The Köln Concert

I mean, it's a piano concert. It's good, but it's not overly exciting for me. Can't grumble at it, but don't think I'd listen again.

This is a really great live piano jazz album from the mid 1970s. All four songs are apparently the same song, just different parts. I enjoyed it. I will also never listen to it again.

I'm not used to this sort of music. Listening on Spotify meant it didn't have natural breaks like flipping the record over, which I would have preferred. Nice to work to.

This is a soothing hour of piano performed in front of an audience who are entranced and occasionally punctuated with vocal outbursts "urgh!" from Keith Jarrett, presumably pushing himself to his limit. Nothing particularly stood out to me but I'd take this any day over an algorithmic "calm piano" playlist.

Doesn’t do anything wrong and is a pleasant listen, but an hour of improvised piano work is never going to be my thing. Certainly unique among the rest of the list though.

Need to listen

Pleasant enough. It wisps along without challenging the ears which i suppose is an achievement for a piano based collection of songs

After 15 minutes I couldn’t get myself into it I’m so sorry Keith but it’s just a piano why are you so excited

I am not a huge fan of music without lyrics, because lyrics help me feel a song more through understanding the meaning of it. However, this made me feel everything I needed to feel, and I didn't miss any lyric whatsoever. The melodies are wonderful, and it's a very nice album to put if you're doing something calm and relaxing. Knowing how it was recorded is also super impressive. A musician on the road, tired and not given any time to prepare at all. Just a shitty piano (to the point where it was almost broken) and an audience who's anticipating entertainment. Hat's off to Keith Jarrett, every musician should aspire to be on this level.

Not bad background music. Would be tough to hold my attention on its own.

Джаз це добре) Як би ще більше інструментів було)))

Proof that there's only so much you can do with a piano and nothing else.

The fact that this piece of music was improvised makes it even more spectacular. I don't feel qualified to judge but it was very beautiful. 7/10

I respect the oomlaut, and this surprised me with long stretches of genuine joy. But between the occasional key-banging and Jarrett vocally celebrating his own performance, there’s only so much Schroeder even Peppermint Patty can take.

Hilarious backstory. A nice listen, though I might have found it less enjoyable if I wasn't so interested in instrumentals and classical music.

Not for me. After 30 minutes in I had to cry Uncle. 3 stars cause he is talented

395/1089 6 minutes in and i have to be honest… i don’t think i’m the right person to appreciate this album/music. it’s pretty and i’m sure skillful but not for me really. I’ll still listen regardless ofc also for projects like this where i might only like small sections, it’s a bit of a shame that the track lengths are so extreme so i can’t just save the, say, 3min section that stands out to me okay reading a little of the context and the improv nature of this live album has definitely softened my perspective a bit. to know that this was made up on the fly for a piano he wasn’t expecting etc does make this a more fun experience even if it doesn’t magically change my music taste, i’m doing this project for stories like this okay my opinion has done a pretty massive turnaround by the end of part 1, it’s so joyful and exciting and “new” idk it’s just lovely to listen to and that continued for the rest of the piece. what a fun and interesting moment to have captured forever for people to discover 64/100

C'tu du piano? 2.5 étoiles

This is what I call lazy jazz...example: first selection which was 26:02 minutes of segments of music just strung together, not really one song, more like parts of songs....some I liked, some were just okay. I don't hate the album, but I wouldn't buy tickets to go to a concert. Actually, the whole album was like described above....I prefer songs with beginnings and endings.

3 out of 5. Very pleasant and shows what a pianist can really do.

3.5

Cool backstory and decent playing

I judge anyone who likes this nonsense just a little bit.

Objectively good, but piano jazz isn’t my thing

(4/7] I think some of this is nice, but the moaning is really self-indulgent and it's too long and meandering

Beautiful would likely listen to again

So I read the background to this album and I feel like the story adds more to a person's ability to appreciate Keith's playing. With that being said, this isn't really my type of music, but it was pleasant to have on in the background. I feel like this would actually be a solid 3.5, if it were possible to rank that.

Really impressive that this is all improvisation!

When I saw the length of the first song I was scared. But this was a really engaging live album. It’s not my style in music (shock horror) but I can appreciate the intensely good piano playing, especially to be able to hold an audience as a solo pianist I think is always impressive. Probs a harsh rating but from someone who knows little about the genre and performance style.

first jam was cool, got too long for my enjoyment

Ok, the music is nice, but it's not something I would purposely choose to listen. Jazz piano, great. But for a very specific moment.

