The Köln Concert

Classic

I don't think I'd ever choose to listen to this but it is pretty good.

The first 20 minutes of this and the last 15 or so are really good! The middle I could take or leave, but I still really liked the album. The story makes it something else, and it's always great to get introduced to new instrumental music.

So chill, he's a brilliant player and honestly love this album.

Nothing like listening to a man tickle the ivories for an hour. Good stuff.

I wish I knew more about piano to give this a more credible review. But this was by far the best solo piano album I have ever heard. It even tops Peter Griffin's performance in Family guy when Lois would force him to get absolutely buckled because it was the only way that he knew how to play piano.

This was extremely enjoyable to have on in the background whilst working. Once I'm all caught up on these albums I'm gonna listen to some of his live stuff with Miles Davis.

While it is overlong, this album simply demonstrates a great musician with his back to the wall, who comes out fighting. The record works beautifully as a late-night relaxation, or first thing in the morning. Brilliant, timeless playing.

Now I need to listing to more Keith Jarrett solo stuff. I love the piano sound, and reading the story of how this concert came together made it sound even better.

Perfect on its own way especially considering the backstory of circumstances leading up to the concert. Couldn't listen to this every day but when I do listen - wow!

I hadn’t really listened to an album like this before—and the fact that something like this can exist, with genuinely ear worm Melodies and brilliant variations on themes, while being IMPROVISED, is just mind blowing. The first part especially, just due to the novelty and the scope of what I was hearing floored me. However, the charm did begin to wear thin by the latter second part, where I just ended up more impressed than musically satisfied. Still a triumph, and an essential listen.

Highlights: "IIB" I try to avoid any argument for an album from backstory, but the main justification for me would be that someone can claim it's *what* you're hearing. In this case, you're hearing a master performer adapt to create something for a specific difficult object. That's more of what John Cage had in mind than whatever industry gossip tells you about an artist's mental state or personal life during an album's production, or even its political climate and public reaction. I don't have the musical knowledge to nail down specific revelations this album could give us. Maybe we could say a characteristic of Davis alumni was searching for continuity without decisive key centers, and this is one more adventure of that kind. I wonder how Jarrett feels about the success of this album. A lot of its success is a conversation starter from its backstory about constraints and suffering in artistic process, and my main takeaway is question as well: if an artist sees fit to take up improvisation, do they accept that one day their greatest work will just move through them athwart all their intentional career?

Yeah look someone with as little musical knowledge as me ain't qualified to write about this. Multiple times throughout this id forgotten it's just a dude on a piano. I was left in awe every time I was brought back to that reality. To think that people can create hours of music like this, of what I presume is unwritten? Is just so wild. I listened to this whilst grinding out Orthos in the lab and it still took me to places. Fav Track: that bit where he was stupendously rapid on them keys

Sometimes a piano instrumental record hits just right for me, and sitting in the soul-sucking office today it was what I needed to get me through. Really enjoying the flowing and flourishing passages that recalled for me the environmental narratives of Lubomyr Melnyk. Even heard a bit of Joe Hisashi in there - Jarrett's influence seems wide-ranging. Hard to intellectualise something like this without any music background to speak of but I can grade it in how it created narratives for me, recalled sensory experience and developed emotions, and I think this did all of the above pretty well. Fave track: Pt. I

Happy to come across some more records I hadn't really had a deep dive into before - had this on my radar before but never found an opportunity to sit with it and give it a proper listen. Such precision playing and creativity beyond comprehension to construct an hour long improvisation like this. It's easy to get a bit lost in the sound and have it become background noise, and there are those moments of laughter or cheering or groaning that snaps you back into reality and makes you remember this guy is playing live and everything is right off the dome. Overall, I'm not sure it blows me away in the same way some of the other jazz entries have, but still a great listen. Three and a half. Fave track: Part II

The amount of talent on display here is jaw-dropping. To be able to improvise a full hour concert that holds the attention throughout is nearly unbelievable. Another I might want to by on vinyl. 4/5

I really enjoyed this. If you haven’t read the Wikipedia article for this album, do yourself a favour and read it. Probably more of a 4.5.

I try not to let meta biographical considerations influence my judgment of music, but every time I hear this, I just shake my head in awe: the dude was hungry, sleep-deprived, and playing on a out-of-tune practice piano with badly-working pedals. And it was almost midnight when the concert got started. The way Jarrett is able to take all that and just go with it and manipulate the piano in the middle register is just amazing. And those little moans and wails throughout, adding just the right touch of soul to it all. It all melts away into such a sublime beauty that could be the soundtrack to monarch butterflies migrating. Look up! Look around you!

Très partagé sur ce disque. Mais au final cette improvisation de plus d'une heure reste impressionnante et parfois très belle. Je pense que plusieurs écoutes m'aideront, mais au bout de deux, je suis déjà plutôt emballé

Good album. Loved hearing Keith Jarrett sing along at points.

Very zen, good to put on in the background for chill work or to zone out to. Would listen again

8/10 it was really cool to imagine being there in the cocnert hall for this, amazing talent.

8/10. This was really pretty, may return to it in the future.

Definitely enjoyable but it’s a lot of just piano. It’s crazy to think about the talent it takes to improvise so freely on the stage. 7/10

Hyvää kamaa erittäin! 4/5

Täähän oli hieno. Pitää kuunnella joskus sunnuntaiaamuna tai vastaavana uudestaan.

Kaunis levy, tullen kuuntelemaan lähitulevaisuudessa usein. 4/5

What a story! Happy to have had this brought to my attention here because I don’t think I would run into it anywhere else.

I was pretty reasonably impressed with most of this. There were a few moments that were a little "lobby music" for me, but I did enjoy listening to it!

Very good for a live album, very good for a Jazz album, and very very good piano. It starts to drag at times, but quickly overcomes that hurdle by switching moods completely. All in all I really enjoyed listening to this cross faded as hell.

