The Köln Concert

Wasn’t a huge fan

4 songs, over an hour, but I liked it

Good background music, but jazz with only a piano is rarely enough.

Do you like lots of excellent piano with occasional Woots? Then this is the album for you. Excellent background music.

There's no denying the virtuosity on display here, but I just can't get into this record as much wish—and I've tried several times over the years. Just isn't a vibe I usually go for.

Pleasant enough but not my bag. Thought I recognized a variation on "Fly me to the Moon" toward the end but otherwise this was unfamiliar to me. Reading the backstory of this LP makes me understand its place in the canon more, but I'm too ignorant about improv to really get this.

Nice but kinda felt like there should have been lyrics over it. Not virtuosic enough in its own right

This a fine listen, and there’s no denying Keith Jarrett’s talent as a pianist, but The Köln Concert didn’t really pull me in. While the improvisation is impressive, it gradually faded into background music for me. It’s easy to appreciate the artistry, but it’s not something I felt fully connected to.

This dude is moaning and groaning like he’s getting sloppy toppy while playing the piano but it’s nice enough music for a 60 degree day (which it was yesterday)

My cat hates this. Sounded pretty good to me, but only got through 17 minutes, before I was told to shut it off.

Definitely did not need to listen to this before I die. It was fine. It sounds like something I would be forced to listen to with eyes shut after being cornered at a small gathering of acquaintances by the brother-in-law of so and so who reminds me of “sensitive pony-tailed man” from Singles or Rickon from Severance.

This is fine. I think that I am going to give a 3 to all albums that don't really do much for me but are clearly from a genre that I am just not into. It did grow on me though. And I enjoyed reading the Wikipedia page about Jarrett and learning what an important figure he is. (He's still alive! He sued Steely Dan! He was referenced by Steve Buscemi's character in a Sopranos episode!) The album having 45 seconds of clapping at the end seemed unnecessary.

Nice programming music

3/5 It's good. But it's too similar entire album and 1h of it does get tedious.

I saw everyone commenting about the circumstances of this concert, I thought it was going to be Cold War related. In reality it was just the youngest concert promoter in Germany (18) making youngest concert promoter in Germany mistakes. Very impressive performance nonetheless.

Jazz. Interesting. Never heard of this artist. I will listen to some of this. very beautiful piano work.

It's not really an album in the same way all these others are albums. It's a concert that was somewhat improvised. The play is really remarkable but it didn't feel right to be on the list given the context

5/10

Beautiful, great full set that was perfect to start my day with.

This album is "Flow State: The Concert". Jarrett's musicianship is one of a kind, and the fact that it is almost completely improvised is an astonishing feat. That improvisation does make some parts of the concert feel like a drag as Jarrett figures out what he's going for. This definitely deserves a spot on the list, but I wouldn't consider this "casual listening" material. Best Songs: Part II a Worst Songs: NA

just piano.

This is really hard for me to rate. I think on a different day, this is a definite 4, and maybe even a 5. But it couldn't have come at a worse time, and I didn't have the mental fortitude to get past my own life to give this what it probably deserves. It's good, it's interesting, it does seem to fade into the background a little too much, and if you're busy dealing with things, you'll forget you need to be listening to it consciously.

Gorgeous piano, lovely music

Very good music, but it's not something thst I would enjoy listening to a lot

This is magic. I won't say that I listen to this kind of music every day, but this music can make people better.

This could have been a really wonderful album. The piano was so relaxing But - what was with the random moaning? And it was way too long The 2nd half of the album was much better, and saved it 3 ⭐️

Love the album sleeve, great photo. Easy listening, great for having on in the background whilst i'm working with occasional moments to take a break and just listen.

Great Valentine's Day dinner background music.

Very impressive! Never heard of Keith Jarrett, but he's clearly a boss.

6/10. I wanted to listen to this through again because I thought maybe I was being a bit harsh but I didn't get the time. Probably longest I've ever listened to pure piano and it was enjoyable, moving at times. Some phases of the album felt a bit dishevelled but I'm probably just missing the vibe there. Overall solid but occasionally overcomplicated for my taste, not just in terms of technique but also in terms of the ideas behind what is being played.

Cool story behind the concert, I enjoyed it.

A nice piano concert. Did not enthrall me, but pleasant.

Was an ok background music album. I won’t have to worry about any of the songs becoming an ear worm.

It was OK, but I like my piano music to be more melodic

Really no idea what to make of this. Really skilful instrumental jazz which would make great background music but don’t know if I am likely to listen to it again.

Unexpected - took a while to get into it, but it's an amazing piano album.

teilweise chillig, teilweise stressig, 3 Sterne

It’s weird - by all accounts I should have loved this album. Musically it’s obviously great. Some parts are brilliant. But as an album I found it wandering a little too much. Never fully hooked me. Maybe I needed to be in a better headspace. I’ll come back to this one when I’ve got more time to concentrate on it.