I get that this is probably a concert album and more than likey music people are putting on as background music... but a 26-minute song is unnecessary.

Not my bag

Why Köln, Keith Jarrett? Is it the Budokan of piano jazz? Cute backstory on Wiki about how KJ was hungry and had back pain and they set up the wrong piano and so that's why he did so much jazz. If you say so, Wiki. This was very pleasant, but to be fair, I expect I'd say the same of most any piano album.

appreciate the music but not a genre I find myself reaching for

Keith Jarrett isn’t a jazz musician I’m really familiar with but this sounds like it will be something unique and interesting. It’s improvisational jazz piano. At times seemingly classical inspired and yet sometimes it’s a grand jazzy sound. It’s really amazing at times. It transitions so smoothly into its next section within these songs and you feel connected to the earlier sound. It’s a little overlong maybe. I thought the first song was the best. It had many parts and sections of it that kept my interest. It ends strong too, so guess the middle is the weakest. I’ll go 3. Hard to rate something like this.

Needs to create some better song titles. "Yo did you listen to part II b?" I'll look foolish

naja

This is #day711 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I find the story behind the concert rather fascinating. I can't say I'm a fan of the piano jazz, though, but I like the improvisation aspect. It was fun, albeit too long. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day712.

I'm so not a fan of 20 minute tracks. That being said, Jarrett is a talented pianist. I'm not sure why this is included in albums I need to listen to before I die- it was pleasant to listen to, but there was nothing groundbreaking.

Ok, this album was definitely outside of my usual wheelhouse. Honestly, this one didn’t really strike a chord with me(insert rimshot here). Maybe it’s just because I’m not a big listener of jazz and or classical, but I didn’t really feel any emotional attachment to this album. I get that Jarret is a piano virtuoso and that, for what he was given to work with, he performed incredibly that night, with his playing itself being very strong, but to my ears it just sounds like background noise. Since it’s an hour of just piano music, it doesn’t really resonate with me in the way some other albums so far have. If you like this album, more power to you, but it’s not really my cup of tea.

This was quite cool, an interesting story about him having to improvise a whole set for a different instrument when the grand piano he wanted didn't arrive..shows what a skilled musician can do even with inferior tools. Not sure I'd listen again but appreciate the talent and it is something you could have on in the background while entertaining

Keith Jarrett drove 400 miles overnight from Switzerland to Cologne in an old car, in the rain, with a bad back, no sleep, and the reasonable expectation that a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand, a near ten foot eight octave instrument of extraordinary resonance and power, would be waiting for him at the Cologne Opera House. What was waiting for him was a small battered baby grand that had been left backstage for rehearsals, with keys that stuck, pedals that barely functioned, a tinny upper register, and a bass end so weak it was essentially decorative. A replacement piano was located across town. A piano tuner on the scene advised that transporting a concert grand in the rain at low temperatures without proper equipment would destroy it. The universe had made its position clear. Vera Brandes was 17 years old, Germany's youngest concert promoter, and the person responsible for organizing the entire evening. She stood in a parking lot in the cold and talked Keith Jarrett out of his car. This is the most important thing anyone did in jazz in 1975 and she has never received adequate credit for it. Jarrett sat down at the terrible piano, furious, exhausted, and in pain, and played for 66 minutes without stopping, without a plan, without a single note written down in advance. Because the instrument was so weak in the bass and so brittle in the upper register, he was forced into the middle range of the keyboard, where he developed rolling left hand rhythmic patterns to compensate for what the piano could not do. ECM producer Manfred Eicher later reflected that Jarrett probably played the way he did precisely because the piano was so poor. The instrument's limitations became the music's greatest strength. After the concert, Vera Brandes ran to the recording engineer and asked simply, did you get that. He had. The album became the best selling solo jazz album in history and the best selling piano album ever recorded. Four million copies sold. The Library of Congress inducted it in 2025, fifty years after it was made, deeming it culturally, historically and aesthetically significant. Rockers thought it was jazz. Jazz fans thought it was New Age. Classical listeners were reportedly blown away. Nobody agreed on what it was, which is usually a sign that something genuinely original happened. Keith Jarrett, for his part, said in 1992 that he wanted to see every single copy stomped into the ground. His complaint was that people were using it as ambient background music, a lifestyle soundtrack for the patchouli scented seventies. This is the most Keith Jarrett sentence imaginable and also the most accurate description of how a significant portion of its audience actually experienced it, which is not entirely their fault and not entirely not their fault. I came to this album fresh, with no history and no context and it is genuinely good. It is one man turning a bad piano and a worse night into something that 1,300 people in a German opera house and four million subsequent listeners found impossible to forget. I respect that enormously. But it is not my jam. If Leonard Cohen had been sitting next to Jarrett singing along it would have dropped to a 1, which tells you everything about my relationship with this record that needs to be said. 3 out of 5. One star for Vera Brandes, who stood in a parking lot in the rain and talked a furious pianist back inside, and who is the real hero of this entire story. One for the bad piano, which accidentally made the record better than a good piano ever could have. One for the 66 unplanned minutes, which have now outlasted almost everything else recorded in 1975. The remaining two stars are somewhere in that Cologne parking lot, waiting for Keith Jarrett to come back outside.

