HÄNDEL : Suites for Keyboard (Keith Jarrett) (1995) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Having paid tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach in a sequence of New Series recordings of the Well-tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations and the French Suites, Keith Jarrett now turns his attention to Bach’s near contemporary, Georg Friedrich Händel. The project, in fact, has been in preparation for a long time; Jarrett’s liner note informs us that he first began to record Händel’s keyboard suites some 20 years ago. The present recording is of particular interest for a number of reasons and not least because it is the first of his albums of baroque music to feature the piano – as opposed to harpsichord – since Book One of the Well-tempered Clavier was issued in 1988. Where, in his Bach recordings, Keith Jarrett has striven to obliterate his musical personality ("This music does not need my assistance"), he feels Händel’s "basically unknown" solo keyboard music needs a measure of special pleading. And, though he has gone to "the least tampered with editions" of the suites in the interests of "correctness both musicological and musical", in making the case for their reassessment he permits himself some interpretive leeway in matters of tempi and phrasing. The result is an extremely attractive reading of seven of the Suites for Keyboard that can perhaps be more readily related – particularly in the adagio movements, where Jarrett takes full advantage of the lyrical warmth and textural richness of the material – to aspects of the pianist’s improvised recordings than can his Bach interpretations. (Or, to put it another way, these pieces, in the right hands, retain the freshness of improvisation). "Händel was a keyboardist, " Jarrett notes, "and his keyboard works should occupy a higher position in our awareness than they do." Keith Jarrett’s playing on this recording invites comparison with his interpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 (a work that creates a bridge, via Bachian inspirational sources, from the baroque to the "modern"). Jarrett’s Shostakovich prompted John Rockwell to declare, in the pages of the New York Times: "With this recording, Mr. Jarrett has finally staked an indisputable claim to distinction in the realm of classical music. Even in our multicultural, multistylistic age, it is extremely difficult to cross over from one field to another. Mr. Jarrett, having long since established himself in jazz, can now be called a classical pianist of the first rank." ECM
Georg Friedrich Handel  (1685-1759)
1-4.    Suite HWV 452 (G Minor)
5-8.    Suite HWV 447 (D Minor)
9-12.    Suites II / No.7 HWV 440 (B-flat Major)
13-16. Suites I / No.8 HWV 433 (F Minor)
17-20. Suites I / No.2 HWV 427 (F Major)
21-25. Suites I / No.4 HWV 429 (E Minor)
26-29. Suites I / No.1 HWV 426 (A Major)
Piano – Keith Jarrett

KEITH JARRETT — A Multitude Of Angels (1996-2016) 4CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Keith Jarrett's numerous volumes of improvised solo piano recordings are all treasure troves of spontaneous music making. Documented since the 1970s, they reveal the opening of his music as it readily embraces classical and sacred music influences, filters out what is unnecessary in his technique, and encounters the depth and breadth of the jazz tradition and his own unique abilities as a composer. The four discs in A Multitude of Angels were recorded in as many Italian cities during the last week of October 1996 -- some 20 months after the concert captured on La Scala. These were his last concerts before being sidelined for two years from chronic fatigue syndrome. Jarrett is musician, producer, and engineer here. The performances were captured to his Sonosax DAT recorder seemingly without the view of release at the time. They were sent direct from the piano to transformer-less microphones to the machine, with no mixing board in between. While it's not as raw as The Melody, At Night, With You, his set of intimate home recordings, there is a less airy, less pristine feel in the sound of these recordings.
Sound is only one aspect of what makes these recordings different. In the accompanying booklet, Jarrett describes these discs as the "pinnacle" of his career in the sense that these were uninterrupted performances (no set breaks) in smaller rooms with quiet audiences (a big bugaboo of his, all before the advent of the digital age). Though he was weakened by the burden of his as yet undiagnosed illness, he goes for it here. The gorgeous interpolations of folk, funky gospel, and jazz during the Modena concert's first ten minutes (disc one) are among the most joyous in his catalog. Jarrett describes these shows as if he were ordained by fate to be in the moment as if "playing for the last time." The unfettered feel in his improvisation is sometimes choppier and more rugged than elsewhere in his catalog -- though his playing remains astonishing both technically and creatively. Check the knotty classical improvisations in the second part of Modena where he encounters -- and extrapolates on -- ragtime and modal jazz in blocks, feints, stops, and starts that all flow through the well without obstacle. Processional balladic improv introduces the first half of the Torino show on disc three. It shifts and shimmers, emerging as a wedding of Bach and torch song before stripping itself to the bone. Its final section investigates a repetitive phrase with an extended view of harmony and rhythm. The final show in Genova (disc four) concludes with a fantastically funky blues encore before the pianist delivers a reading of Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow." Jarrett's never delivered it with such tenderness before -- at least on record -- as he illuminates the hidden magic in its lithe harmony. For fans of the pianist, A Multitude of Angels is an indispensable document. It's not only wildly creative, but deeply soulful, spiritual, and dazzling in both variety and facility.   
 -> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 