Cool story behind the album and it was pleasant. I don’t have enough context of the genre and didn’t like it enough to really elevate it to a high rating. Rating: 3.3

Pretty flows nice

Great piano music, but I would rather listen to a different genre.

Probably truly a better album than what I am going to rate it. Maybe I wasn't in the right state of mind or setting to try to listen to a piano album. I'll listen again one day in a different setting. The story is cool and dude can play well.

78% Best: Pt. IIA Must-Hear? I respect the art, and think this record is good background noise for studying or sleeping. Would I listen to it for fun? No. Therefore, unless you really like solo piano music, I would say no to must-hear.

Did I really just listen to someone improvise piano for over an hour? And I actually enjoyed it? There were some beautiful moments in this concert. Favorite Track: "Part II, A".

Piano is not my thing but this album is quite nice to listen to. The sound production is excellent. I listened on Spotify through the Harmon Kardon system in a BMW 740. It sounded very good.

Not really my thing but enjoyable nonetheless. Incredible that the whole thing is improvised. Will relisten. 3/5

Some nice parts but mostly background music. Nothing memorable to be honest.

unglaublich wie musik auch sein kann! ein instrument, aber abwechslungsreich und virtuos gespielt. mir gefällt es, auch wenn es eher den rahmen des gewohnten sprengt.

The Köln Concert von Keith Jarrett ist eines der legendärsten Solo-Piano-Alben aller Zeiten und ein Meisterwerk der Improvisationskunst. Aufgenommen am 24. Januar 1975 in der Kölner Oper, zeichnet sich dieses Album durch seine spontane und emotionale Tiefe aus, die selbst unter ungewöhnlichen Umständen entstand: Jarrett spielte auf einem minderwertigen Flügel, der nicht für ein Konzert vorgesehen war. Trotz (oder gerade wegen) dieser Herausforderung schuf er eine unvergleichliche Performance. Die Musik auf dem Album ist ein Mix aus jazziger Improvisation, klassisch inspirierten Passagen und einem Hauch von Gospel und Minimalismus. Die melodischen Themen fließen mühelos ineinander über, getragen von Jarretts dynamischem Spiel und seiner Fähigkeit, Stimmungen auf einzigartige Weise einzufangen. Besonders beeindruckend ist die Art, wie er im Moment komponiert und dabei Strukturen entwickelt, die wie durchdachte Werke erscheinen. The Köln Concert ist mehr als nur ein Album – es ist ein zeitloses Zeugnis für die Kraft der Improvisation und die Verbindung zwischen Musiker und Publikum. Es bleibt ein unverzichtbares Werk nicht nur für Jazzliebhaber, sondern für alle, die Musik als Ausdruck von Emotion und Kreativität schätzen.

20/01/25 I understand it can be seen as a beautiful album and he's clearly talented. But it was so goddamn long.

Like, I would not actively pay to go to this concert but it is a fine background sound

We're not about to do a free-form Jazz exploration in front of a festival crowd.

Prima achtergrondmuziek voor tijdens het werk

Good but didn’t get through it all

Jazzy

For working, it was actually not super bad. Better than half the pure shite that is sold as music here anyway. Good for you man!

I found the sounds other than the piano quite unsettling

Nice piano.

3.5, not bad but wouldn’t put it on repeat.

I am sure it is good...I am not smart enough to understand jazz piano

OK, so this guy is seriously good at playing piano. But that said this album is interminable. It just goes on and on with him noodling at the piano for-fucking-ever. Maybe its a good representation of jazz piano and what a great musician can do, but it doesn't make a good album. 3 stars for talent, but nothing I'll ever listen to again. 3/5

Nice instrumental

Beautiful and emotional. Great background music but probably not something I'll go back to anytime soon.

For the love of god, please hire 1 (one) more musician

There was a guy in our dorm who was a virtuoso jazz pianist. We went to see him play and our jaws dropped; he was amazing. And then we left - cuz, ya know, who wants to sit and listen to jazz piano for an hour?

It was ok. Very piano heavy, but monotonous. Felt like I needed to probably be in the mood for that type of genre to appreciate it the most. 2.5/5

5/10 Notes in no particular order played deftly. 1-6-2025

Not for me

Mhh… Not really my type of music, but quite relaxed in places. I quite liked Part II b (more at the end). There were a few quiet, very melodic moments on the piano. Also, it’s kind of cool that the concert took place in my hometown.

Ja, doch, …!

I can't deny that he is a good piano player. However, his pieces are too long and I find them becoming monotonous to listen to them.

