Label: ECM

Personnel - Keith Jarrett: piano

After the sad news reporting that prolific pianist Keith Jarrett might not ever play again in public after two strokes suffered in 2018, we try to find solace in his discography. The double solo album Budapest Concert, his latest ECM release, was captured live at The Bela Bartok National Concert Hall in Budapest, Hungary, an inspiring country for him for several reasons. First of all, because of his appreciation for Bartok’s impressive music, and second because his maternal grandmother hailed from there. Following up last year’s Munich 2016, this is the second live-recording culled from his memorable 2016 tour.

Over the course of the album’s 14 tracks, we are sucked into his personal musical realm of free improvisation with classical and folk influences. At the end, he even grants us a couple of standards that are usually part of his concert repertoire - a slow-paced rubato interpretation of “It’s a Lonesome Old Town”, which also appeared on the previous recording, and a touching reading of “Answer Me My Love”, an originally German song that was recorded by Nat King Cole, Joni Mitchell and Gene Ammons.

His nimble finger movements whether interlock into pulsating cadences or separate melodic and harmonic threads, making them operate as logic juxtapositions. He does this through intense abstract commotions (Part I, Part IX), comfortable meditations with an occasional dreamy quality (Part II, Part XI), ever-moving routes (Part III), and engrossing rhythms underpinning lush textures (Part IV). “Part X” is a mix of the last two, contrasting with the endearing romantic touch of “Part V”, the unleashing tinge of bop on “Part VI”, the pop/folk coloring of “Part VII” or the inviting blues of “Part XII”.

No one expected this to be at the level of works like The Koln Concert or Solo Concerts: Bremen and Lausanne. And it’s not. Still, it’s Jarrett speaking his sophisticated language, totally immersed in his incontestable style.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - Part IV ► 07 - Part VII ► 10 - Part X

Label: ECM, 2018

Personnel - Keith Jarrett: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

The Standards Trio consists of the incredibly talented Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette, on piano, bass, and drums, respectively. Together, they show off an insuperable communication on stage, playing almost with their eyes closed and letting their creativity to be guided by pure instinct. These respected bandleaders play together for 40 years, and still evince the same gusto for exploration, rendering tunes from The Great American Songbook, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane, among others.

After The Fall, a double-disc album, was recorded live in a special concert that signaled the return of the pianist from a forced two-year interruption in his brilliant career due to chronic fatigue syndrome. The gig took place in 1998 at the NJPAC in Newark and the pianist himself expressed surprise when heard how well the music worked.

Possessing an incalculable knowledge of the jazz history and being savvy enough to embrace freedom and play these songs backward or in 50 different ways, the trio opens the 4-track disc one with a nearly 16-minute version of “The Masquerade Is Over”. Taking the plunge with a sensational piano overture, the song is a lesson on melody, harmony, expression, emotion, and technique. What could we expect more from music? When the bass and drums are incorporated, paces and moods are re-defined and the colors become even brighter and intense.

Dazzling rhythmic ideas flow from Jarrett’s nimble fingers on Parker’s “Scrapple From The Apple”, an explicit reawaken of bebop carrying that refined swinging affinity that leaves nobody indifferent. Peacock delivers a prodigious, woody solo while DeJohnette trades eights with his associates, drawing mainly elegance from his stunning chops.

The remaining tunes on the first CD are “Old Folks”, a ballad that breathes serenity with heart-rending melodies, on-spot bass lines, and shimmering brushwork, and the fully-explored “Autumn Leaves”, which gains a fresh perspective as it is designed with atmospheric passages and seasoned with the savor of Latin by the end.

Disc two comprises eight diversified tracks. There's another bebop incursion with “Bouncing With Bud”, a nice and bluesy swing ride with Sonny Rollins’ “Doxy” (DeJohnette’s drumming is a true delight) and Pete La Roca's “One For Majid”, affectionate ballads such as “I’ll See You Again”, “When I Fall in Love”, and Paul Desmond’s “Late Lament”, in which Jarrett grants his solo a laid-back heave, and a steamy rendition of Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice”, here packed with kinetic sequences of notes.

Although “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” can be seen out of context at this time, there’s plenty of groove attached, with the pianist exhibiting his impressive and effortless capacity to create well-conjugated melodies and rhythms.

With a trio that has nothing more to prove and plays totally from the heart, we can only expect wonders. After The Fall is a record of unhesitating steps that renew our appetite for jazz standards and other known songs.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (CD1) - The Masquerade Is Over ► 02 (CD2) - Doxy ► 07 (CD2) – Moment’s Notice