Modena October 23,1996
1-1 Part I 34:18
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-2 Part II 31:19
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-3 Danny Boy 5:00
Music By – Frederic Weatherly

Ferrara October 25, 1996
2-1 Part I 43:48
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-2 Part II 29:58
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-3 Encore 3:26
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Torino October 28, 1996
3-1 Part I 42:23
Music By – Keith Jarrett
3-2 Part II 31:35
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Genova October 30, 1996
4-1 Part I 31:41
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-2 Part II 31:43
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-3 Encore 5:52
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-4 Over The Rainbow 6:03
Music By – E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Credits :
 Piano – Keith Jarrett

 Modena October 23,1996
1-1 Part I 34:18
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-2 Part II 31:19
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-3 Danny Boy 5:00
Music By – Frederic Weatherly

Ferrara October 25, 1996
2-1 Part I 43:48
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-2 Part II 29:58
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-3 Encore 3:26
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Torino October 28, 1996
3-1 Part I 42:23
Music By – Keith Jarrett
3-2 Part II 31:35
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Genova October 30, 1996
4-1 Part I 31:41
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-2 Part II 31:43
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-3 Encore 5:52
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-4 Over The Rainbow 6:03
Music By – E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Credits :
 Piano – Keith Jarrett

SHOSTAKOVICH : 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 (Keith Jarrett) (1992) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Dmitri Shostakovich's epic series of preludes and fugues for solo piano was inspired by the very composer whom you would immediately suspect -- Johann Sebastian Bach. Indeed, the Russian composer was motivated to write this huge work after a visit to Bach's home city Leipzig in 1950; and, in fact, it resurrects the premise behind Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier," providing one prelude and fugue for every major and minor key. So having conquered the Bach work on recordings, Keith Jarrett decided to tackle its 20th century sequel in this two-CD set. Looking at it from one angle, this is Jarrett's most impressive technical achievement in the classical repertoire so far. Generally speaking, the Shostakovich is more difficult to play than the other classical works that he had recorded previously, and he is clearly up to all of its sometimes fearsome demands. From an interpretive angle, though, Jarrett doesn't get as much out of this music as, say, the late Russian pianist Tatiana Nikolaeva, who gave the first performances of the work. With Nikolaeva, each note is captured and spotlighted in ever-changing lights. Jarrett is on the hunt for detail, too -- the "No. 11," "15," and "17" fugues are particularly invigorating in that respect -- yet much of the time, he tends to color things in one way. Part of this impression may be due to the sound of his piano, which is treated with ECM's usual soft-focused cloud of reverb. For Jarrett fans who are following his classical adventures, this could be a most intriguing left turn, but those seeking the definitive recording of the pieces would find Nikolaeva more stimulating. Richard S. Ginell
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
CD1. Preludes And Fugues Op.87, 1-12
CD2. Preludes And Fugues Op.87, 12-24
Piano – Keith Jarrett

KEITH JARRETT — Sun Bear Concerts (1978-1989) 6xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During the 1970s, solo piano box sets were rare. When Keith Jarrett's monolithic, ten-LP solo box, Sun Bear Concerts, arrived from ECM in 1978, the only comparable collection was The Tatum Solo Masterpieces, a six-disc set of the pianist's '50s sides. Jarrett's five Japanese concerts from November of 1976 in Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Sapporo were completely improvised and gloriously recorded by engineer Okihiro Sugano. Most jazz critics greeted it as a seminal work that set Jarrett apart from his peers.

When he hits a mysterious minor ninth to open the first concert in Kyoto, all bets are off. For nearly 80 minutes he balances tension with release, the pastoral with the cosmopolitan. He asks harmonic questions and develops non-conclusive answers, and melds emotion, technique, and inspiration in a dazzling, deeply moving display of virtuosity and inexhaustible creativity. The Osaka concert commences with inquisitive lyrical ideas before spiraling off in several directions. He investigates swing, stride, blues, bop, vanguard modal interludes, folk traditions, and pop songs, and briefly evokes Aaron Copland. Jarrett creates cascading rhythmic pulses and expansive harmonies that elude genre and resist reduction. In Nagoya, classical motifs -- romantic and modernist -- are developed with a rich, inquisitive interior logic that never forsakes musicality, even when pursuing the Muse toward dissonance during the final third. In Tokyo, Jarrett meanders for a time, offering one musical ellipsis after another until 12 minutes in, when he slips through the boundary with a series of five-note clusters. Then he's off and running across jazz piano history, nodding at Vince Guaraldi, Dmitri Shostakovich, Lead Belly, Debussy, Jerome Kern, and others before stripping his process down to its essences. It's the most rewarding show in the set, though not necessarily the easiest to listen to. In Sapporo, Jarrett is effusive. He delves into non-Western harmonic approaches, explores the piano's lower-middle register exhaustively, and finds lyricism between empty and dissonant spaces. For over 75 minutes he punctuates these explorations with dramatic glee, and often hums along. The Sun Bear Concerts offers a pinnacle of jazz improvisation.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
CD1 - Kyoto, November 5, 1976
CD2 - Osaka, November 8, 1976
CD3 - Nagoya, November 12, 1976
CD4 - Tokyo, November 14, 1976
CD5 - Sapporo, November 18, 1976
CD6 - Encores (Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya)
Credits :
Piano, Music By – Keith Jarrett
Producer – Manfred Eicher