Nope, this isn't for me. I'm aware of Keith, and the problems behind this recording...and I'm sure true Jazz enthusiasts will find a lot more enjoyment that me in this. Alas, I am a heathen, and this sounded like "You've got an hour to fill... get out there are do some random piano noodlings." Rating is for my personal enjoyment of the piece.

I'm surprised how much emotion this piano has, I was initially dismissive of it but there is obviously a lot of heart here.

Concert where the piano hits all the right notes and the audience hits the wrong notes.

Nice but not my jam.

didn't do much for me. good piano playing but felt kind of kitschily classical almost. I think I'd definitely like it more on a relisten though

cool piano stuff yo

Feel like I should have liked it more than I did.

This was nice to have on in the background. Which is partly why it only got 3 stars. I can appreciate the musicianship but some of it just seemed to disappear into the background. I think partly, this just isn’t really my genre so it’s difficult to get blown away at any point or hear anything that grabs my attention. Like I said, it’s a nice listen, but nothing life changing.

It was so nice to live in this album for a while. It goes great places and keeps you on your toes. So cool to faintly hear him in the background enjoying himself. It fits in with some of its contemporaries at times, but mostly lives outside of that.

Not my vibe:/ Apesar de ser bom para estes novos cafés modernos com a tão reconhecida estética minimalista:)

Pretty piano.

It’s really simple but kind of wild at the same time. Feels like Bill Evans if he stopped caring about being perfect. It’s cool how it just flows, but sometimes it loses me. Quiet, slow, kind of hypnotic. Not always exciting, though.

i mean, it's good piano, but at over an hour, i want more than just piano

Piano for days, not in the mentality right now, but ill check more of it out when i am.

I liked it, very relaxing. But again, I am unsure if I can jive with such chill albums.

This is an impressive album, given the circumstances of its recording. Jarrett only had a broken piano during the concert. The tracks were a bit long in my opinion. A few sections were boring. But I'm still pleased by this live album. 3 stars for "The Köln Concert".

I don’t know how to rate this type of music but it sounded nice.

Was nice to listen to, but theres better piano pieces out there.

Keith can really tickle the ivories. Nice hearing his emotion too. He’s clearly very talented. I’m sure this was spectacular to witness live. That said, listening at home, I just felt like I was in a room with Peanuts on in the background. It’s fine but not my thing.

I was really put off when I saw how long the album was and saw the genre, but I still gave it my best shot Overall, I wasnt disappointed. I actually really grooved with the Pt II: A track (second overall track). The random vocal moaning and odd experiments kept me locked in, but it did take me about 5 different occasions to finish this beast of an album 😂 I think albums like these are a bit too far off the spectrum for the 1001 albums experience. In my head, this borders with straight classical music - which Im not knocking as being bad, but I consider less of an album I give 2.5 stars and round up to 3 for purely enjoying myself for at least 1 track

I was listening to this album and my baby monitor at the same time and thought Jarret’s grunting was my son waking up from his nap. This album hit on the rainiest day we’ve had in a while, kind of the perfect soundtrack for this weather. At its best, this album is beautiful and cinematic - Jarret is clearly a freak. The listening experience improved for me once I realized this isn’t really a full on jazz album - he’s playing mostly pop progressions, with a few jazz ideas mixed in. I love jazz/pop fusion stuff, so this worked for me. And the fact that it’s all improvised is so impressive. That said, I found the wall of piano a little tiring, and was clamoring for some drum and bass behind him. I also found myself wanting more dissonance and tension to balance out the beauty - bordered on easy listening customer service hold music at times. Get weird Keith. I did really enjoy this, and just so funny to pair this with Dinosaur Jr yesterday. Rating doesn’t matter, but somewhere between a 3 and 4.

Not sure how many times I looped through this without realizing. Wonderful background music. Beautiful keys. Could do without the random vocal outbursts but sometimes they added a certain authenticity to the performance. Fav Track: Part II A

I enjoyed it even though it's not something I would seek out on my own. It reminded me of Schroeder

Nice piano does not a great album make. This needed more of a sense of pacing to rise high! And this critisim is pointless as I still liked it. Favourite track: Köln, January 24, 1975, Pt. II A- Live.

I find this pretty background music but at the same time it was very pleasant

The music was pleasant, but I didn’t really get it. I did like some of the ambient sounds, kind of funny.

Meh. Very nice, very impressive, but just doesn't move me in the way that guitars and vocals do. Interesting story behind it though, with the wrong piano being brought, and then needing tuned, and then ... just read the Wikipedia page! 3 🌟

Extended live piano improvisation (accompanied by occasional grunting) done on an empty stomach and a suboptimal piano. My takeaway from this album is that solo piano probably isn't my preferred instrument for jazz improv.

