend enough.

Legendär und schön.

Wow, it's amazing how one man and a piano can deliver such a varying and strong emotional atmosphere and response. It's not the kind of piano jazz I'm used to, it is general higher tempo with more 'oomph', but it's great and reaches areas that La La Land solo jazz piano can't. If I want to put some piano jazz on, this may become a 'go to' album. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: Part II C Date listened: 13/01/24

Otherworldly live album. Jarrett pulls sounds and moods out of the piano previously unheard to me. Loved every minute.

Extraordinary!

don't know much about jazz but I enjoyed this

chilllll

This in inspiring. I could listen to this concert 50 times and be moved by a different section. I love that the background grunts or hums from Jarrett alongside theater noise. It's a sudden reminder that this incredible work is live AND improvised. The first 10 minutes or so just feels like Jarrett getting a sense of the instrument before settling into the first couple of riffs and from there he's a guide for a wonderful night. I wish I had better music language and theory under my belt to truly appreciate all that's happening. As I said, the work becomes inspiring and forms a reason to find that information.

This album is so good. I got turned into it by a podcast I heard years ago.

masterpiece

Keith Jarrett - Köln Concert When this album popped up I was worried. Jazz? I can't stand jazz! But I committed to this challenge and I'm going to give every album a chance. And I am so glad I did! This album is so good and when you take time to understand what it took to make this concert happen and everything that led to the recording, you can't help but to be amazed. The fact that this is just one man and a piano blows my mind. And that it was all made up as he sat down to play on a piano that he wasn't familiar with is so inspiring. This would have been an album I would have put on in in college to play as I went to sleep. It's melodic, beautiful, and I'm so glad it popped up as the album I was to review today. This album truly surprised me and the backstory of how this album/performance came together adds to the experience. 5 out of 5

Keith Jarrett ist one of kind. Jazz at its best. Thanks for that epic evening listening to that very long concert. He is one of a kind. Great. Simplicity and perfection.

Traumhaft. Wunderbar. Ich liebe diese Platte die ich im Original besitze.

Wow! Two good ones in a row. I had not heard of this guy but apparently he played with all the big jazz names of the mid/late 20th century. I liked this album a lot, especially the first song. I really like how raw the production is, it’s cool to hear him shouting and hollering and also hear him using the pedal — it makes me feel like I’m there live. He hits The Lick at 18:15 in the first song, showing that he is a true cat. And he was born in Allentown PA! The music is brilliant and amazing but it didn’t quite keep my interest the entire time, so docking a point. Very awesome still. 9/10

Day 3/1001 First time listening to a piano jazz album - why did it take me all this time? The improv is so joyous, vibrant and bouncy - all the more astounding after reading about the difficulties with organizing the concert beforehand. Phenomenal work of art.

This was wonderful. Uplifting music to play at work.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

Love this album. Reminds me of a more improvised George Winston. It's wonderful to imagine him just really getting into playing and having such a great time doing it. I had never heard of this album or Keith Jarrett before but I will definitely be looking up more from him. This is the kind of thing I was hoping for when starting on these 1001 albums - new (to me) music that I can explore deeper.

Perfection

Wow! I had never heard it. So grateful to be enlightened! Very powerful!

Like it

Lovely background music, beautiful concert

I wish I could play piano like that, or improvise like that on an instrument that I am actually competent in. 5/5

Great stuff.

What a masterpiece. 5 stars.

This has an amazing backstory that earns this a place in the book on its own, but I really enjoyed the piano in some places, too. Easy 5.

5 stars. Mainly by concept itself and execution. I've listened to couple of albums on this list so far but this is the biggest surprise, I'm sure that I wouldn't listen to this type of music by my choice.

Incredibly enjoyable jazz classical fusion genre, I didn't know the artist before listening but loved the entire performance. Amazing musical talent.

A live solo piano album that runs over an hour. No, wait, come back! Read the Wikipedia article about this album, the sun-standard piano, Jarrett wearing a back brace and almost refusing to play. The end result is like catching lightning in a bottle - a brilliant display of what solo jazz piano can be.

Fantastic album. I had been warned about Jarrett's spontaneous moaning, however I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was barely audible on this album. This is some of the most beautiful piano music I've ever heard.

The story behind this recording is wild.

Jazz! I never thought it could be so pleasant.

Listened to this so many times. One of my favourites.