KEITH JARRETT — Budapest Concert (2020) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On October 21, 2020, the New York Times printed a feature article entitled "Keith Jarrett Confronts a Future Without the Piano." Inside, the artist disclosed that he had suffered two strokes in 2018 that left him unable to use his left hand, effectively ending his performing career: "I don't know what my future is supposed to be. I don't feel right now like I'm a pianist." The Budapest Concert is the second release from his 2016 tour, and was recorded two weeks before Munich 2016. Structurally there are similarities between the two. Each contains a dozen numbered suite-like movements, and encores. Performed at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, Keith Jarrett, whose familial roots lie in Hungary, considered this show as a kind of homecoming. Its two discs are divided by contrasting thematic resonances in his improvising and playing.

The nearly 15-minute opening movement amounts to a somewhat intense, dark-toned overture that careens through various classical notions and motifs reflecting his lifelong appreciation of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, without developing them -- a long established hallmark in Jarrett's improvised concerts. It's a seemingly unending inquiry of extrapolated right-hand figures while his left punctuates them with fat bass chords and counterpoint. He releases the tension somewhat on "II" with slowly developing tonal and chromatic inventions that feed into and off of one another, posing questions answered by more questions. "IV" follows a dramatic, minor-key blues progression as the left hand dialogues with the piano's lower and middle register. The mood on the second disc is lighter if not necessarily brighter. Jarrett's love of American songbook pop is softly articulated as a lullaby on "V." Though less than four minutes long, "VI" is a set highlight as the pianist moves across ragtime, stride, bop, and blues, and swings like mad with warmth and humor. He commences "VII" with softly played upper-register triads that expand into songlike developments evoking folk and gospel themes; he momentarily quotes from "Danny Boy," "Shenandoah," and the Beatles' "Hey Jude." The open-ended "VIII" offers incandescent, nearly impressionist balladry, while "IX" and "X" reprise the moodier, denser classical motifs on disc one. The final movement is aptly subtitled "Blues," as Jarrett joyously evokes everyone from James P. Johnson and Albert Ammons to Meade Lux Lewis, Champion Jack Dupree, and Ray Charles, and brings the house down. Both encore covers were also performed in Munich, but these versions are more immediate, less considered. "It's a Lonesome Old Town" is spectral, nearly spiritual, evoking traces from the Duke Ellington and Lena Horne readings. "Answer Me, My Love" develops from the middle register and briefly considers Etta Jones' iconic 1962 version in its tenderness and quiet desperation. The first half of The Budapest Concert is challenging, as its knotty improvisations sometimes require rigorous attention. That said, the more melodically redolent back half welcomes even casual listeners. Jarrett regards this as his current "gold standard" for live improvisation, and given its reach and focus, it's difficult to argue with him -- especially now.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1-1    Part I    14:42
 Keith Jarrett
1-2    Part II    6:54
 Keith Jarrett
1-3    Part III    8:10
 Keith Jarrett
1-4    Part IV    7:53
 Keith Jarrett
2-1    Part V    5:13
 Keith Jarrett
2-2    Part VI    3:52
 Keith Jarrett
2-3    Part VII    5:45
 Keith Jarrett
2-4    Part VIII    5:35
 Keith Jarrett
2-5    Part IX    2:42
 Keith Jarrett
2-6    Part X    8:40
 Keith Jarrett
2-7    Part XI    5:54
 Keith Jarrett
2-8    Part XII - Blues    4:04
 Keith Jarrett
2-9    It's A Lonesome Old Town    8:01
 Charles Kisco / Harry Tobias
2-10    Answer Me, My Love    4:55
 Fred Rauch / Gerhard Winkler
Credits :
Piano – Keith Jarrett

CHARLES LLOYD — In The Soviet Union (1967- 2013) RM | Serie Jazz Best Collection 1000 – 6 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Charles Lloyd Quartet was (along with Cannonball Adderley's band) the most popular group in jazz during the latter half of the 1960s. Lloyd somehow managed this feat without watering down his music or adopting a pop repertoire. A measure of the band's popularity is that Lloyd and his sidemen (pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Ron McClure and drummer Jack DeJohnette) were able to have a very successful tour of the Soviet Union during a period when jazz was still being discouraged by the communists. This well-received festival appearance has four lengthy performances including an 18-minute version of "Sweet Georgia Bright" and Lloyd (who has always had a soft-toned Coltrane influenced tenor style and a more distinctive voice on flute) is in top form.  Scott Yanow
Tracklist :