Would be nice to see live. I liked it for the listen. Will I listen to again: 2%

Enjoyed listening to this album but I don’t know enough about classical music to understand what’s unique or special about it. I didn’t love the first or second part, second half I enjoyed more.

Solid background music to help me focus at work

Pleasant, but not compelling

Improv jazz noodling. Which is fine but it goes on a bit. May well have been exciting if you were there when it was recorded… however I wasn’t. The first track alone is nearly the same length as the first Ramones album. Technical excellence but low on thrills.

Live albums always seem to have a little easier time making the 1001 list. This was a good Sunday morning, Keith can play the piano. Part IV was most enjoyable. (2.9*s)

I've never heard of Jarrett but the fact that he can improvise a piece of music like this for an hour is beautiful and impressive. To top it off, he had back pain, zero sleep, was hangry, and forced to play on a rehearsal piece-of-trash piano that was too small (now all his moaning throughout makes sense). The way he's able to maintain the repetition of chord sequences for so long is what makes a lot of parts sound more composed and interesting (see vamp). I don't really like live albums but I have to give him some credit here. I wish I could improv 1/10th as good as this and will likely check out his folk-rock album (on which he plays every instrument). Points! 2.5

Someone I had honestly never heard of and this was 75. When I started and was intently listening for the first 20 minutes it was a 4 even 5 star, But it then became background when doing something else and ..Well was just background. So if I ever decide to listen again it might be 5 if not 3

its hard to judge music that is mostly remembered for its background story but it's nice

Tänk om all jazz lät så här.

It's kind of interesting and nice background music but not really my style. The whole thing sounds completely improvised, I'd be surprised if there was any real plan. It's got a very modal jazz feel to it too - the guy gets onto a short pattern, sometimes even just a single note, and kind of hangs out playing little riffs off that starting point for minutes on end. I had it on at work and would run it again as work background music, it's good for that. But there's just not enough there to make a good active listen.

I didn't know a lot about jazz, but I know what I like...And it's not this. Obviously talented, but my ears got very tired of this very quickly. Like someone painted a picture with only one colour. Three monochrome stars.

Love the story. Maybe the album doesn't live up to the hype... its nice background music though.

definitely worth a listen, but i feel that the beautiful moments that this album creates are kinda surronded by a lot of meandering and less exciting parts

Beautiful but a bit repetitive

Never heard this before. By having an album of piano instrumentals on this list it really opens it up to a lot more choices. It seems strange to me that this type of album would be on the list. Researching I did find that this is the second best selling album in jazz history, which is shocking to me. The music is just fine but it probably won't replace the various instrumental albums already in my playlists.

Great background music

Wat een heerlijk toegankelijk klassiek piano concert was dit. Geen ellenlange opbouw of hysterisch gebonk op de piano. Daar moet je niet mee aankomen. Want saai en depressief wordt je niet van dit concert. Keith schudt soepele ritmes uit zn mooi en improviseert heerlijk op los. De ah-s en kleine kreuntjes die je hoort zullen ongetwijfeld van hemzelf zijn geweest terwijl hij zit te genieten van zijn eigen spel. En niet onterecht. Deze ga ik er vaker bij pakken als ik even de focus moet pakken bij een stuk. 7,5/10 Highlights Pt IIa

It's very nice improvised piano , has an interesting backstory, but i wouldn't listen to it often. 3.5

Very good music for moody kooky silent movies. Just kidding. Jarret is one of the best (so I’ve read) and so is this album (so I’ve heard).

I dont often listen to a pure piano album from start to finish very often even tho I have a few songs on different playlists. I'm not well versed in classical piano more than to say that this was a nice hour of just good music to have on in the background while reading.

Second time listening. First was over a decade ago after finding a copy at Goodwill (it sold a lot of copies in the 70’s man). Did not hook me then. Still hasn’t now. Maybe in another decade?

A guy playing the piano (well) for an hour.

Some gorgeous moments.

I prefer part I to part ii so far. Nice flow to part I whilst part ii is too jazzy and repetitive base line

Not bad.

Running through the fields of a non-stop montage scene from a movie…listening, hoping, reaching, searching for that special someone or something that left you…only to realize that it never really left in the first place. This must be what improv jazz is like.

Pleasantly surprised by this one. Went in expecting not to be able to make it through a few songs but found this quite interesting. Definitely worth a listen. 3.25

quirky playlist

This was fine to have on as background music but I never need to listen to it again.

Very relaxing.

Really lovelh

I got bored halfway through the first song. I paused it and continued later. It's very good, but it's too long.

0/10 not good work listening. Piano player was lit though.