Don’t give me Live Albums come on now.

Never heard of Keith Jarrett before, and I was impressed with his music. I wouldn't say that I'd listen to this music regularly, but it was enjoyable for what it is. Very cool to experience.

The idea that this was largely improvised is astounding. Amazing performance.

great work listening

Delightful and totally out of my normal comfort zone!

You can hear quite a few people on the recording just awkwardly grunting or going ‘yeah’ when the jazz is just too good and honestly same

Very good

Nice enough background piano music, good background noise

I wouldn’t have known this was improvised if I hadn’t read up on it. It’s an entertaining story and explains the moaning! Would definitely listen to this again.

Not much of a Jazz person but this really kept my interest. The story behind the recording is very interesting as well. I might even listen to this again.

Actually quite captivating for just an hour of piano. It made it onto the 'work facilitators' playlist. I'm not sure the grunts were necessary

I enjoyed the bit where it went “ding-a-ling-ding-ding-a-ling-ding-ding-a-ling-ding-dong”, accompanied by periodic grunts. Think I listened to this 7 times over in the end. Mad that it was improvised

That’s some expressive piano, son. Gets so much across with one instrument. Struggling to think of anything else like it. 4.5/5

Begendim

Beautiful.

Amazing that this is improvised. Truly a generational talent. I liked this one way more than I thought I would. 4.5/5, but rounding down to 4 since it's re-listenability is fairly low. Still, wow.

Deez keys dey please. Beautiful, atmospheric, reminded me of a soundtrack. Lovely day to have ears

This was a super impressive album. Loved the wide journey of different vibes it would take you on. Had some excellent Breath of the Wild Vibes.

Beautiful and calming. Put me right to sleep on the train 4/5

We went from all sitar to all piano. I enjoyed this much more. It's sort of a cosmic gumbo. It almost moves to the beat of jazz. Wikipedia says his performances are completely improvised, which is also pretty neat.

Relaxing piano music, great for background music while working.

This being entirely live is really cool and makes it even more impressive

This was beautiful piano solo background music. No complaints.

Wow this surprised me. Never heard of this album or Keith Jarrett, but this one was great. Amazing that he improvised the whole thing on a substandard piano.

Not what I usually listen to, but certainly not bad. Peaceful.

I thought Keith Jarrett was a country star. I know I've spent some time living under rocks in my life but this is not what I expected country music to sound like. Great stuff. Maybe I need to go check out Bocephus next.

I'm certainly no piano expert, but Keith Jarrett's playing on "The Köln Concert" does appear pretty special even to my untrained ears. It is the only album of it's kind on the 1001 list, suggesting again that it must be pretty special. And pretty special circumstances led up to it's recording, as an 18-year-old concert promoter dealt with several complications in the run-up to the show. What it produced despite challenges is an impressive work of art.

Im a bit blown away, surprised, contented. Coming in, I was expecting to have to bare this album begrudgingly to the end. Never in a 1001 years would I have listened to this album, and I’m glad I did. This is labeled jazz, but I don’t hear it as such. I guess I don’t know enough about jazz to recognize it. Keith displays piano mastery, in both technicality and expressiveness. He knows how to rip off crescendoed runs and dial it back into the intimacy of pin drop anticipation. Truly an emotional experience.

Keith Jarrett is a jazz pianist from the USA. This is a live album, recorded at the Koln (Opera House) in Cologne in 1975. Before heading out on his own, Keith played with the likes of Art Blakely and Miles Davis. The story behind this album is a fantastic one. Before the show, Keith requested a concert grand piano be supplied for him to play the concert on. There was a misunderstanding with the venue, and a baby grand piano is all that was provided. Not only that, it was the baby grand that the venue had as a strictly "rehearsal instrument". The piano was worse for wear, being slightly out of tune, and having pedals that didn't always work as they should. Keith was also having severe back pain (he had to play the concert in a back brace) so much that he couldn't sleep, and was severely overtired, and before the concert, the restaurant he went to screwed his order up, leaving Keith only enough time for a few bites before having to leave to play the show. So tired, hungry, and with the wrong instrument, he went out, and now unable to play the setlist he wanted due to the smaller, subpar instrument he was provided, improvised 66 minutes of flawless music on the spot!! I am not necessarily the biggest jazz fan, but this story of perseverance in the face of hardship is what music is all about. This album wholeheartedly belongs on this list, simply because of that story! Even the music he managed to play was amazing, though! Not something I would gravitate to every day, but absolutely stellar work. Keith was a master of his instrument!! I really enjoyed today's listen, and the story that went along with it! Favourite songs: Koln Pt. II C Least favourite songs: Koln Pt. I (just because he spent the first 10 minutes noodling about on the piano, I'm assuming trying to figure out what worked and what didn't on it) 4/5

A wonderful album that invokes many moods from intense to sad to joyous to funny. Its actuly quite amazing. 4.5 stars

Love me some good piano, and this is definitely that.

I typically avoid reading or researching these albums before listening and reviewing, but I'm glad I opted to read about this album as it was playing, because knowing that this was completely improvised from start to finish really changed how I heard to it. The ultra-superlative reviews were plentiful — this is a significant milestone in jazz music. Glad I knew that. As a listener, there were many moments that were extraordinary, as in, "how on earth can someone do that?" On the whole, it was an adventure — thrilling, ecstatic, joyful and contemplative, moody, quiet, depending on where Jarrett's mood took him. It's a lot to take in, for sure, but I'm believing the hype. Something of a marvel to hear someone so in control of an instrument and willing to take a step off the ledge and thrill an audience with his playing prowess and the spark of inspiration in the moment. Could be a five for sheer audacity; I'm giving it a four just because the prospect of listening to it front to back again anytime soon seems daunting.