658/1001 2026.07.15

what do i know about piano music? absolutely nothing

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.

Kurang suka dengan tipe musik seperti ini

Enjoyed this! (3.5)

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

A nice chill piano album, repetitive at a lot of points but good overall

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.

Beautiful music but im not the biggest fan of contemporary piano. Part of me feels like this was only really included to have a piano album in there. Not too much choice when it comes to "albums" as much as there are collections when it comes to piano... I liked the journey that this album takes the listener on and its hard to comprehend the level of skill of the pianist that this was all an improvisation. Great range of sound. That being said not something I'd listen to again

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.

This was very nice overall, just not anything that really is exciting or stood out to me. But for people who enjoy this type of music I can see why it would be special.

lijep klavir bam bam itd. neki dijelovi baš dobri

Clearly talented but not a very engaging listen

I was completely unaware of this, fascinating backstory, interesting and pleasant listen.

It was a good listen

Very impressive for live improvisation. Wow. This is softer than jazz...in a good way.

I recognize the talent here and don’t necessarily dislike it, however this is definitely a “it’s not you, it’s me” album

This was a pretty fun listen, could definitely see myself putting this on in the background during a dinner party or just working on something. I know absolutely nothing about Jazz piano but this dude sounds pretty damn good. My favourite part is the odd time when you hear some random dude go “oh yeah!” from the crowd, presumably when Keith does something extra nasty on the keys.

Jeg er mere til helt klassisk musik, men spændende koncept med komplet impro. Det er et vellykket album.

Probably not as interesting as it would have been live, this is a nice record of awesome jazzy piano pieces. The songs are extremely long, so it is pretty patience testing. Overall, I enjoyed it, but had a hard time getting fully engaged with it. The incredible applause at the end of the album is indeed pretty narcissistic, but leads me to believe that there’s something we all missed out on.

Skön palettrensare. Väldigt duktigt, men också lite långtråkigt efter ett tag.

Blir impad när jag läser att det är improviserat. Hör av det är mycket känsla bakom och det är behagligt att lyssna på. Andra spåret kändes kanske lite för repetitivt. Bra musik att ha i bakgrunden när man läser men kommer förmodligen inte lyssna på det igen. Stark 3a.

Nice instrumental for work or reading but doesn't baaang

Stevo won’t be happy. Somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but rounded up because I can’t justify giving it the same score as The Shamen.

Bon album de piano contemporain

Très bien pour lire haha J’ai pas fini d’écouter vu la longueur des tracks, mais j’ai mis uniquement pour lire volontairement

J'adore le piano mais j'ai pas été convaincu plus que ça pour le coup, sympa mais sans plus. Au moins ça change!

Beeindruckend, aber nicht für über eine Stunde als Aufnahme.

Learning this was improvised on a shitty piano: sick Personal enjoyment: I dont really get anything out of piano solos. Hopefully by the end of this concert I will be more cultured

This was pleasant to listen to in the background while I was working; however, I wouldn’t put this on to intentionally listen to it. I respect it because I am not musically inclined and this was a live performance of an hour of straight piano playing, which I do find impressive. But was it anything special? No. Was it bad? Also no. Will I listen again? Unlikely! But it did what it set out to do. I could also see this hitting if you were high.