Thoughts before listening: I own a Keith Jarrett multi-record collection that I rarely listen to but really enjoy when I'm in the right mood. This will likely be an album of solo piano pieces that are very soothing in a background music for a cocktail party kind of way. Review: Yeah, this is exactly what I was expecting from Keith Jarrett. Long, meditative piano pieces...apparently fully improvised on stage. This album sounds amazing with the piano being recorded beautifully and you can even hear Keith stomping or singing along in the background from time to time. I also enjoy how the music goes through different movements, often slowing down and then picking up to a crescendo before coming back down. I don't think I am going to add any of these to the playlist, but I am certainly glad to listen this morning. 3-stars

Beautiful! Not something I can listen to for too long, though I do love classical

Lovely tapestry for a sunday morning. Buuuut there are passages in each track that are a little too uninteresting, though

Quite beautiful. I like his style- the combination of impressionistic harmonies with bluesy melodies and motifs and phrasing, along with the excellent pedal usage is pretty cool, but it feels a bit too... long-winded, I guess? There are a lot of cool variations and motivic developments here but some of the modulations and rhythm/chord changes are a bit too haphazardly done or not very expanded upon. And sometimes it's a bit *too* impressionistic, and lacks much interesting phrasing, or proper "atmosphere" even with the pedal usage. I'll probably like this more with relistens.

This was one of my ex's favourite albums, so I was a bit hesitant about listening to it. but I enjoyed it. don't know what to rate it

Interresting but at times too long and aimless. Can't give it more than 3 stars.

One guy playing piano... This is the definition of meh...

A nice change…. Will revisit

Good for piano bad for an album

I bet the nerds love this

3+

The man is clearly a talented pianist. Like some other reviewers, I found the hooting and moaning really distracting. Although I have gone to jazz improv open mic nights and seen some amazing performers (including on piano), this just wasn't my thing.

great piano improv..... but, thats all it is.

I read the entire background of this record, and while it sounds impressive and really feels like the stars aligned to make it, it was just relatively drab. His piano playing must be more technical than I can perceive, because oftentimes I found specific passages oversimplistic and repetitive. These passages were so cheesy they sounded like they could act as the opener of an 80s sitcom. I also had the weird grunting and breathing sounds throughout the album - very immersion-breaking. I'll give props for the accolades this album received and the unlikely way it was recorded, and acknowledge that many of the passages were more interesting and technical. But I can only go to a 3 for it's shortcomings. 3/5

All piano, guy's a legend apparently

Bha c’est sympa mais c’est du piano quoi

with this album, my rating comes as an average of many different factors i tried to consider to make this as fair as possible - technical difficulty, context, how likely i would be to re-listen. being such a different record that anything i have listened to before doing this, i found it hard to rate. from a musical perspective, this album is incredible. in each song, jarrett takes the listener on a musical journey, allowing their emotions to rise and fall with the music. his use of dynamic range and a variety of rhythms helps to do this effectively. the story behind this album is also fraught with adversity, and yet the fact that he was still able to record something like this is astounding. whilst jarrett’s talent is evident, i can’t honestly say i would re-listen to this album, unless in very specific circumstances - a dinner party in some stately home perhaps. i appreciate the difficulty of this composition, but it is also 1hr of purely piano playing.

Impressive stuff. The "live album" aspect of it was interesting... As you could hear him moaning to his own playing as if he was busting in his pants at the piano. Kind of funny but also like dude chill out.

Very talented. Not something I would listen to on a regular basis.

Thankfully not too many moans and groans in here. Some masterful piano improvisation, though sometimes a little too meandering for me. When he locked into a groove, it was great.

I can appreciate this, but I just don’t care for it right now.

Great piano music that I have never heard of. Really a remarkable live performance from someone who is incredibly talented. I've added it to my favorites and intend to listen to it again.

Reasonably energetic solo piano (possibly all improvised?)

Good to study to

Anyone who bought this at the record store I worked at in 77 we considered pompous, I'll have to listen again to see what I think of it now. Okay, yeah it's also pretentious but it's discordant enough to please my older ears now. 3 stars

Lovely but there's just so much piano.

3.4/5 - listened 5x in the background while i was working away. enjoyable but the live elements (crowd noise) were a little distracting

Yea, he’s pretty good at piano. The moaning and grunting seemed unnecessary but I’m not sophisticated enough to understand this genre so maybe that’s part of it? I gave it a chance but an hour of noodling around on a piano isn’t for me. 3 stars

Relaxing

i wasn’t expecting to enjoy this much but i did, the fact this guy played the piano live for 26 minutes straight on the first track is really impressive, i haven’t heard a piano sound so good in a while, it’s like it had personality, it was really good

If you’re in that kind of mood…

Very nice

Some beautiful piano playing, amazing really.

Nice album. My wife teaches piano and all of my kids took lessons and play. I appreciate the music and talent. Would not listen to this most of the time but would be nice background music

3,5

Not something I ever would have listened to but in the end I kind of enjoyed it.