1.    Days and Nights Waiting 7:06
Keith Jarrett
2.    Sweet Georgia Bright 17:54
Charles Lloyd
3.    Love Song to a Baby 12:32
Charles Lloyd
4.    Tribal Dance 10:22
Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Bass – Ron McClure
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Charles Lloyd

THE CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET - Love-In (1967-2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Issued in 1966, Love-In was the follow-up to the amazing Dream Weaver, the debut of the Charles Lloyd Quartet. Love-In was recorded after the 1966 summer blowout and showed a temporary personnel change: Cecil McBee had left the group and was replaced by Ron McClure. McClure didn't possess the aggressiveness of McBee, but he more than compensated with his knowledge of the modal techniques used by Coltrane and Coleman in their bands, and possessed an even more intricate lyricism to make up for his more demure physicality. Of the seven selections here, four are by Lloyd, two by pianist Keith Jarrett, and one by Lennon/McCartney ("Here, There and Everywhere"). Certainly the '60s youth movement was making its mark on Lloyd, but he was making his mark on them, too. With young Jarrett in the mix, turning the piano over in search of new harmonic languages with which to engage not only Lloyd as a soloist but the rhythm section as well, things were certainly moving across vast terrains of musical influence and knowledge. Drummer Jack DeJohnette took it all in stride and tried to introduce as many new time signatures into the breaks as he could get away with, allowing the ever-shifting chromatics in Jarrett's playing to be his cue from 7/8 to 9/8 to 12/16 and back to equal fours ("Sunday Morning," "Temple Bells," "Memphis Dues Again"), no matter what the musical style was. And there were plenty, as Lloyd led the excursion from post-bop to modal to blues to Eastern raga to cool and back. On Love-In, everything was jazz for the Charles Lloyd Quartet, and what they made jazz from opened the music up to everybody who heard it. The album is a lasting testament to that cultural ecumenism.
|> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <|
Tracklist :
1    Tribal Dance 10:03
Written-By – Charles Lloyd
2    Temple Bells 2:44
Written-By – Charles Lloyd
3    Is It Really The Same? 5:45
Written-By – Keith Jarrett
4    Here There And Everywhere 3:40
Written-By – John Lennon & Paul McCartney
5    Love-In 4:44
Written-By – Charles Lloyd
6    Sunday Morning 7:55
Written-By – Keith Jarrett
7    Memphis Dues Again / Island Blues 8:57
Written-By – Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Bass – Ron McClure
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Charles Lloyd

CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET - The Flowering (1966-2013) RM | Jazz Best Collection 1000 - 6 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Released by Atlantic in 1971 when the Charles Lloyd Quartet was already history, these performances (from the same concert that resulted in Charles Lloyd in Europe) contain some excellent remakes ("Love In/Island Blues" and "Goin' to Memphis"), Gabor Szabo's "Gypsy '66," Cecil McBee's "Wilpan's," and a fine rendition of "Speak Low." Lloyd (whether on tenor or flute), the already impressive pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist McBee, and drummer Jack DeJohnette are heard in enthusiastic form. This set is even a bit better than the In Europe album due to the stronger (if more familiar) material. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Speak Low 8:26
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
2     Love-In/Island Blues 6:19
Charles Lloyd
3     Wilpan's 6:39
Cecil McBee    
4     Gypsy '66 14:11
Gabor Szabo
5     Goin' to Memphis/Island Blues 7:04
Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Jack De Johnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Saxophone, Flute – Charles Lloyd

THE CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET - Dream Weaver (1966-2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first studio date of the Charles Lloyd Quartet, with Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee, and Jack DeJohnette, was recorded and released just a few days before the band took both the European and American festival circuits by storm. First came Europe, which was just getting the disc as the band was tearing up its stages. While the live dates are now the stuff of legend, it's easy to overlook the recordings, but to do so would be a mistake. Dream Weaver is a fully realized project by a band -- a real band -- in which each member has a unique part of the whole to contribute. Jarrett's unusual piano style fits musically with Lloyd's lyricism in a way that it shouldn't. Jarrett was even then an iconoclast, playing harmonic figures from the inside out and relying on counterpoint to create new spaces, not fill them in. (Just listen to "Autumn Sequence," where his solos and his backing harmonics are equally strident and inventive as Lloyd's Eastern explorations of mood and mode.) And then there's the rhythm section of McBee and DeJohnette, whose modal inventions on the intervals make the "Dream Weaver" suite an exercise in open time, allowing all players to wander around inside it and take what they want out. The set closes with a group party jam on "Sombrero Sam," with Lloyd and Jarrett trading eights on a Cuban variation on a fantasia. There were no records like this one by new groups in 1966.
|> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <|
Tracklist :
Autumn Sequence    (11:59)
1a    Autumn Prelude    
1b    Autumn Leaves    
1c    Autumn Echo    
Dream Weaver    (11:33)
2a    Meditation    
2b    Dervish Dance    
3    Bird Flight    9:08
4    Love Ship    5:53
5    Sombrero Sam    5:13
Credits :
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Charles Lloyd
Written-By – Charles Lloyd (pistas: 1a, 1c to 5), Jacques Prevert (pistas: 1b), Johnny Mercer (pistas: 1b), Joseph Kosma (pistas: 1b)

CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET - In Concert (1967-1994) Unofficial Release | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     Days and Nights Waiting 6'40
Keith Jarrett
2     Lady Gabor 12'25
Gabor Szabo
3     Sweet Georgia Bright 32'20
Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Bass – Ron Mc Clure
Drums – Jack De Johnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Saxophone, Flute – Charles Lloyd

CHARLES LLOYD - Forest Flower : Charles Lloyd at Monterey + Soundtrack (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This classic album is dominated by the Charles Lloyd Quartet's historic appearance at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival. In addition to "East of the Sun," Lloyd (on tenor and flute), pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Jack DeJohnette performed the 17½-minute, two-part "Forest Flower," which was the hit of the festival and helped make the group a sensation. Also included on this album are renditions of Jarrett's "Sorcery" and McBee's "Song of Her," which were recorded ten days earlier. One of the high points of Charles Lloyd's career. Scott Yanow
Forest Flower : Charles Lloyd At Monterey    
1    Forest Flower - Sunrise    7:17
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
2    Forest Flower - Sunset    10:19
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
3    Sorcery 5:11
Composed By – Keith Jarrett
4    Song Of Her 5:16
Composed By – Cecil McBee
5    East Of The Sun 10:20
Composed By – Brooks Bowman
Soundtrack    
6    Sombrero Sam    10:26
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
7    Voice In The Night    8:47
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
8    Pre-Dawn    2:34
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
9    Forest Sunflower '69    16:51
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Bass – Cecil McBee (pistas: 1 to 5), Ron McClure (pistas: 6 to 9)
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Charles Lloyd
Notas.
Tracks 1, 2 & 5: Recorded September 18, 1966 at the Monterey Jazz Festival
Tracks 3 & 4: Recorded September 8, 1966 at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York City
Tracks 6-9: Recorded November 15, 1968 at Town Hall, New York City
2 albums on 1 cd.

CHARLES LLOYD - Journey Within + Charles Lloyd in Europe (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 1999 reissue lets Charles Lloyd's music of the late '60s transcend its erstwhile, hippie era, Coltrane-lite cachet and come into its own as the expression of an expansive musical vision by a quartet of formidable players. Straddling the threshold to the avant-garde, the music doesn't so much defy categorization as dispense with the need for it. Folk themes, Eastern influences, blues, modal hard bop, and impressionistic passages meld seamlessly into a unique, cohesive musical conception. The sprawling 75-minute CD compiles two concert releases: a 1967 date at New York's Fillmore East and a 1968 concert in Oslo, Norway. Soundwise, the recording is average. It captures Lloyd, on flute and tenor sax, and pianist Keith Jarrett reasonably well and just slightly less so the bassists: Ron McClure in New York, Cecil McBee in Oslo. Drummer Jack DeJohnette, however, gets spotty treatment. At times his subtle hybrid of jazz-rock and free, pulsing styles registers well, at others it becomes a muddy clatter. Still, the CD succeeds in immersing the listener in the concerts. While the members of Lloyd's quartet are and remain enormous individual talents, this is an important but secondary consideration for Lloyd. Both concerts are pure collective efforts. The players solo, but the spotlight stays on the complete group. That said, Jarrett's fans will appreciate the selections that feature the pianist working with just bassist and drummer, performing inside/outside music in the spirit of his early trio with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian. Jim Todd  
Journey Within    
1    Journey Within 11:19
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
2    Love No. 3 5:28
Composed By – Keith Jarrett
3    Memphis Green 9:14
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
4    Lonesome Child (10:38)
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
Soprano Saxophone – Keith Jarrett
4a    Song    4:37
4b    Dance    6:01
Charles Lloyd In Europe    
5    Tagore 9:48
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
6    Karma 3:44
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
7    Little Anahid's Day 6:13
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
8    Manhattan Carousel 8:40
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
9    European Fantasy 5:26
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
10    Hej Da! (Hey Daw) 2:46
Composed By – Charles Lloyd
Credits :
Bass – Cecil McBee (pistas: 5 to 10), Ron McClure (pistas: 1 to 4)
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Charles Lloyd
Notas.
Compilation of two original Atlantic albums.
"Journey Within" originally released in 1967 as Atlantic 1493. [Recorded on January 27, 1967 at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, California]
"Chares Lloyd In Europe" originally releasedin 1968 as Atlantic 1500. [Recorded on October 29, 1966 in Norway.]

