KEITH JARRETT — The Melody at Night, with You (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a strangely moving and disturbing document in the long discography of Keith Jarrett: a solo piano album recorded in his rural New Jersey home studio in 1998 at a time when he was reportedly suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. In stark contrast to his other solo albums, this one consists of short, simple, straightforward interpretations of ballads, songs in the public domain, and one very pretty original ("Meditation"), all taken at funereal tempi with hardly any virtuoso flourishes. Scattered amidst the assortment of standards like "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," and "I Loves You Porgy" are nostalgic throwbacks like the hoary old "My Wild Irish Rose" (he plays the tune absolutely straight) and even the Mario Lanza hit "Be My Love." Sad as it is to say under the circumstances, these performances lack color, contrast and life; and while you pull for Jarrett to summon the energy to make music again, the results are touching for a while but soon pall. Also in contrast to Manfred Eicher's usual sonic standard at ECM, the sound is dull and lacking in luster, though some listeners might find that it gives the album a certain homey charm. Richard S. Ginell 

Tracklist :

1 I Loves You, Porgy 5:50

George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward

2 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 7:10

Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster

3 Don't Ever Leave Me 2:47

Paul Anka / Jeff Barry / Lillian Clarborne / James Crawford / Ellie Greenwich / Virginia Hensley / Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern

4 Someone to Watch over Me 5:05

George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin

5 My Wild Irish Rose 5:21

Traditional

6 Blame It on My Youth/Meditation 7:19

Edward Heyman / Keith Jarrett / Oscar Levant

7 Something to Remember You By 7:15

Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz

8 Be My Love 5:38

Nicholas Brodszky / Sammy Kahn

9 Shenandoah 5:52

Johnny Smith / Traditional

10 I'm Through With Love 2:56

Gus Kahn / Fud Livingston / Matty Malneck 

Credits:

Piano – Keith Jarrett

ECM 1675