I would never have been listened to stuff like this away from the list. But I really appreciate what I´m hearing. One can hear the talent and although it´s only piano it doesn´t become boring. 2,5

Started off really liking this, but it quickly started to sound like a performance intended to be impressive rather than one that sounded good and I was bored by the end of part I.

Was nice background / study music.

didnt fully listen. i think mostly piano

It’s okay

jazz but classic sounding piano at an opera house in Germany , interesting story of Jarrett arrivjng, tired, and travel weary with a lesser piano, but had to work with it for the recording and crushed

I mean it is what it is

Enjoyed this cos I was able to plough through about 200 pages of Stephen kings IT with it on in the background and concentrate on both

Kinda boring

I liked this. Chill and interesting piano for an hour. There were some random moans or something that was a little weird, but overall rather enjoyable. 3.5/5

When this popped up my initial though was "oh god not another live album". I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't a guy noodling on the piano for an hour. It's really well done but the weird sounds he makes through out are off putting. I was going to give this a 2, but after reading the story behind it I'm bumping it up to a 3.

Not normally my sort of thing but I suppose that is what the book is all about opening up new music to listen too. Anyway some beautiful piano on this album and if you read the story behind the album it makes everything more impressive, not sure how often I would listen to this maybe never again but I'm glad I heard it.

The first part was a very emotional listen. I don't know why but gave me feels. The rest unfortunately gave me more of annoyance. Good album tho.

pleasent

Nice background music. Very pretty.

Beautiful but I’m not sure I’d be able to stay awake, even at the live recording. It gets a little too John Tesh vesty at times too.

A very nice change. Lovely

C’est bon, c’est irréfutable, mais ça devient très de la musique d’ambiance

it's good but it often failed to capture my attention

as a pianist, i enjoyed and appreciated it, as a casual music listener, it's good background music, but not one i'd actively listen to

Relaxing

Beautiful!

Good to work to

This record was interesting and I enjoyed it.

Interesting story, so-so album.

Curious, exploratory, intense, serene. This album run a range of emotions. Beautifully done and playfully captured with audience sounds included. I really enjoyed this adventure

cute 7,5/10

Good piano music

It was beautiful and a really interesting concept. It is amazing how his mind is able to think of such beautiful melodies on the spot. My only criticism is I wish there were more breaks. I didn't really always see how the melodies moved into each other or found that weren't cohesive. Parts were beautiful but could have been stand alone songs not just a chain. I wonder if in person he shares anything about the songs, in terms of what he is thinking or feelings as he is playing the movements, are they manifesting from feelings in side of him that he is trying to convey or just random melodies he is stringing together.

Beautiful piano playing, but also kind of a snooze fest. Listening to straight piano just isn’t my jam. Appreciate the quality though.

The back story is interesting, the fact that it's all improvised it mighty impressive, but it's still an hour of piano playing.

Not my style, but good for what it is. Easy to put on in the background.

I'm always impressed by these live recordings. Jarrett is clearly wildly talented, and a quick search shows he has been involved in a ton of projects. He gets really into the music, and even seems to holler a few times as he plays. As an album, this would not be my first choice for listening, but it was cool to experience, and as always I'm sure it would be unreal to hear live.

Though i was once again afraid of "jazz", this is the most easily approachable jazz. It isn't dependent upon instruments clashing with each other, but is a single instrument that is pretty creative and easy to follow. Because it feels like an hour of piano noodling, i don't know that i'll go back to it, but it is good for its vibe and probably great background music at a yuppie dinner party.

Good enough

Not going to lie, all the songs sounded the same.

First ever jazz piano album! Very soothing

very impressive and deserves its spot on the list, but i personally am not a fan of hour long solo piano recordings, regardless of proficiency or significance

immense skill Can't be more than background music at the end of the day

This was a good listen. I'll listen some more.

Wonderful. All piano. When I'm down for hearing some piano music, I'll dial up Mr. Jarrett.

The Talent you can hear on this one is amazing and out of this world! Listening wise are the moaning not the benefits of the backpain but he earned respect tho

Incredibly talented musician.

Well, this is a pleasant album to listen to, though it doesn't grab my attention and noodles away quite soothingly in the background. The back story to the recording (in the wikipedia article) is interesting.

this is ok, & that's all I've got for it.

I don’t have much of a reference point for like, contemporary piano composition. But I liked listening to this a lot, it kept my attention despite being way out of my wheelhouse. Will probably read about it to learn the significance, if not listen to a ton more.

cool...need to re listen after reading the wikipedia page

3 stars for being a good pianist

# Playlist track - Köln, January 24, 1975, Pt. II C - Live # Notes - Interesting concert with some really really great moments. - I'm not a huge fan of improvisations and still managed to enjoy it.