CHARLES LLOYD - Soundtrack + Charles Lloyd in the Soviet Union (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In concert, the Charles Lloyd Quartet took care of business, so it's fortunate to have this reissue bringing back two of the group's live recordings: a 1968 date from Town Hall in New York and a 1967 concert from a jazz festival in Estonia. The two dates flow together as a unified document of the quartet in its prime. Soundtrack opens with "Sombrero Sam," an expansive piece of soul-jazz with a Keith Jarrett deconstruction of a Joe Zawinul-style line (circa Zawinul's time with Cannonball Adderley). This sets up the leader for a funky excursion on flute. A breathy falsetto soliloquy from Lloyd on tenor then segues perfectly into a dynamic performance of his "Forest Flower." "Voice in the Night" from the original Atlantic release is not included on the reissue. In the Soviet Union has the quartet delivering intense avant-garde-inclined hard bop. The highlight, an 18-minute "Sweet Georgia Bright," streams by in a series of mini movements that provide generous solo space for all. The flute feature "Love Song to a Baby" comes as a relaxing interlude amidst the set's generally vein-popping pace. It is as a tenor player, though, where Lloyd is the more completely original player, his commanding, supple style, fueling and guiding the quartet's collective approach. The Estonian date's concluding track, the ten-minute "Tribal Dance," captures Lloyd on tenor in his best Coltrane-influenced style. Pianist Jarrett, bassist Ron McClure, and drummer Jack Dejohnette also weigh in convincingly to evoke the incandescent fury of the classic John Coltrane quartet. Jim Todd  
Soundtrack    
1    Sombrero Sam    10:26
2    Pre-Dawn    2:34
3    Forest Flower '69    16:51
In The Soviet Union    
4    Days And Nights Waiting    6:55
5    Sweet Georgia Bright    18:05
6    Love Song To A Baby    12:22
7    Tribal Dance    10:05
Credits :
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Composed By – Charles Lloyd
Piano – Keith Jarrett

AIRTO MOREIRA - Free (1972-2003) RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

The 1970s were banner years for Airto Moreira -- not only because of his association with Chick Corea's Return to Forever and his work on wife Flora Purim's Milestone dates, but also, because of the generally superb work he did under Creed Taylor's supervision at CTI from 1972-74. One of the five-star gems that the Brazilian percussionist recorded for CTI was Fingers, which employs Purim on percussion and vocals, David Amaro on guitar, Hugo Fattoruso on keyboards and harmonica, Jorge Fattoruso on drums and Ringo Thielmann on electric bass. Produced by Taylor and recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's famous New Jersey studio, this LP demonstrates just how exciting and creative 1970s fusion could be. When Moreira and his colleagues blend jazz with Brazilian music, rock and funk on such cuts as "Wind Chant," "Tombo in 7/4" and "Romance of Death," the results are consistently enriching. Fingers is an album to savor. by Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1  Return to Forever - 10:17
(Chick Corea)
2 Flora's Song - 8:30
(Flora Purim)
3 Free - 11:50
(Airto Moreira)
4 Lucky Southern - 2:36
(Keith Jarrett)
5 Creek (Arroio) - 6:12
(Victor Brazil)
- Bonus Track -
6 So Tender - 5:01
(Keith Jarrett)
7 Jequié - 2:57
(Moacir Santos)
8 Creek (Arroio) (Altenate Version) - 9:23  
Personnel :
Airto - Percussion, Vocals
Hubert Laws - Flute
Joe Farrell - Soprano Saxophone, Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Piccolo
Chick Corea - Piano, Electric Piano
Keith Jarrett - Piano
Nelson Ayres - Electric Piano
George Benson - Guitar
Jay Berliner - Guitar
Ron Carter - Bass
Stanley Clarke - Electric Bass
Flora Purim - vocals
Burt Collins, Mel Davis, Alan Rubin - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Wayne Andre, Garnett Brown, Joe Wallace - Trombone
Don Sebesky - Arranger