This album is another great example of why I love this experiment. When you hit an album at the right time it's just so lovely. Would I ever put on this album to listen...unlikely. But now that I know Keith Jarrett is an amazing chill improv musician, the next time I have to focus at work...I'll know who to spin.

Peaceful, good for studing and relax.

Si on est dans le mood c'est vraiment très agréable :)

His playing is so incredible, this might be one of the best solo albums out there. To make a solo album this interesting and capturing is pretty impressive. His vocalizations are hilarious and I laughed out loud in a couple of spots. 4.5

This is what the soundtrack would have been to a more serious/depressing "Peanuts" special, but set in the adult world. Snoopy as an aged dog, wandering the streets after Charlie Brown left home... Linus becomes an addict and ends up working at the docks where blankets are most definitely not allowed.... n.b. that's the highest of compliments. Peanuts rule. Labeling this "jazz" might be accurate but it's not describing it at all. Super accessible but not in a simplistic way. I love the melodies he composes on the spot - his occasional vocal outbursts add to the live feel - the record wouldn't have been the same without those. I've owned this record for years and never am sure how I came by it - maybe inherited from an older relative, tucked away between old Elvis Costello and Cars albums. But it's been a Sunday morning go-to for a while - perfect soundtrack for a quiet snowy day. Even if you think you hate jazz, give it a shot. This isn't bebop; it's more just instrumental melodic composition. Love it and definitely recommended for all. 8/10 4 stars

WOAH PIANO MUSIC??? Hard to think this will be less than a 5. It's less because the music is pretty intense but its ALMOST a 5.

Fantastic musician. Not a real big fan of his style or the songs themselves, but props for how well he plays. Also not a fan of the guy in the audience that kept moaning when he heard something he liked.

Enjoyable background noodling

Really nicely done. Some of the best background music I've heard in years. Probably good to see live in concert. Also good to play at home if you've got a deadline or an aunt visiting, or if you're going out and the dog gets lonely.

I don't know enough to judge the quality of a jazz piano performance but I really enjoyed it.

pretty chill. saved.

Brilliant improv solo piano played live on a decrepit piano he hated to a crowd in 1970 Cologne.. Long pieces that wander in interesting places plus occasional crowd noises plus moans from KJ. Staggeringly good. Feel the groove. Strong 4

Definitely worth the listen, I'd probably need to be in the mood to revisit it, but most certainly some lovely piano music here.

Great jazz concert, great piano work. This is some real talent. I loved it, I can see why it is received so well after all these years. Would listen to again, many, many times.

Sviđa mi se kad krene stenjat u prvoj pjesmi

Još jedan jazz? Ohaj, ovo je više kao jazz - ali ECM Jazz ***combining elements of Jazz Fusion with the subdued atmosphere of Cool Jazz and the Western Classical Music bent of Third Stream.*** Ali meni više zvuči kao neki elegantni klasični album. Sviđa mi se i glazba, cover, naziv albuma, naziv pjesama. Super.

this album is something else. everything that could have gone wrong before keith jarrett's performance did go wrong! but for me, someone who is musically untrained but enjoys music a lot, i couldn't have even predicted any of the backstage struggles and mishaps. jarrett gave a remarkable concert and every second sounds so beautiful! it's also hard to believe this was improvised, and there's only the piano for the entire concert! regardless of how the concert/album came to be, it is positively wonderful. it's easy to listen to, and the backstory makes it even more fascinating. well deserved spot on this list.

Nice solo piano album, great compositions. Very long tracks with tons of changes. Beautiful and inspiring, great album for focus work.

Wow, very impressive, captivating. Better than I thought a piano concert could be!

This a very interesting Jazz album. The sound is very rough (go read the full story on Wiki) but because of it you can really feel Jarett's talent. A full hour of piano got a bit too much for me but it's definitely worth a listen.

Very calm and relaxing music

I enjoyed this but was surprised to see it here.

Pretty good. Should re-listen sometime.

Lovely piano jazz change up. Will listen to again

Impressive that this is all improvisational, and some amazing lines in there. Not my thing, but belongs on this list for sure.

Very nice. As soon as it started playing, i felt relaxed, and taken on a journey. However - because these tracks are 26 minutes, 18 minutes long - it loses one star.

3/4

Dude has some fucking nasty technique god damn

Piano!

This album is the proof that jazz doesn't need huge bands or extreme complexity to be good. Sometimes, a man messing around with a piano can create some of the most beautiful jazz sounds ever. Bravo Keith!

I really enjoyed listening to this after so many years. Like visiting with an old friend. A classic, without a doubt!

A remarkable recording even if it does descend into background music at some points.

Seventies ivory tickling.

G D C G A, then ad lib

Beautiful. The groaning is a little weird, but it's so obvious he's in a deeply personal groove that it's hard not to get sucked into the composition.

08/29/2022 Love that I’ve been getting jazz albums for the past two days!!! Had heard of Keith Jarrett, but never had a solid grasp of his work. This album was really beautiful, especially since I love jazz pianists. I can’t imagine how transcendent this performance must have been for the audience watching live. — Today was another chill day. I made chicken salad, watched bcs w fi, did some reading for school, and got to talk to Lukey on FT :)). School tomorrow, also excited to continue watching bcs w fi <3

Just one dude and his piano, but sounds outstanding. Really enjoyed this. Great to have on while concentrating.

Très très fort

Not too long, not too short. A lot of good things and powerful from time to time. 4/5

Unbelievable skill, enjoyed it way more than I thought i would enjoy a piano solo.

Enjoyed this more than I expected. Found it accessible and it suited my mood.

Lovely

Very good!

Probably the most surprising listening experience for me so far. Being unfamiliar with the genre, I have a narrow, specific sound in my head when I think "jazz," and this album is nothing like it. This seems to have elements of both jazz and classical, and it is simply beautiful to hear.

Had some trouble locating this entire album. There are so many covers of different segments by muliple artists, which just says volumes of Jarrett's performance. I found his techinical skill and improvisational ability to be amazing. This is some beautiful music.