This album was nice and calming. As far as instrumental music I did like the way that it made me feel sorrowful and joyous at the same time. 6/10

Not my taste:/ good but after one hour of hearing only piano made my brain explode

was not expecting an instrumental album! but it was a nice surprise

Pia-pia-pia-no, piano, piano Pia-pia-pia-no, pia-piano 🎹

Production is good for a live performance. I like hearing some of the background noise, makes it feel like a truly live performance. However, an hour of solo piano after about 15 minutes becomes noise to me. Kieth is a phenomenal pianist, and this performance does a good job of displaying his ability as a classical musician while mixing in some of the performative Jazz Piano.

Really cool album for a rainy day.

1:13 that piano 🔥. This album made me feel like i was walking through a muesuemd or something. Idk if i would listen to this on its own, probably a study album as it’s very piano like. I love the piano though it’s very intricate and beautifully played idk how else to explain this album but it’s a sit down and listen to some piano playing. Not really my thing but i’d listen to it probably in the future if i love pianos

If I wanted fancy background music, this'd be it.

Pretty good

Ahhh, the warm embrace of variety. I dip in and out of classical and this was a welcome break from guitar, drums and vocals. I wasnt familiar and thought this was fun. Obviously its brilliantly played. The crowd interaction gives it a vibrancy that lifts it and i can see why it stands out. This has a narrow definition of greatness though and you have to be a fan and want this specific type of mood to enjoy it so it passed me by a bit at times.

Ok, zanimivo. Prva stvar, k sm jo pogruntala je, da je koncert bil posnet 24. Januarja 1975 - algoritem je probal nardit a thing, sam k čez vikende ne poslušam, ni čist zmogel. Druga stvar, k me je pa prijetno presenetila, Keith ma babico iz Slovenije! Hmmmmmmm... Zj sm nekje na 2/3 koncerta and I would like it to stop. Pač, obviously je Keith fakin mojster klavirja, noben ne more rečt nasprotno. Več k eno uro poslušat samo improviziranje na klavirju, is not my thing. Neki cajta sm loh še zbrano sledila, potem je ratal bolj background music. I didn't enjoy this, ampak, kokr sm rekla, nivo glasbe je fakin amazing.

Nice and chill, first song was a bit long for my fried attention span

It’s nice for background study noise but personally not huge on the enjoyment side 3/5

I didn't hate it.

Interesting, like a piano stream of consciousness rolling jam. Maybe influenced later electronic drone type music?

Interesting. Better than the Jazz at Sydney opera house 2000s

The story behind it is interesting and makes me appreciate it more, but even though it's a good listen, it's not my cup of tea. Okay for background music, but can't listen to it for the whole runtime.

This was brand new to me and quite pleasant.

3 for me is middle of the road. I do like that it was all improve. lot's of fast paced movements and showing off his skills. Really helped as background music while play a board game with family.

Maybe it’s because I havn’t listened to piano music in awhile, but really enjoyed the listen.

perfekt på en arbeidsdag vil at det skal være soundtracket til en rainy day seanse i en film meg i edinburgh

denne historien har jeg hørt! gøy å få tildelt. // fin den

I love any piano music. Some of it got a bit chaotic, but all in all it was a nice listen.

I'm sure it's brilliant, but I kept checking each track to see how much was left. Never a good sign. 3.

Nice piano live concert. Some really pretty sections and also some slower, boring parts. Cool album

i mean i don’t have that much to say.. i feel like it’s a nice album to play in the background as u’re working or cleaning up ur room.. lowkey can’t believe i spent more than one hour listening to full piano but it wasn’t bad… kinda long but ok

Not my usual go to but this is some seriously powerful jazz piano.

There was a wrong note at 20:40

Astonishing piano playing and definitely interesting listening experience. At times the solo piano felt a bit chaotic and two of the songs (the part 1 and part 2 a) were too long for my tastes. The song part 2 b was my favorite of the album and I think the last two songs (part 2 b and c) were amazing in general. Also as this was played improvised on the spot that is just amazing.

Cool if it's your thing. It's really not my thing.

This was a great little listen, very serene.

pas mal mais c'est vachement long et un poil répétitif, mais très beau

Very beautiful music and I can tell it's very important musically. But I found it hard to follow with few specific tunes or themes.

at first i loved it, used as good background music for my studying. but mid the third song, it kinda got wordy & it started to bore me and irritate me a little. i did however listen to the whole thing. don't think i'll relisten soon, but who knows.