One of my favorite jazz albums of all time, although calling it jazz is somewhat of a misnomer in my opinion. Piano improvisation from a master. Perfect.

Loved it to bits! Absolutely phenomenal 😍

I really enjoyed.

excellent solo piano improv

Master work of jazz piano. While I prefer more structured pieces, I frequently found myself lost in these.

Loved this! Great live performance that I will have to put into my regular rotation.

This album truly blew me away. Never did I think I would be able to experience such a response from music as simple as this. The closest album I can think of is Music for 18 Musicians, but even that has more going on than this. Played entirely by one man with back problems on one baby grand piano in poor condition. And yet, against all odds, he succeeded. The first song is 26 minutes long. After about 8 minutes, I had to pause it to step away and eat food. When I came back, I restarted the song. I restarted the 26 minute long song of solely one man with back problems playing one baby grand piano in poor condition. It was so astoundingly beautiful, I simply couldn’t just pick up where I left off. It is actually incredible how much emotion Keith manages to convey with so little. Other bands would struggle to bring something like this out of me with an album that has 10 times the number of instruments. Keith’s three performances here are nothing short of genius. You would be hard pressed to find another solo piano recording stronger and more powerful than this. Part II C is just a short encore, but Part II A and II B are one song, reaching nearly thirty minutes in length. And in Part II B, all that Keith changes other than the way he’s playing is the key. He simply goes from a major to a minor key. In the grand scheme of things, it’s only a few different notes he’s playing. But it completely alters the tone and power of the music. It’s much more somber, and feels more articulate and complex than in Part II A. For anybody that has a deeper understanding of music theory, what I’m saying right now probably sounds so stupid. But to the average person like me, its all the difference. It’s rare I have this much to say about an album, mostly because I’m not good at putting my feelings and thoughts into writing, but I had to really try for this record. Anyone that had the privilege of being present during this performance is beyond lucky. This is simply 67 minutes of a master at work, and I am floored at it’s magnificence. Rating: 9/10

This one came as a wonderful surprise. I expected to listen as background music but found myself constantly stopping to give the album my full attention. An amazing Jazz piano album.

this is amazing and already a 5 star. i haven’t got much to say other than i really love this and think it’s so so special. the piano is insanely good, makes me block out all kinds of things which is really the thing that i look for in music; does it transport me, does it move me, does it calm everything in me to just a quiet roar rather than a loud crashing jumble. and the answer is, yes, this is such lovely and enjoyable music, im just sad i didn’t know it before.

I was kind of surprised at how much I enjoyed this. They didn’t downplay the applause on the recording, did they???

Now this was just right. Homey, comforting, and festive. A treat.

I loved this! Such a great change of pace! I loved the music, and the live performance where I could hear Keith Jarrett reacting while playing was great! I am very happy this is on the list. Really terrific!

Не большой фанат концертных альбомов, но это было прямо хорошо

This is one of those albums that on the surface is incredible but if you look into the story behind the album it becomes legendary. Keith played this amazing two piece performance on a baby grand piano due to a mistake made by the promoter and if you don't know the difference a baby grand piano are literally made for houses and have a much inferior sound to Keith's preferred concert grand piano and is like half the size. That is an astonishing accomplishment but it is dwarfed by the fact that this entire album all 67 minutes was completely improvised while having a completely uncomfortable setup. Baby pianos have a lot weaker sound than concert grand pianos but that is especially the case when it comes to the lower register of the piano and Jarett still manages with techniques like ostinatos to strengthen the sound of the bass notes. In all honesty I cannot do a track by track review like I would usually do because there was no intent behind these songs. This album is more an experience of a musician who is truly a savant and has a complete mastery of his instrument more than just about anyone else. It is like hearing Charlie Parker or Sonny Rollins on sax or listening to Hendrix or Tosin Abasi on guitar. It is truly one of the most astonishing musical performances I have ever heard and is among the 2-3 best live albums I have ever heard. He just whips out these long, improvised motifs that are just as good as you will hear in any of the most well reviewed jazz albums of all time. I would suggest anyone who likes this album just look up any video of him improvising. More than any other musician I have seen the music seems to flow out of him in an absurdly natural way. It is one of the most astonishing things I have seen. One of my favorite aspects of this album is how he made the two songs so contrasting with the first being a long, light piece that makes me imagine it being played in a tour of heaven. It is so beautifully played and has these repeating parts that are really addictive to hear. Whereas the second piece is a much punchier track that is just incredibly movement inducing. I really can't think of a simile for what I could imagine this track being used for and I tried for like 15 minutes. It is a completely unique experience and it is incredibly well done with those large periods of intensity juxtaposed with slowed, more emotional parts. I may like other jazz pianists music more like Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk or Bill Evans but when we talk in terms of talent and skill I think that Jarrett is comfortably in the top 2-3 conversation. He plays like it is nothing more than breathing to him and it almost comes of as spiritual in the way he plays. In conclusion, this is easily one of the best jazz albums of all time and is one of the best live albums of all time. It sort of makes sense I like this cause I am a big fan of free jazz but nevertheless listen to this album it is great.