El començament del primer tema, sobretot l'in crescendo de la primera part, és espatarrant, et deixa amb la pell de gallina. Un dels descobriments pels quals val la pena aquest repte dels 1001 discos. Saber a més que tot ell és un repertori improvisat, és encara més boig. A mi em projecta un sentiment optimista per part de Jarret, com d'enamorament, ves a saber si d'algú o de la vida, un d'aquells efectes misteriosos -i màgics- de la música. Els seus supirs i onomatopeies encara potencien més l'efecte. Meravellós

4 2022 has definitely been the year of jazz discovery for me. I’ve been trying to understand Jazz on a deeper level and it’s been a real challenge at times to be honest. So naturally I was excited when our first Jazz album came up and oh boy this is a really fun record. The sheer amount of skill and understanding of the craft is on full display. For a little while I was thinking this was going to be ‘cocktail party iazz’. Something quiet to throw on in the background while everyone pretends to be fancy, at about 8 minutes into the performance I was surprised. The tonal change engaged me enough to keep going. This is not challenging Jazz and I think that’s the best thing about it. It’s the opposite of cocktail Jazz. It’s the album I put on after a long day at work and want a nice, but not boring drive home. I’ll definitely be listening again and again because I don’t feel like I’ve heard every he has to say yet. It’s not really structured with songs so I can’t name a favorite but I definitely would buy on vinyl.

At first I was ready to skip this one because I don't think live albums should be on this list, but is it really a live album if it's just piano? Isn't all piano work live? That's my thought at least as I was taken on a journey on the ivories by this guy. And as crazy as it is, I'm a fan of those 26 minute tracks of just calming piano music.

How does an hour long piano concert go this hard?

Mostly very good. Playing is amazing. Most songs are good, some are eh.

background music to me

Exquisite listening. A record I rarely play, but always enjoy immensely when I do.

One Show, One Man, and One barely functioning Piano. A fascinating story behind this recording, and the improvised piano work is excellent here. At an hour in length, this wouldn't be something I want to do full returns to, but I am very glad I listened to this. Favourites: Pt. 1, Pt. 2 C

peaful :)

Beautiful album

Incredible performance. I do believe that all of this was improvisational, as Jarrett's occasional whoops sound like he's even impressing himself. The valleys give way to amazing peaks.

J’avais écouté cet album il y a vingt ans, parce qu’on nous présentait ça à l’université comme un moment important dans la carrière de Keith Jarrett et dans l’histoire du jazz. Le fait que tout était complètement improvisé et que tout s’était mal passé durant la préparation du spectacle était mis de l’avant pour nous convaincre de la qualité du pianiste. À l’époque, j’avais trouvé ça un peu quétaine et ennuyeux. Aujourd’hui, je pense être plus apte à trouver ça intéressant. C’est en fait très intéressant et ça teinte tout ce qu’il a fait après, et pas seulement en solo.

For an album that is solely recorded with one instrument and was improvised, and considering the distuptive circumstances a Jarrett had with the wrong piano, the long drive and barely eating due to his restaurant order arriving late, The Köln Concert is something to be proud of. The ultimate example of When Life Gives You Lemons... I do have to say my respect for this album is a bit more than my actual enjoyment I got from this. A bit cynical I know, but I just didn't love it.

I really enjoyed this. I had no idea how proficient Keith Jarrett was.

Concierto para piano. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Seeing this live is on my time machine bucket list.

Beautiful background music

4/22/2022 Today's Album: "The Köln Concert" by Keith Jarrett - This is a really excellently performed improv piano concerto recorded in Cologne, Germany in 1975. All that really needs to be said is this mf can play some piano. Throw out what immediately comes to mind when you think piano concerto because this performance travels from so many different levels of energy and ways of playing it feels really fresh and exciting (at least upon first listen). It's insanely well recorded for being live and you can even hear when he feels really proud of himself for something and lets out a little laugh or cums in his pants a little. I think the first part is a little bit more of a slog to get to, but it definitely doesn't feel like it's full 26 minute runtime. Sometimes the sounds he's letting out are even a little concerning, but the music is good enough to warrant it. I really like how upbeat and lively the first half of part A of part 2 is and then how it slows down into this kind of dark and slow section. All the way through the different speeds and grooves, he's just playing the fuck out of the piano. The chord structures feel new and interesting, but it doesn't feel like he goes off the rails too much. Part B is a lot more brooding and really made me notice just how much interplay and coordination there is between the left and right hands throughout this whole album. The transitions between different moods are also done really well and make it feel like a really cohesive experience. Part B really takes off as it develops and just does a beautiful job of transitioning from idea to idea while building this atmosphere. Part C made me notice that this guy is just creating such solid groves solely out of the way he is hitting the piano keys while also just playing some of the most technically and musically impressive piano playing I may have ever heard. He has so much control over the keys and the fact this whole thing is improv just blows my mind. Part C is only 7 minutes and therefore ends the album off in a really digestible and satisfying way. I think he even may incorporate some melodies from the other 2 parts which is pretty insane when you think of just how much this guy is making up on the spot. The entire album is just a fantastic performance that is great to just sit down and contemplate life to. It's beautiful and unique and musically dense and I think anyone with any sort of classical music and jazz background will love this piece of music. Score: 9/10 Highlights: Köln, January 24, 1975, Pt. 2 A, Köln, January 24, 1975, Pt. 2 C

Amazing. Captivating. I was emotionally drawn to from beginning to end. What a talent.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this, having been subjected to some of that modal stuff, hard bop, and other totally unmusical styles of jazz. I read a review that said he improvises, which is usually code for harsh music from technical types who like to show off their skills. Or would he just play discordant chords, which seems to be another jazz piano trait. NO! This is lovely, melodic, mostly peaceful music that can play away in the background, but is quite glorious to hear with headphones on. He understands melody and phrasing and has the happy knack of knowing when it's time to change things up.