1. Part I: love the part at 8 minutes, feels very jolly and then introspective, like the part around 18-20 minutes, and again at 22 min, 7/10 2. Part IIA: begins very jaunty, grows intense at 7 min before melancholy turn, very beautiful at 11 min, 8/10 3. Part IIB: kind of anxious? Two minutes of applause 8/10 4. Part IIC: short and sweet 7/10 Overall: impressive improvised, passionate, pleasant throughout 7.5/10

Each song like 20 minutes did not listen to the entire thing but either way it was cool

It's ok, but I want a bit *more*. Very controlled and measured, and I really miss that sense of verve and energy you get from jazzier stuff. 3/5

I enjoyed listening to it despite never really having listened to a full piano recital before. Feels like really upscale lounge music. Makes great background music to me which is a great alternative to what is typically considered background music.

I mean, it is beautiful... But I am only listening to song one. Cannot do an hour of piano right now.

Wasn’t expecting to enjoy an improvised solo piano record, but here we are, I guess. The biggest problem with this album is that it peaked early on, in my opinion. Part 1 is excellent from the begging to the end, but the rest is not nearly as good. He’s obviously an insanely skilled player, but everything outside Part 1 just didn’t sound nearly as exciting. Skill a very solid concert, and in person, it was probably mind-blowing, but as a recording, it’s good but not exceptional. 7/10

Somewhat enjoyable but got very boring listening to just piano for an hour straight

I’ve heard this once before and I get the same impression which is that it’s surprising how melodic it is for an improvised solo piano concert probably because any other improvised solo piano concerts I heard or experienced were by more ferocious types like Cecil Taylor. It’s very melodic and there’s a strong sense of pop harmony which makes it very appealing to conservative listeners so I can understand why this album is so popular. I just read the background to this recording and am fascinated that this beautiful music was made with so many obstacles to overcome that evening. Perfect listening for the hangover day after Xmas!

I like more structured jazz, not this improvisational stuff. But, as always, the musicianship is top-notch and there's no denying the artistry.

This was a good album, I am very into piano concerts

This was enjoyable - very interesting pieces and movements throughout this album. I wouldn't normally gravitate towards a piano album but this was a good one, although admittedly not one that I would probably return to too frequently.

Obvious that this man is very talented but nothing stuck out to me. The music all ran together after a while since it was an entirely instrumental album and a lot of it just seemed like him riffing/playing scales. Easy background music tho! Pleasant.

It’s a landmark piece of modern jazz and a bravura performance, but it’s not a real favourite of mine. The improv style has more to do with folk harmonics then anything jazzy, which to my ears is a bit anodyne.

Background or soundtrack. Likely nothing I’d put on, but not a bad listen.

Good background music

lovely hour long piano jazz album, very nice and relaxing to listen to. beautiful playing.

This is an album that I don't think I'll ever return to, but for what it is, it achieves a highly skilled piano player doing his best. It being live adds to what makes this important to listen to.

A piano album of a live concert from Köln, Germany. Some moments felt like hip hop based on their cadence and repetition. Throughout the record, you could hear Jarrett moaning and emoting as he was playing. A very interesting easter agg during the performance.

primero dije hmm pero ya después se puso weno

2.5

Don't know much about jazz but nice piano.

He is very talented. But you’ve gotta be in the mood for long convoluted repetitive music. I like it anyway

Very obvious talent but it isn't something I would listen to again.

Obviously very talented piano play to the untrained ear , and is fine in the background whilst reading the Sunday papers and drinking coffee , hard for me to engage with

An hour of improvised melodic jazz piano which only suffers a bit from repetition. Interesting back story that meant this album nearly never got made but it did and went on to be the top selling LP of all time for the solo piano genre. Never heard before and it was worth a listen although not sure I will play again. It did put me in mind of Guaraldi.

Nice background music. And some dude grunting throughout (maybe the artist) was distracting.

This is okay. It's a pleasant enough listen, especially as some background music but I don't really enjoy the piano enough to listen to a solo piano performance for over an hour. There are some nice progressions like the start of Part 2 but it's not really for me. I won't come back to this Highlights: Part 2

i was not expecting piano/jazz however it was pretty lit, i was doing a graveyard shift tho so i did not need to be lulled to rest

NIce background music m8

I’m not fancy enough for this

Play piano man. Play.

I can't say I was really looking forward to an hour long album of solo piano jazz improv. The first piece was pretty cool and exceeded my expectations. The second maintained my interest for about half the track, but after that I really got bored with this album. Sorry jazzheads, I'm too much of a Philistine to get this one. 3 stars.

Beautiful. I feel he could have tried a little harder with the song titles.