Wonderful piano playing but not exactly my cup of tea, or maybe I really need to be in the right mood. Still it’s good atmospheric focus music by a virtuoso. At points Keith sounds like he is playing 3 pianos together harmoniouslyz

beautiful and fun (love hearing him make those little oohs and aahhs) but i don't really understand what makes this so special. i liked it but doubt i'll ever come back to it/

Another jazz album I'm glad this project introduced me to. Solid front to back. Gonna add this to my playlist for when I'm reading.

Blind album and artist. Did not expect to hear something like this on the project but yet here it is. No words aside from its elegant like the interior of a all white wall spa with glass shelves and a running gentle waterfall. And that is something I would not go to in my free time.

Nice.

Good inspiration

Four songs, one hour. Interesting. My cat hates this. Sounded pretty good to me, but only got through 17 minutes, before I was told to shut it off.

I love the story behind this album, and when I tune into it some of the music is beautiful. On the other hand, an hour of improvided music on a naff piano can only get you so far. Superb at what it does, nonetheless.

Excellent pianist just not my style.

This is interesting! “Jazz” album from 1975 that seems to be a recorded concert focused around piano? It’s nice chilled vibes right away.

idk its good

haha bi 18:20 vom part 1 spielter the lick

okok mal luege, bin wieder chli vo mim jazzhass abecho bis jz findis sehrsehr schön, bzw. es git immer wieder teil, wo mich ufhorche lönd, denn wieder paar minute abschweife, denn wieder "oah mega schön" die chline zwüscherüef (vom publikum gahni devo uus) sind megamega cute hahahah ja mega viel chani nöd dezue sege wnl zum schribe ischs aber sehrsehr geil oder für es candlelight dinner (with Inamorta höhö) I guess?? ja scho sehr cute und agnehm gsi aber das isches denn halt au

Пока ехал в троллейбусе, слушал концерт. И в принципе ок, возможно даже обстановка была самая лучшая. Но я не так часто там езжу, поэтому ставлю троечку (

I used to like this a lot more.

Not bad, but not my thing either. Classical music with assorted grunts and vocalizations from Jarrett (who I assume is getting freaky with the piano)

Nice

Jarret always makes me happy. This one might ask much of some but I enjoyed it.

its ok, nice for background noise to study 👍

Very meditative - lots of long repetitions of pretty simple vamps to establish a harmonic center and rhythm and then free ranging exploration of the melodic possibilities that affords. Some cool emergent stuff where ideas from one hand feed into the other and impromptu phrases turn into repeated figures and themes. Like a lot of long-form improvisation you can focus in on the details or passively let it absorb you to set a mood. Perfectly suited to the work I needed to get done this morning. I've listened to this a lot over the years without ever knowing the background story behind it.

What a mighty fine penist we have here. It really is just a dude playing piano for 1 hour though. He’s great but I feel you have to really like piano to fully enjoy this. Didn’t realize this was live until I heard the faint sound of people coughing in the background. 6/10

Beautiful piano playing.

Improvisation album from a Jazz Master - maybe need to listen closer on a 2nd time but I suspect that this might be a technical masterpiece as opposed to a musical one. Or perhaps I'm just a phillistine. Wouldn't recommend, wouldn't not recommend, firm 3 starts.

While I started enjoying this, it didn't hold my attention and ended up as background music. Very talented though

Very pleasant

- schon cool, dass das alles improvisiert ist - hat definitv was entspannendes und habs auch gern gehört - mehr kann ich nicht dazu sagen - werde es mir wrsl. nicht nochmal anhören Rating: 2,75-3/5

Fands cool, war wieder so Musik, die mich in einen Flow gebracht hat irgendwie. Kurze Stellen haben mich aber dann auch ein klein wenig genervt. Nichtsdestotrotz hatte ich Spaß daran.

Virtuosic playing that I can’t believe is improvised, but some of the songs don’t work that well for me. There are beautiful melodies tucked in here though.

Great. Just not my thing now

Pretty relaxing listening in the morning. Better than I expected

Worked well as background music during the work day. Didn't really feel like anything special. Some fun and interesting parts. Some parts that meandered and got repetitive. The moans and woos and such seemed a bit out of place and off-putting at times, but I guess that's passion? Reading the stories about the circumstances of this particular performance make it interesting, and the fact it was entirely improvised is impressive, but still not something that blows me away.

A seminal album for the jazz purist. But, I did tire of the single dimension and longed for additional instruments rather than just the piano improvisation.

good piano.. i wouldn't necessarily listen to that tho...