The album that changed the perception of jazz for so many people. It still sound relevant after all these years.

Lovely. Dramatic. Great if you're looking for some background piano music that is engaging enough, but never really distracting.

Very cool bit of playing on the piano

Decent chill piano music

This is very chill and calming

Live albums, especially piano, are so much fun to just put on and let play. This one was no different. Enjoyable from start to finish. The talent that is required to play something like this, for hours, is quite remarkable. I enjoyed this, having no idea what I was getting into.

Had no expectations having not heard of Keith Jarrett before. Good listen.

The best part are the little noises you hear in the background

Could definitely put into frequent rotation or on a working/focus playlist

Pretty good live album with Jarrett playing solo piano, though I think I prefer the piano trio stuff. In this live setting, the involuntary humming and half-singing along with the melodies that we know from Jarrett was less of a distraction than I expected it to be.

never listened to a piano concert before, and i must say i was pleasantly surprised, i felt like the music told a story without words or any hint towards it which was a cool experience

The piano is very soothing.

De pogga fr

Come to Brazil!

Väldigt bra! Hittar en hel del känsla och passion i pianospelandet.

Really good background music. Would probably have been exceptional to have actually been there. Not something I would be actively sitting down and listening to, but then I'm not sure you really have to. It's good.

nice background music while painting. feels very organic and cool.

Really nice piano…live

I've been slowly gaining an appreciation for jazz and I'm very happy this album was on the list of 1001 albums because I hadn't heard it before. Live improvised piano piece isn't something my younger self would have tolerated, so I listened with a open mind and open ears. A wonderful way to spend an hour or so, though it was background music while I was painting (art, not walls). It was a perfect mood for creating. Enjoyable listen!

Legendary, but you’ve got to be in the right mood for that

I appreciate the background story and I play piano a bit. But I don't think I'm up to actually commenting on this one. I will just enjoy soaking in its dances and rhythms whenever the time is right.

Piano, klassiek met jazzy invloeden

Jazz piano improv

This is pretty amazing. Beautiful piano improvisations, even more impressive after reading the story behind this concert on Wikipedia. A crappy rehearsal piano, which caused him to focus more on the bass and middle keys, exhausted and with back problems, and no proper meal before the performance. Out of adversity comes beauty though. Very nice. 4 stars.

I really liked this. There was so much sound that came out of one guy and a piano. The way is built in waves and crashed down to do it again was awesome.

Fantastic. Really enjoyed the first track. The segments when he gets popping are the definition of nod-inducing. I’ll be coming back to this one a lot.

I started off thinking it was the bg music for an old cartoon, but I did get into it. Yes, it's beautiful and interesting, but I probably won't listen to it much and I've already forgotten most of it.

It took me a while to review The Köln Concert, because when I first looked for this album YouTube only had copies of other people playing Keith Jarrett's work. It seemed a shame to listen to someone else playing Jarrett's improvisations. I've never heard of Jarrett before. Culturally, I am quite ignorant when it comes to jazz, so this was all new music for me. If I hadn't read the description of the album, I don't know if I would have thought this was jazz - says someone who doesn't know anything about jazz. When the album was done, I was already curious as to what I might hear a second time through. Four stars from me.

Above others by a head and neck. The control over the keys was pretty cool. Mixed up a lot of timing too. Enjoyed more than I expected

Surprisingly good, even if jazz piano is no my thing. Good background mudguard.

Amazing that he played this on a crappy piano.

Starts well

This was a really nice and wonderful album of some jazz piano. I listened to it a few times and each time it was more enjoyable. The sounds were impressive and the backstory on it makes it even more impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed it 8.0/10

Very, very good jazz piano improvisation. This was a great listen.

Ещё предстоит понять

Róleg píanótónlist, læv flutningur. Ágætis bakgrunnsafþreying.

Like a light summer rain, much needed and beneficial.

Пианизм то ли поп, то ли джаз. Приятно, но лучше фоном — может надоесть

Nice relaxing piano music. I dug it. 4

rustig maar o zo mooi

4 Dit is mooi! Ik wil heel graag piano kunnen spelen nu. Later in men huis komt er sowieso eentje! Perfect als achtergrond muziek

Jaaa is iets helemaal anders. Perfect om te concentreren, ik vind dat tof

I'm glad there was a piano concert included in the 1001. This guy is amazing and if I read the notes correctly he did it with his piano out of tune.

My co-judge called this Muzak, but she was eating breakfast at the time and it's easy for an unaccompanied piano concert to get lost in the background. I, on the other hand, thought it (esp. Part I) was brilliant. He changes moods effortlessly, with lots bit of improvisation. I appreciate that it's difficult for one instrument to hold the audience's attention for a 1 hour + concert - not to mention he was playing on a busted piano! It's hilarious how long they wait to clap after each piece - it ain't over 'til it's over.

This album is a perfect example of the problem of labels. I am not quite sure what I listened to but if you asked I would not have called it jazz. I would have said a beautiful hour of solo piano though. I've only ever listened to Jarrett's work with Miles and the trio of him, Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock but this is something completely different. What I also found interesting is that he's done an album of Gurdjieff piano music, which this kind of made me think of a little bit. Last interesting tidbit is that this was recorded at the Cologne opera house at almost midnight after an opera was performed in the same location that night.

It's an hour of improvised piano

Play me a song I’m the piano man!

Cool story behind this and I love Keith Jarrett, but to my ears, this isn't really jazz. Critically acclaimed for good reason though. Just not my bag of tea when I'm looking for piano-oriented jazz. More like free form improv which is cool in its own way.

Piano. Yep, that's all I can think. Perfectly fine.