No comment

this is nice but very repetitive and ultimately boring. Did people really pay to come hear this? Might be good background music.

good but boring

Jazz piano is the most enjoyable improvisational jazz to listen to.

Piano concert, as you might expect, with jazz passages. I suppose it's all live, maybe even improv, so quite impressive. Some really lovely phrases and passages. Best track - Part I, even though it's long! 3 stars

Vyras aimanuojantis virš muzikos labai daug prideda (edit, tai buvo pats keith lol)

not an active listen for me. good stuff though I give myself Koln concerts on the piano instead of practicing all the time.

Look, the story behind this is sensational and the album definitely needs that story to be interesting. The problem is as it’s just an hour of various piano instrumentals it just becomes background music. He’s clearly a phenomenal player to just improvise a whole concert on a shit piano though, like I want that to be clear

My 3-star rating doesn't reflect the artistry of his playing. It's just that this piano music didn't catch and hold my attention.

I remember in the early 80s when I came across this album in my aunt's record collection. I didn't get into it then and didn't really get into it now, but I suspect for those in the audience it was a magical experience.

Definitely needed a better piano. I see why he almost didn’t perform.

Really great, emotive piano playing. Especially liked the part of the first song between the 10 and 20 minute mark. However, this does end up fading to being background music without additional instrumentation IMO.

I enjoyed this. Relaxing music while reviewing a report. Solid 3, possibly after reflection it may be upgraded.

I am the music man, I come from down your way and I can play. What can you play? I play piano Pia-pia-pia-no Pia-no pia-no Pia-pia-pia-no Pia-pia-no

- kuulostaa siltä että ilmestyessään olisi voinut olla melko uraauurtavaa pianomusisointia - hyvin toimii tänäkin päivänä

This guy is clearly really talented, but the album was lost on me.

This was nice but I think no matter how good the performance there is a limit to how much I will enjoy a piano solo performance that goes for over an hour. Certainly well done and the best playing I have heard but it doesn’t make me feel as much as other kinds of music.

Objectively, this is a brilliant solo piano concert. One that has made it to the highest level of jazz composition and improvisation. It has and should be poured over, analyzed and scrutinized for its subtleties and musical explorations. But I think I'm too lowbrow for this because it didn't do much for me. I mean, it's an HOUR of solo piano, ffs!

Nice tunes, good background music. But it’s not something I’d ever go back to kinda the nature with these unless they really hit.

Interesting.

Not everyone can improvise a whole concert and end up being one of the 1001 must-listen albums in the world

Bit too jazz for me.

I would generally consider myself to be a fan of piano music (not necessarily classical music), but The Köln Concert is honestly one of those albums I appreciate more than I actually enjoy. Reading about the backstory of the show and learning that Keith Jarrett came up with an entire hour of music on the fly instead of playing what was planned, then seeing that the recording of the concert ended up becoming the bestselling solo jazz (and piano) album of all time… I’m impressed, to say the least. At the same time, the music definitely felt improvised. There were some really cool pockets of musical prowess here and there, but there were also stretches of these songs that seemed to just go in circles for minutes and minutes on end, which diluted the experience a bit. While The Köln Concert is a solid three for me (based on how much I enjoyed listening to it in reality and how likely I am to actually revisit it), I would say the uniqueness of the story surrounding it automatically puts it in the “essential listening” category – every music fan should hear this recording at least once. Highlights: Part I, Part II B, Part II C

Great piano playing.

Hard to rate this one due to lack of experience with the genre. It never left me bored throughout the run-time and knowing the backstory certainly adds to the experience.

Some beautiful piano playing. Only after a while does it start to feel a bit stale. Listening to the entire album in one sitting may not be the best idea.

It's Keith Jarratt on piano for an hour. Don't hate it, don't love it. 2.5/5

I’m not sure how to feel about this as is.

Is great as background music. Not something I think I'll be listening again. 3 stars

Not my thing, talented, very beautiful

Inte 100% min grej men häftigt

His artistry on the piano is just nuts. Wouldn't regularly listen to this but enjoyed it.

smooth piano jazz, really nice listening.

Elegante né

Not something I'd listen to every day, but can't deny the talent.

Part I - 8/10 Part II a - 7/10 Part II b - 7/10 Part II c - 7/10 Was unaware of the backstory but its pretty incredible. If I hadnt known about it this would be pure background noise and probably wouldnt receive such a high rating but I thnk it gets an extra star just for being completely improvised.