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Share thoughts on Keith Jarrett

Last night, I saw Keith Jarrett performing solo at the Symphony Center. Tremendously emotional concert with four encores. Now, this is why I'm posting: The person who I was supposed to attend the concert with, informed me, on Tuesday night, that she couldn't go. "No problem", I thought: "Who wouldn't jump at the chance to see Keith Jarrett live", a performer who I consider to be right up there with the likes of Davis, Monk, and Coltrane, all jazz elite and all household names. It took me two full days to find someone who even heard of this guy. I'll continue to hold him in place of high esteem regardless of the comments I get here, but I'm curious: Am I incorrect to place him so highly, or are their others who find his relative anonymity amazing?
phaelon
brucegel
151 posts
 
I have been listening to K.J. for 40 years and he has been playing for 60 years.Very few of us if any can get their head around his body of work.If it means anything to you I have encountered few musicians who dont think he is a genius.There isn't enough time to go into his myriad accomplishments but suffice to say you and I are lucky to be alive at the same time he is.Thats right I am a big fan.
rockadanny
1,224 posts
 
I think he is one of the greatest living jazz musicians on the planet. Brilliantly combining the technical aspect of playing with conveyed emotion.
mcondon
235 posts
 
I think he is a great musician. Love his albums "The Melody At Night With You" and "Tabula Rasa", an album of Arvo Part compositions he did with the violinist Gidon Kremer. Hardcore jazz fans, however, seem to dismiss him because he is vaguely accessible.
dwette
166 posts
 
There is a lot of K. Jarrett I enjoy listening to, but there is also quite a bit I can't because of his annoying orgasmic vocalizations, or whatever you want to call it. Köln Concerts is certainly one of the great albums of all time, but I don't consider Jarrett one of the giants of jazz with the likes of Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Bill Evans, et al. His influence certainly isn't off their stature.
edorr
714 posts
 
To me, The Koln Concert to this day is ONE, if not THE most hypnotizingly beautiful pieces of recorded music I own. Inspired by the Koln Concert I started a long journey discovery his music and between the 25+ Jarrett CDs I own I find myself coming back to his European Quartet recordings ("My Song", "Belonging" and in particular "Personal Mountains") and his improvised / orginal recordings with the trio ("changeless", "changes"). The "standards" recordings with the trio never stood out to me as overly original or innovative, and none of the other solo concerts touched me as the Koln concert. I recently downloaded "Paris/London testament in 96/24" and there is some real good stuff there. However, nothing will ever hit me as first hearing the Koln Concert on my crappy record player as a melancholic 20 year old.
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