This is the kind of thing where I can recognise his talent and admire it. However extemporisation is not for me and it’s not something I would ever choose to listen to. The sounds effects are quite entertaining though

Not for me.

meh

Perfectly pleasant and in sure the artist is exceptionally skilled. But will not be revisiting.

Tinkly solo piano is not really my thing, wouldn't actively seek this one out but fine enough once in a blue moon ⭐⭐⭐

good

It was nice to listen to but not really for me, soz T-T

Svaka čast na sposobnostima ali, kao što sam i pretpostavila, sam klavir nije dovoljan za uzbudljiv album.

it is jazz.

es mi tipo de musica para escuchar literalmente en vivo o en ciertos contextos. esta vez no fue el caso, pero sirve para estudiar

Good album, very peaceful! 6.8/10

Would never have been aware of this album. Enjoyed it for a time but tired of it half way through

After reading the story of how this concert came to me, I can understand why it is culturally significant. But, this kind of music just doesn’t resonate with me.

good

best song: PT2 B worst song PT 2 C great album overall, was not in the mood for jazz hence the 3 star review I will listen to this while studying thought

Only listened to a bit, quite enjoyed what I heard. Potential for 4 stars but I didn’t hear it all

Interesting, unique for this list. Good for background music.

Hypnotized me!

A very interesting and pleasant listening experience. Never listened to this kind of music before so it was good to get out of my comfort zone. Fav Songs Hard to rank since it's a live improv album so it's more just one big song Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Maybe, it's a very nice listen with a very interesting story but I wouldn't call it mandatory, would recommend if you like the style though.

A great jazz pianist. Was interested on the first couple of numbers but grew bored with it as it progressed. The piano was never one of my favorite instruments.

Interesting. I liked it.

Beautiful backstory and great album

Beautifully done.

It was enjoyable to listen to and good piano playing, but I am not going to look for it again. Standard Jazz 3 stars

Not much to say, not sure the significance of this album but the piano playing sounded good.

I’m sure he’s great but I find these all piano concerts boring after a while.

Good album. Kind of hard to jam to a 26 minute song, but it’s still a good album. Probably a 3.5 for me.

Some piano jazz stuff.

one of the best-selling jazz piano albums all time.

Revisit

3.5

Interesting story, not a piano connoisseur to judge it on the performance itself, but it was a variation

This was pleasant; but not for me. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, it was quality, but I just felt like I was forcing myself to listen to this one.

The story is amazing. The talent is amazing. Its not really my thing but I can appreciate how good it is and I am happier for knowing this and hearing this.

i like piano n its very nice but js piano 4 an hour str8? idk man

Truly beautiful music - Even more so when you read the circumstances in which this was recorded. It makes you wonder how this album would have sounded were the correct piano present. It does not sound at like a live recording (especially with 1975 technology) until you hear the occasional foot stomp or vocalization. That being said, this is great background music for me. This is not an album I would choose to sit and listen to.

phenomenal first song, which is 50% of the album

I mean its smooth listening like praise the talent

It was peaceful and chill, but at the end of the day it was just a solo piano for an hour. Enjoyable, but it didn't really feel that special or like I'll ever revisit.

Really nice and jazzy piano music, though it can sound a little disorganized at times and Jarrett's vocalizations were somewhat distracting. For an improv piece, however, it is really quite impressive. I wouldn't recommend this for casual listening as it requires an hour of dedicated attention.

This is one of those, “I understand why it’s here, but it’s not my thing.” Probably a 5 for what it is, but 1-2 for my enjoyment. I don’t want to listen an hour of a guy improvising on a piano.

This is nice, but I’m not into solo piano pieces with no lyrics. I recognize the talent, but would never listen to this on my own.

That sure was a lot of piano.

sensational

Jar bear! I’m in a hotel lobby!

very beautiful, not the biggest fan of just piano though

EStá bien, demasiado improv para mi

Not really going to list a favorite track, or note thoughts on a per track basis as it doesn't really seem to fit the body of this work— which seemingly is a series of 4 different live, solo improve session done only on the piano. There isn't really a "beginning" or "end" within each of these sessions (even though each session itself does start & end). Moreso, there these motifs and melodies that wax and wane across the sessions, and it feels like I'm much more baring witness to a narrative expressed purely sonically. There are sections within each session that are definitely different form one another, but they sort of bleed and mix into one another. Across the 4 sessions, there is some incredible solo piano work that has this sort of dreamy, other wordly feel to it. As I said before, I see them less as tracks and more as seemingly this sort of narrative device and I'm baring witness to a long, drawn out story. Insanely talented player, clearly, and while their is a "start" and "end" to some of these sessions, they individually are all rather lengthy and complex. They feel like they each have different micro-tracks nested within them, and that they each ebb and flow into one another as we move through the session. Now, while this is technically and artistically super impressive— it's incredibly lengthy for what it is and for me personally, grows to become rather exhausting. There's a lot of nuance and complexity here, but I'm not that big into jazz so it's just not really sticking with me. I can easily take a step back and appreciate what is technically impressive here, but that doesn't translate into personal enjoyment of the album for myself. Again, I think what is here is, artistically, very impressive despite my lack of interest in it sonically. Like, I would never seek this out on my own— but it's impossible to deny the quality & talent that is here. The amount of depth & texture that is here despite it being just one dude jamming away on a piano is incredible.

Enjoyed much much more than expected, could be good study music

Enjoyed the one, a very calming jazz piano record.

I don’t have much to say about this one, it’s a guy doing a sorta-jazzy piano recital in West Germany. Apparently it’s the best selling solo piano record ever. It was perfectly fine. 3/5

A compelling piece and beautiful piano playing, but not quite an album that i was looking for

This was a pretty chill album, which was mainly just nice piano music, but I was surprised to see the release year, as I thought it would be something more recent. Overall, quite nice having this in the background, so I can't really complain.

Great album but not my jam. It felt something like something between the Inception soundtrack and music from Mr Roger's Neighborhood. Both things I love, but don't listen to a ton.