KEITH JARRETT / GARY PEACOCK / JACK DeJOHNETTE - Whisper Not (2000) 2xCD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For Keith Jarrett, this extremely satisfying concert with the Standards Trio on two CDs is a personal landmark, the first for-the-record sign that he had recovered from the chronic fatigue syndrome that laid him low for three years in the late 1990s. Indeed, by the time this Paris gig took place, he had come all the way back -- his technical facilities intact (a handful of smeared notes aside), his inventiveness bubbling over. Old cohorts Gary Peacock (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums) are back, too, regenerating their propulsive, swinging, collective E.S.P. at will. Not too much has changed from the pre-illness days, though the focus is very much on classic bebop now -- with Bud Powell getting a good deal of attention with an outstanding "Bouncing With Bud" and a terrific "Hallucinations" that has an atypically funny false ending. Jarrett's bebop runs on "Groovin' High" are astonishing, "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" is appealingly jaunty and carefree, and ballads like "'Round Midnight" and "Prelude to a Kiss" revert to the melodic simplicity that was cultivated during Jarrett's down time. Even though the Standards Trio has been one of the most prolifically recorded groups of its era, only the final encore, "When I Fall in Love," had been recorded before by this group. So even those who think they have enough material by this group will be rightly tempted to invest in this document of Jarrett's resurrection. by Richard S. Ginell  

Tracklist 1 :

1 Bouncing With Bud 7:33

Composed By – Bud Powell

2 Whisper Not 8:06

Composed By – Benny Golson

3 Groovin' High 8:31

Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie

4 Chelsea Bridge 9:47

Composed By – Billy Strayhorn

5 Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams 5:48

Composed By – Billy Moll, Harry Barris, Ted Koehler

6 Round Midnight 6:45

Composed By – Cootie Williams, Thelonious Monk

7 Sandu 7:26

Composed By – Clifford Brown

Tracklist 2 :

1 What Is This Thing Called Love 12:23

Composed By – Cole Porter

2 Conception 8:08

Composed By – George Shearing

3 Prelude To A Kiss 8:16

Composed By – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills

4 Hallucinations 6:36

Composed By – Bud Powell

5 All My Tomorrows 6:23

Composed By – Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn

6 Poinciana 9:11

Composed By – Buddy Bernier, Nat Simon

7 When I Fall In Love 8:06

Composed By – Edward Heyman, Victor Young

Credits:

Double Bass – Gary Peacock

Drums – Jack DeJohnette

Piano – Keith Jarrett

Producer – Manfred Eicher

ECM 1724 / 25

Recorded live July 5, 1999 at Palais des Congrès, Paris [1:53:10]

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

KEITH JARRETT - La Scala (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For this live solo concert (recorded at the Teatro alla Scala in Milano, Italy and released in 1997), pianist Keith Jarrett performs two lengthy improvisations simply titled "La Scala, Parts I and II." Most of the music is quite lyrical and romantic. The first part (which lasted nearly 45 minutes) does have a section using a droning rhythm reminiscent of American Indian music before resolving back into a ballad. The second section (a mere 27½ minutes) starts out dissonant, gradually evolves into a peaceful section, and then concludes with the original dissonant ideas. As an encore, Jarrett performs a melodic and very beautiful six-minute rendition of "Over the Rainbow," receiving a well-deserved thunderous ovation at its conclusion. The music overall develops slowly but always holds one's interest, reinforcing one's viewpoint of Keith Jarrett as one of the top pianists of the 1980s and '90s. by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

1 La Scala, Pt 1 44:54

Keith Jarrett

2 La Scala, Pt 2 27:42

Keith Jarrett

3 Over the Rainbow 6:01

Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg

Credits:

Piano, Liner Notes – Keith Jarrett

KEITH JARRETT - Bridge of Light (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is Keith Jarrett's most accomplished collection of classical compositions yet, seated squarely in the American East Coast neo-classical tradition of Samuel Barber, David Diamond, Irving Fine, etc. Jarrett's writing for strings is masterful here; the lines move and interweave instead of being shoveled on as in some pieces of the '70s, and the compositions have shape and direction. Most of all, they share a common feeling of reflection and an unabashed willingness to let the instrumental soloists sing. "Elegy for Violin and String Orchestra" is a particularly gorgeous and inspired piece of music, the "Adagio for Oboe and String Orchestra" is not far behind, and "Bridge of Light for Viola and Orchestra" transfers Jarrett's classical idiom to a full chamber orchestra, now with overtones of late-period Vaughan Williams. Jarrett himself plays the piano on his "Sonata for Violin and Piano," whose third movement hearkens back to the repetitive grooves of the solo concerts. Three of the four works date from 1984, while Bridge of Light was written in 1990 -- and in the orchestral pieces, ECM has given conductor Thomas Crawford and the excellent Fairfield Orchestra glowing sound. Though these works have nothing to do with jazz per se, all Jarrett buffs should investigate this music on its own terms. by Richard S. Ginell 
Tracklist:
1     Elegy for violin and String orchestra 14:50  
Keith Jarrett
2     Adagio for oboe and String orchestra 9:54 
Keith Jarrett
3     Sonata for violin and piano 27:11 
Keith Jarrett
4     Bridge of Light for Viola and orchestra 17:01

