AAJ Review: Keith Jarrett, Concerts: Bregenz / München

[jkelman]

My review of Keith Jarrett's long overdue full CD issue of Concerts: Bregenz / München, today at All About Jazz.


In the realm of solo improvised piano performance, few approach Keith Jarrett's recorded legacy—both for quality and quantity. With Rio (2011), Jarrett brought the number of solo CD releases on his longtime label, ECM, to fifteen. The absence, in full, of Concerts (1982) on CD—originally three LPs of solo performances from Bregenz and München—has remained a mystery for years, the single-disc Bregenz show ultimately issued as Concerts, leaving the double-disc München MIA ever since. There was a close call, with a three-CD box containing both concerts mysteriously pulled at the eleventh hour, making this year's release of the complete Concerts: Bregenz / München even more welcome.


It's already been a banner year for Jarrett fans. Along with one his finest Standards Trio sets in years, Somewhere, Jarrett's double-LP church organ improvs, Hymns/Spheres (1976), was also released in complete form, righting the wrong of 1985's drastically reduced, single-CD Spheres. Add the totally unexpected No End—a 1986 home recording featuring Jarrett layering, with the assistance of two two-track cassette recorders, a surprisingly electric set of guitars, bass, drums, percussion, recorder, voice...and, yes, a little piano. Concerts concludes the year on a high note; released the same day as No End, these two recordings are as significant for what they mean as for what they are.


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[Dan Marsh]

Nice review, I am looking forward to receiving this.