Ist ok aber bisschen zu langweilig so ohne den pianisten zu sehen. live bestimmt geiler

I started playing the first song and its 26 minutes long 🙃 very good album and long ,good piano in the second one 7.4/10

Nice album to listen to, very interesting story of how it was made. It must be an amazing feeling to be able to play the piano like this.

Fine as background music.

Concert de piano envoutant jazzy et avec des melodies assez rythmées. J’ai bien aimé alors que c’est tres marqué jazz quand meme. C’est un musicien et chef d’orchestre qui maitrise plusieurs instruments. disque de piano solo le plus vendu au monde, toutes catégories musicales confondues. Plus grand improvisateur musicien de son temps.

Not my thing

Fell asleep listening to this

3/5

probably a 3.5

Good but I didn't feel like it

Isn’t recording free form jazz kinda missing the whole point of free form jazz? It’s supposed to live in the moment. Anyway- this got pretty tedious after about 40 minutes worth.

I appreciate the musicianship. Whoop!. Not sure there is an occasion when i would listen to it again though. Yeah! Sorry Keith. Whoop!

From a '75 Koln concert I was maybe hoping for a seminal Krautrock live concert, turned out being pretty much it's opposite. Not bad, but Monk is probably the only musician for who I would have the desire to listen to a solo piano concert.

I was strapped in for an hour of spa music. Don’t get me wrong, much of it I would happily listened to at a spa should I ever visit one, but it did rise above the level of vanilla, and was engaging me at times far more than I’d expected. That said, I very much doubt I’ll ever listen to his work again as it’s not really my thing. File under “Nice background music whilst writing a report”

fav song: koln, january 24th, 1975, pt. II A intimate, improv, raw 60/100

Piano music, progressive jazz? Good stuff if you like piano music

Cool story, out of my wheelhouse, comforting I suppose.

Best Song: Part II(c) To me, you can't really hate this but also, it's not something you put on doing 80 on a freeway or pounding beers with friends. Its use case is a rather small window unless you are a musician type that really enjoys the intricacies of Jarrett's playing. Sadly, I have the musical talent of a box turtle and the musical knowledge of a wolf spider, so for me this was just mellow piano music. It is good background music for work, cleaning, etc. but that's about it for this guy. 3/5.

Decent. An impressive selection of classical music that was evocative. Unfortunately, it didn't quite match the positive mood we were in so we didn't quite manage to submerse ourselves.

I really don't know what to think about this album. It's mostly runs, it's a single piano playing what is truthfully similar sounding notes on an instrument that should not be there. The story of how the concert went and hwo it came it be is incredible. But does a good story make up for what, in my opinion, is a mostly dull but well-executed piano concert that lacks most of the parts of jazz I enjoy? I honestly don't know.

A good album, h liked Part 2 a and Part 2 c the most.

I can tell it's awesome but not in the right zone for it today. Worth a revisit

Never listened. Expectations: None - Verdict: Very Good - Apparently this is the biggest selling jazz album by a solo artist of all time, and the biggest piano album ever. Not sure how I've never even heard of it. This is very pretty at the start. It sounds extremely modern without shouting about it. I'm 6 minutes in and wow, this is absolutely stunning. I think the opening 10 or 15 minutes of Part 1 is the highlight but this is really impressive throughout.

It’s good. I wouldn’t die if I couldn’t hear it again.

I'm sure I won't be the first review you've read discussing the backstory to this performance. But to summarize a long story, Keith Jarrett was to perform a live concert in Köln Germany with a luxurious Grand Piano. All the Germans had to do was provide one for him and he would be set for a great concert. He was partially injured at the time and wearing a back brace, so bending over must have hurt a ton. To make things worse, somehow the wrong piano was ordered. Instead of what he had requested, they ordered a tiny, broken, piece of garbage piano that wasn't even really meant to be played by anyone. He claims that the only reason he even performed at this concert was because the piano was fixed before he arrived, but I can only imagine how pissed off he must have been. What he delivered ended up being a hell of a performance, and resulted in the best selling solo album in Jazz history, as well as the best selling piano album of all time. Which really says a lot about Jazz when you think of it, but I won't go there this time. Regardless, this album is absolutely nothing without that story. I mean, sure, it probably would have been a pretty great performance if the piano was what he requested, but he'd likely done a ton already just like it, which would have been just another boring live Jazz performance. Instead, we got this. Pure talent and an amazing sounding record that sold like hotcakes due to a hilarious situation. It was lightning in a bottle for Keith, and I'm sure he's looked back on this concert and smiled about it for years now, even if it wasn't a good situation to be in while it was happening for him. I'm not a Jazz guy. I thought this album was just ok. I can recognize the talent, it's oozing from every note. But, I would never personally return to it. Without the backstory, I would probably give it a mid 2 or a low 3. It's not my taste in music at all, but the background heavily elevated my personal enjoyment with this one. Again, you don't have to be an expert to tell how impressive this is, and I can't honestly dislike a dude playing his freaking heart out on a bad piano like this. So I'm going to give it a 3, which seems very fair for this one. Picking a favorite song from the 4 is also going to be very difficult, especially since it's just a dude playing the piano for an hour, but I'm going to go with "Part II b". Not entirely sure why. I think I picked that one because a lot of the beginning notes just resonated positively with me. This was an alright album, but a remarkable story. Carry on Mr. Jarrett.

Piano... if the commentary is from the crowd, it's kind of annoying, but if its from Keith, then it's kind of sick. Great, just something I'll probably never listen to again.

Not my cup of tea, but it wasn't bad.

muy buen álbum, pero una horita sin voces se me hace pesado. soy un ignorante

This was relaxing. I could see myself listening to this for background music when I'm painting.

hermoso, al principio me parecia muy piano clasico, pero despues entendi el jazz y me encanto, quiero que sea el soundstack de mi vida.