Keith Jarrett

Credits:
Composed By, Liner Notes – Keith Jarrett
Conductor – Thomas Crawford (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Design [Cover Design] – Barbara Wojirsch
Double Bass – Michael Magee (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Neil Garber (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Flute – Adrianne Greenbaum (tracks: 8)
French Horn – Kirsten Bendixen (tracks: 8)
Oboe – Marcia Butler (tracks: 8)
Orchestra – The Fairfield Orchestra (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Trumpet – Susan Radcliff (tracks: 8)
Viola – Adria Benjamin (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Ah Ling Neu (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Caryn Briskin (tracks: 1, 2, 8), KC Still (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Violin – Alexander Vselensky (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Aloysia Friedmann (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Amy Wright (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Andrew Schaw (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Cenovia Cummins (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Christopher Cardona (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Dana Friedli (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Eric DeGioia (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Heidi Modr (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Jeffrey Ellenberger (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Mary Whitaker (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Peter Kupfer (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Roxanne Bergman (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Susan Lorentsen (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Violoncello – Benjamin Whittenburg (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Maureen McDermott (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Ted Mook (tracks: 1, 2, 8)

KEITH JARRETT - At the Deer Head Inn (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Keith Jarrett returns to his roots, both musically and physically, on this CD. His first significant jazz gig was at the Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, and 30 years later Jarrett agreed to perform at the venue again. With the assistance of bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian, Jarrett plays six jazz standards (several of which were associated with Miles Davis) plus Jaki Byard's medium-tempo blues "Chandra." The inventive interpretations give listeners plenty of surprises and variety, making this a very enjoyable outing. by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

1 Solar 11:21

Miles Davis

2 Basin Street Blues 9:09

Spencer Williams

3 Chandra 9:21

Jaki Byard

4 You Don't Know What Love Is 12:55

Gene DePaul / Don Raye

5 You and the Night and the Music 5:41

Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz

6 Bye Bye Blackbird 10:13

Mort Dixon / Ray Henderson

7 It's Easy to Remember 7:47

Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers

Credits:
Bass – Gary Peacock
Design [Cover Design] – Barbara Wojirsch
Drums – Paul Motian
Piano – Keith Jarrett

KEITH JARRETT TRIO - Tribute (1991) 2xCD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Keith Jarrett Standards Trio gets back down to business with two CDs' worth of familiar and perhaps not-so-familiar tunes, recorded in one evening in Cologne, Germany. There is a concept this time, for all the standards carry a dedication to some jazz man or woman who performed them -- and they are not predictable choices; Lee Konitz for "Lover Man," "It's Easy to Remember" for John Coltrane, "All of You" for Miles Davis, etc. Almost every number has a reflective solo piano introduction, with one of the notable exceptions being Jarrett's rolling, convoluted opening variations on "All the Things You Are" (Sonny Rollins). "Solar" (the Bill Evans tribute) has challenging, fractured interplay between Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock, and it directly segues into Jarrett's own obsessive "Sun Prayer," which seems to lose its way after a fine start. The other Jarrett composition, "U Dance," a carefree folk-like tune with a rhumba rhythm, closes the concert with a tribute to no one in particular. While the Standards Trio rarely takes anything for granted, transforming everything in its path, the results are not quite as inventive here as on other releases, though Disc Two is clearly more interesting overall than Disc One. Warning to the wary: Keith Jarrett, singer, is in rare groaning form on "I Hear a Rhapsody" and "Solar." by Richard S. Ginell  
Tracklist :
1-1 Lover Man 13:13
Written-By – James Davis, James Sherman, Roger Ramirez
1-2 I Hear A Rhapsody 11:19
Written-By – Dick Gasparre, George Fragos, Jack Baker, Richard Bard
1-3 Little Girl Blue 6:05
Written-By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
1-4 Solar 9:32
Written-By – Miles Davis
1-5 Sun Prayer 14:15
Written-By – Keith Jarrett
2-1 Just In Time 10:07
Written-By – Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Jule Styne
2-2 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 8:26
Written-By – Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach
2-3 All Of You 8:08
Written-By – Cole Porter
2-4 Ballad Of The Sad Young Men 7:02
Written-By – Frances Landesman, Thomas Wolf
2-5 All The Things You Are 8:57
Written-By – Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein
2-6 It's Easy To Remember 7:08
Written-By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
2-7 U Dance 10:46
Written-By – Keith Jarrett
Credits:
Bass – Gary Peacock
Design [Cover Design] – Barbara Wojirsch
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Piano – Keith Jarrett
Producer – Manfred Eicher
ECM 1420 / 21
Tracks 1-1 to 1-4 and 2-1 to 2-6 are tributes to
1-1: Lee Konitz
1-2: Jim Hall
1-3: Nancy Wilson
1-4: Bill Evans
2-1: Charlie Parker
2-2: Coleman Hawkins
2-3: Miles Davis
2-4: Anita O'Day
2-5: Sonny Rollins
2-6: John Coltrane