I began listening to this on my AirPods, but after a minute or so I knew that the fidelity and emotion of this required my nicer cans. Boy was I glad with that decision- This album was simply a masterpiece of raw emotion channeled into a piano with expertise and passion. I could listen to a man pour his heart out with this type of skill all day. The songs appear to have no real gap between them so the 4 part breakage only appears to be a way for this guy to rest before again blowing everyone away. The songs go from peaceful and melodic to laying down some jazzy funk and everything in between. Truly beautiful.

Masterpiece

Amazing what he did. Proof that talent wins over technology.

Bleeding me away that this was all improvised.

en tiiä miksei herrasta kuullut aikasemmin. pianonkikkailija läpikotaisin. suosituin soolo pianonpäpyttely albumi mitä koskaan tehty... huomaa että täydet poppimessut päällä kun joka saatanan sävelen jälkeen ollaan taputtamassa käsiä yhteen kun oltaisiin vittu päiväkodissa... ja jonkun täytyy huudella siellä taustalla kävellessä luulin että joku top 5 toimintakeskus asukas huutelee takaa... vai huuteleeko virtuoosi itse, en tiedä mutta autismd.com mukaan ei ole mikään telkkari ohjelma house pianisti jakso kyseessä... look it up... part 1

Wow! Went in with no expectations, enjoyed every minute of it. Just super chill jazz piano.

Improv jazz, super impressive but not riveting for me

Simply beautifully amazingly played. What a musical genius! Downloaded the album. 5/5

I was on a musical journey. Gooood stuff that I didn't know before. Yeah.

Beautiful jazzy improv, what's not to love?

Wow. Learning about the piano conundrum made this all the more enjoyable. I’ve never to listened to anything like this before but I love it.

The virtuosity on display is pretty amazing! A strong album that takes you on an instrumental voyage. Liked it a lot!

Really enjoyed this. Will be revisiting it in the future. This is live!? What a show that must have been. Listening to this while working is an absolutely blissful experience.

Awesome album, great story behind it.

Rewards a close listen. It can drift into becoming background music, but Jarrett will inevitably play some phrase or melody that will grab your attention and bring you back into the moment.

Goes beyond jazz and classical. This is the sound of pushing through frustration while exploring within limitations.

Epic, absolutely loved it

Just gorgeous, in addition to being just a massively, monolithic and sui generis performance – it's hard to imagine a more impressive achievement. It swings, it rollicks. It ponders, wonders and wanders. One feels quite grateful the show wasn't cancelled, and would be interested in an oral history (including audience impressions) of this grand evening and wholly memorable affair.

Brilliant. Was not expecting this to be so captivating.

wow 5*

Definitely not what I was expecting, as I wasn't familiar with Keith Jarrett at all. I also find it misleading to label this as a jazz performance. From my perspective, this clearly seems like a performance of contemporary classical music, with slight jazz influences. The only other jazz aspects here is in Jarrett's past experience and that full improvisation is typically associated with jazz. Be that as it may; Jarrett's playing and compositions are fantastic and recording quality is sublime and in no way behind studio quality. This is a wonderful record and deserves its popularity.

Sublime

Already owned this. I really enjoy listening to this album.