I appreciated the music. It was beautiful, emotive, impressive. It moved and flowed and took you on the same journey as everyone in attendance at the concert. Keith Jarrett’s groans in the background I did not appreciate. Get a room Keith. 3.5/5.0 Best Song: Part II c

Really beautiful music, but its not for me, its too classical and too sort of long winded for me to really get behind. Plus i think he cums his jeans about 4 times in the hour long set.

It’s alright I guess, if you really really really want to hear the piano. It was like the music from a Charlie Brown cartoon but a bit more somber and serious…like if Charlie Brown was waiting on a cancer diagnosis or going through a messy divorce.

Not even being clearly technically impressive, and having a fun story behind it, can change the fact that it’s still a whole hour of improvised piano.

really nice pianoman

inesperado, la mejor parte ll c. me gusta mucho la idea de que se deja llevar: compone las canciones en el mismo concierto

I get the skill involved to do this considering the story behind the album and concert, and there are some beautiful parts of this, but I drifted off at some points. Still pretty good though.

Lovely

Surprisingly I listened to the entire thing. Not my thing. Banging the same chord over and over? Yeah, no. I don’t know how to review things tactfully without saying this album was trash. I can appreciate the musical ascent, but it was torture to listen to.

Hard grade super talented but not for me

This is an alright album. it's what you'd suspect from a classical album. I wouldn't really say that this is an album "you must listen to before you die" but it's good.

He’s a bit percussive but i have just come out of an operation and feel drowsy. A diffetent mood might hit diffetently. The runs ate like beautifully timed drum rolls, incredible really. But the slammed notes crash into my ears too harshly ATM. Listening the next day its not quite as sharp in the ears but he is pretty heavy handed. Its at once soft and tender but heavy as well. He’d do well writing certain types of metal. Full props for a solo album with a solo instrument. Its a lot to carry and he does, but i prefer other pianist, even Monk funnily who is also very percussive (but im fascinated by Mink’s almost mathamatical calculation like approach, he’s working it out in real time Nd doing it in the edge of his ability). So i looked it up and the Koln redera to the piano. Seems he turned up and improvised for a couple of hours on an instrument that linely needed a heavy hand, perhaps didnt allow as much subtle touch. I havent finished this and should revisit. Got halfway. Its great in bits. Would be a good album to chop up selected bits into tracks, cut away the rest which get a bit repetitive.

Dios cómo le vas a meter 24 mins de piano jajja la inculta. Inicio etereo, una parte en el medio tambn y al final el ritmo cool. La segunda empezó sonando a Disney, creo que a Monsters INC. La segund parte de esa está cool. El man siempre empieza muy sólido pero como es tan largo después ya no (?

Opening bars sound good. As a jazz-hater, dunno how this is gonna go. Bring on the pain I guess. Update: I have not hated this as much as I thought I would. I'm kinda into the crowd enjoying it too

Fallegt

Smá töff, sko. Fann tilfinninguna alveg í gegn. Samt bara þrjár stjörnur, að hluta til vegna lengda laganna.

Didn't know if I'd like a solo piano album, but I enjoyed it, especially after reading the backstory behind the concert.

Very expensive dinner music vibes, it's fine but pretty boring Stand-outs - Köln, January 24, 1975, Part II b

veoma veoma dobar džez klavir! svakih pet minuta se oglasi neki glas u pozadini koji uglavnom usklikne u znak zadovoljstva hahahha

Ja, alltså han är ju duktig. Tyckte generellt om de lugnare partierna mer än ompa-bompa-delarna. Lausanne är bättre.

I mean good piano playing and the added "fun fact" that it's improvised adds to the experience. But probably nothing I'll revisit.

Impressive and certainly relaxing. Harmless at worst. Virtuous masterwork at best. Ultimately, I only enjoy listening to it so much and can't say that I "like" it, so it feels wrong giving it higher than a 3 - the other albums so far that have been outside of my comfort zone and favorite genres still managed to "move" me for example, while this and say Hendrix are just... Impressive, so impressive, but ultimately don't make me either enjoy myself or feel anything.

Good

A staple of my parents generation. Somewhere between Vince Guaraldi and George Winston.

Middle seat on a morning flight after a bad night of sleep--I was ideally positioned to appreciate this. Still not really my jam, but I admire the effort.

Second non-vocal album. So many emotions can be heard in a piano. Got bored after song 1 tho,

solid

Fascinating, but long. Whenever I hear improvised music, I think "this could have really used some writing and refining."

bischen hochgestochen, aber sehr gut hörbar, wahrscheinlich einfach nicht mein Geschmack

Very easy listening and hits some cool motifs

Okay, it's not so bad for one dude sitting at a piano for an hour. He sustains some interesting shit, I guess.

Nice work. Not something I’ll likely listen to again, but pretty good piano work.

A pleasant album that's joyful in the mid-section (and I assume technically excellent, though I'm no expert), but hasn't got any truely outstanding features. Would put on at work to concentrate.

Good but not my thing

Hearing the backstory of this album is cool, but nothing else about it is. I personally know several pianists and, as far as I, someone with only basic piano training, can tell, this isn't that special. I'm sure more experienced pianists would find this amazing, but I found it boring.

I like the story and idea more than the actual album. I'll be sure to put this on next time I have a mundane task to do. It's great piano playing for sure.

It's hard to have live concerts on as albums but will allow it because this list isn't the 1001 "Best" albums, it's 1001 diverse musical offerings that will expand your horizons. It's neat to hear 1 person, 1 instrument, 1 album. Not my exact jam but enjoyed the playing and creativity. Takes a lot to go play for an hour straight by yourself, I'd imagine.

A piano solo? I enjoyed this, Keith has some talent. Every song had good energy and rythem to keep me interested. Those fingers be dancing on those keys. Strange song names.

It's a mood.

I enjoyed it as background music.