At the end of last month, ECM released a vinyl triple album of two solo piano concerts that Keith Jarrett performed in Europe in 1973. The first of these took place in Bremen in March, followed by the second in Lausanne in July. These mark the beginning of Jarrett’s extended solo performances, which have been of primary importance in writing about his work on this site. For those that are not passionate about the virtues of vinyl, the Amazon.com Web page also has a hyperlink for the CD version with one disc for each of the two venues.
I am not sure how long I have been following these introspective solos. Unless I am mistaken, I jumped into the repertoire feet-first with the three-CD Paris/London—Testament album. Now, to be fair, it took me some time to get beyond dismissing these sessions as “meanderings.” One needs to put more than a fair amount of effort into listening to the lengthy endeavors; but, as the Zen proverb says, “Hard work succeeds … naturally.” Having adjusted my skills for “long duration focus,” listening to those early 1973 efforts comes across like a walk in the park.
What strikes me most is how long ago 1973 is! This was not Jarrett’s first solo album, but it definitely marked a shift in style. Mind you, he would continue to perform in combos after these two solo performances; but his solo gigs would begin to surface with some semblance of preference even before the turn of the century.
Is he still at it? ECM released his 2016 Bordeaux Concert in 2022; but that may be “the end of the line,” since Jarrett sustained two major strokes in February and May of 2018, the second followed by about two years of paralysis. There may not be any new albums released, but there is still more than enough to sustain my attention among the albums I already have.
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