This was one of those albums that I had never heard before, but absolutely need in my life. Keith Jarrett's improvised pieces are unclassifiable. They are clearly rooted in classical music, but have an unstructured feel. The use of certain chords and chromatic notes give the music a modal jazz feel while other parts show rock and blues influences. Jarrett's characteristic vocalizations are peppered throughout which only add to the extemporaneous nature of the recording.

there are some bits where he settles into a melody for 2/3 minutes at a time and it’s some of the best music out there

"The Köln Concert" is a live recording of solo improvisations by American pianist and composer Keith Jarrett. It was recorded at the Opera House in Cologne, Germany by 18-year old Vera Brandes at 11:30PM following an earlier opera performance. Jarrett began his career with jazz drummer Art Blakey and also worked with musicians Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Jarrett's requested piano was not secured for the concert and he famously used a smaller baby grand piano which forced him to played differently. The album became the best selling solo album in jazz history and best selling piano album. It also cemented his reputation as the top pianist of his generation. The album has two parts with the second part having three sections. "Part I" starts with a vamp (repeating musical loop) with improvised material layered within. That's pretty much what Jarrett does throughout the performance. He goes to just improvising then back to the vamps and improv. He adds yelling as well. The pace picks up at the end. Lovely. "Part II" is a similar format to "Part I." "Part II a" has more of a rolling vamp and he adds funk. In "Part II b," the improv has a spiraling feel. He closes the album with "Part II c" and a straight six-minute improvisation. This album is quite compelling. Never boring. The variation of the vamps and improvisation for over an hour is impressive. His yelling adds emotion. An album everyone needs to hear if just one of the parts.

one of the most emotional albums I've ever heard, it has a lot of contrast between moments of delicacy and moments of explosion, great dynamics, a masterpiece!

3rd July 2023 Listened twice in the day while working from home. Went to see Indiana Jones with Ollie in the evening. Loved this. Jazz piano that doesn’t sound like it, sounds like a Pixar soundtrack.

Veel muziek is associatie: waar ken je het van, waar lijkt het op, welke geschiedenis heb je ermee? Dit album kende ik omdat er een stuk uit het eerste deel in een Italiaanse film zat (Caro diario). Man rijdt op een scooter minuten lang door een desolaat landschap in een zweterige buitenwijk van Rome met kotjes, vuilnis, fabrieken, braakliggend terrein, om uiteindelijk uit te komen bij het vervallen monumentje voor de vermoorde filmmaker Pasolini ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaZfXfW6qxA ). Pas jaren later kwam ik erachter dat die muziek geen werkstuk was van de filmcomponist, maar dat het van deze plaat kwam. En o ja, verder had mijn Parijse vriendinnetje deze in de kast staan. Over herinneringen gesproken. Als je er geen voorgeschiedenis bij hebt, is dit album misschien enkel een hoop getingel. Maar jemig, wat een virtuoos, alle kanten op vliegend pianospel, kennelijk grotendeels geïmproviseerd. De zaal zit vol, de pianist neemt plaats, en laat het ter plekke op zich af komen wat er eigenlijk uit zijn handen komt. Die avond in Keulen in 1975 was het dit. Een warm bad van muzikale vrijheid. Waarbij de ironie is, dat er later bladmuziek van is gemaakt, zodat het nu ook door anderen uitgevoerd kan worden (Ralph van Raat speelt Keith Jarrett, 15 oktober 2023 live in Paradiso). Voor mij een muzikaal monument, al snap ik dat je hem niet even in de auto afspeelt. Maar voor alle goede muziek is er een juist moment.

Transcendent.

Outstanding. Extemporised piano for an hour, apparently on a practice baby grand in poor condition because the roadies set up the wrong piano by mistake, not the concert grand he'd asked for. You'd never know. Fabulous stuff.

DELICIOSO pra ouvir estudando, impossível fora desse caso

I’d never heard of this but it’s incredible. It’s not just jazzy noodling, but he develops themes and pays them off beautifully.

Wow! Improvised genius. What a gorgeous piece of music. Obviously not something I'd have listened to at all without this list, but this entranced me all day and I managed four listens. I'm not sure how frequently I'll listen to it again, but I will. Usually that would mean 4 stars, but for being different and for the obvious brilliance of the musician and recording it's an obvious 5.

pop melodies in jazz setting works for me

The story behind this album is insane and this dude is a god tier musician. At the start I wasn't exactly sure what to think. I was laughing a bit cause it sounded like some dude was cumming in the audience but it turns out it was the guy cranking the piano. By the end of of it I was really enjoying it. Not my go-to music by any means but Keith's craft is worth admiration. If you're a piano player you're probably losing your mind over this. Score: 90 - Bonus points for insane artsmanship Art: 60