3’5

I've got some Keith Jarrett concert records over here (5 including this album). My guess is that's more than your average dwelling. And yet, he probably doesn't get enough air time. I know why this album is on the list and support its inclusion; and yet, if I'm already not in the mood for piano it's not music that can "get me in the mood for piano" if you know what I mean (no euphemism). But if I feel like hearing it...well, then as Keith might say, "woah! oh! woop! yeah, hee!".

Beautifully talented piano but after 15 minutes you want more variety. Interesting nonetheless 6

Not a huge instrumental piano guy, but still worthwhile.

Impressive, but I’m not that into modern jazz.

He was killing it on those keys. Saved this to revisit while I’m reading or studying or rising & grinding

Very talented man.

It's good for what it is. An hour of piano music just becomes background. If I ever put this type of music on I'd probably pick George Winston instead.

I really enjoyed, nice piano soundscape but not the most interesting

Very cool concept of one man making up the piano concerto, improvising, playing for an hour. You even get to hear little vocalizations as he "feels" the music. Unsurprisingly, I found myself not paying attention and zoning out, at times. Even considering the scenario, it's hard to remain captivated without the performer in front of me in a room full of people. Part II c does sound good as a stand alone song. Pleasant enough if you want to fill your home with something a bit whimsical.

Not what I typically listen to but this is some incredible piano music. Not easy to infuse that much character and emotion into just one instrument for an hour, very impressive

A nice listen, not something I see myself revisiting or falling in love with but pleasant enough!

Passt gut zu einem verregneten Sonntagnachmittag

perfectly fine. seems like good background music to listen to while working.

Hmm

Solid piano album, definitely a solid chill/upbeat listen.

it's very nice but i'm sure there are better nights out in Cologne than going to see this

Whilst the words ‘improvisational’ and ‘jazz’ should rightly fill you with fear, this is a surprisingly warm and accessible live album.

3.4

It‘s a great piano album for sure, but sometimes I was looking for more of a theme or „roter Faden“ throughout the whole piece.

Favorite Tracks: You should just listen to the whole album, if you are gonna listen.

Never heard of this person before this listen.

Good piano along with some happy Germans in the background

It was fine . Uneventufl

Piano go brrrrrrrr

This is wild, didn’t even know what I was listening to, the sporadic groans are a bit off putting. Can tell this man is really into what he’s creating. The idea that the whole album is improvised is amazing to me, but still I’m not likely to replay this often.

good.

Pretty interesting jazz piano album. Not my favorite genre but the tracks each definitely take you on a journey.

Ok. A little bit out of my comfort zone.

Only learned at the very end that whole thing was improvised...super cool

I enjoyed this performance, but as it's simply improvised piano, it's not something I personally will come back to often, if at all. Regardless, with the story and some really nice melodies out of the ether it's a great piece of work, just not for me.

Quality music. 3/5 because it isn't my go to kind of "jazz" for listening, but wouldn't be upset if I listened to it again.

This album was pretty. Not my favorite piano album but still lovely.

6/10 Nice piano music

Not a bad album. But I did feel like I was shopping at Nordstroms all day

Live album: minus one point Super long songs: minus one point Enjoyable background music.

It's beautiful playing, but I'm not sold on the improv solo album concept. It needs something. A sonata has intention and structure. Improv in groups as the intensity of collaboration and people listening to each other, reacting to each other in a kind of dialogue. Imagining being in that live audience, where I could feel what Keith was reacting to, leaves me with a 'guess you had to be there' feeling. This can "go with" something. You can put it on while watching the snow fall outside. Or perhaps watching a concert film where he's doing this. Even then I can't imagine that my mind wouldn't wander to other things. It might be too pretty.

It was good working music for me. I don't understand why the applause was included (but it was lowkey rhythmic) - 7/10

Good background music fs but dont think it was particularly compelling… not sure why its the best selling piano album 7/10 round down

I feel like I can only focus on listening to something like this for so long before I just kinda start to get bored and tune it out. Still good though. 6.5/10

It's all very nice, but I half expected to find out I was in the concourse of a huge marble concourse of a top-tier hotel, or the middle of some video game like Journey or My Time At Portia. Can't fault it, but I doubt I'm going to rush back - but I could be wrong about that.

Pretty entertaining but a little too long. Could have done with just Part 1.

Instrumental. Like this a lot! Relaxing w pep. Famous live piano performance. Not exactly my style, but good stuff.

I meannnn It's alright. Dude is REALLY good at piano, so I'll give him credit for that

Sweet, still never would replay this one

its a fun album. personally, the tracks were a little bit too big for me to add it to my playlist and listen casually. i also got a bit annoyed by the moans in the background?? they sounded like a Sims character really enjoying a movie or something, that distracted me so much.

Pt. I // Pt. II B //

Pure piano. Not for me but props for the talent.

nice bit of jazz piano. pretty intense in places.