Keith Jarrett - Life Without the Piano

[Joseph K]

although I'm surprised to hear that the practice might be regarded as out of steam, given that the range of approaches that could be taken doesn't seem to me by any means exhaustively explored, and the repertoire can be regarded as still growing.

Exactly. The improvisational possibilities are endless - and that's before you get to things like how a tune is arranged.

[Belgrove]

I certainly don’t subscribe to the rather jaded view that performing standards is an exhausted form. The standard is merely a skeletal framework on which to hang everything that the jazz trio is about. Mehldau’s use of Radiohead songs shows that standards are being minted afresh and are not confined to the broadway songbook.

I too regard Jarrett’s My Song as being his crowning achievement. Sad news about his health.

[cloughie]

One thought I have always had is that if these jazz musicians are so clever why don’t they write their own tunes, but then some of their cover versions are quite clever! A good tune is always useful to hang a bit of improvisation on! Nick and noodle?

[Belgrove]

One thought I have always had is that if these jazz musicians are so clever why don’t they write their own tunes...

They do of course. But they are also entertainers with a public to serve. I remember being at the Blue Note in NYC one Sunday afternoon when, responding to an audience member’s request, the pianist remarked sotto voce to his colleagues, ‘the broad wants standard’.

[cloughie]

They do of course. But they are also entertainers with a public to serve. I remember being at the Blue Note in NYC one Sunday afternoon when, responding to an audience member’s request, the pianist remarked sotto voce to his colleagues, ‘the broad wants standard’.

Indeed so, and at times get stick if they don’t play it like they do on the record!

[burning dog]

One thought I have always had is that if these jazz musicians are so clever why don’t they write their own tunes, but then some of their cover versions are quite clever! A good tune is always useful to hang a bit of improvisation on! Nick and noodle?

Of course a lot of jazz musicians write or improvise a good. or indifferent, tunes over "standard" chord sequences just like ,say, the Rolling Stones do in 80% or so of their pieces on ONE particular "standard" chord sequence.
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Keith Jarrett maintained he wasn't too keen on non-acoustic keyboards but he disguised that fact well on various videos of the time. No video of this gig afaik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb-jR8OSXaY

[Ian Thumwood]

Of course a lot of jazz musicians write or improvise a good. or indifferent, tunes over "standard" chord sequences just like ,say, the Rolling Stones do in 80% or so of their pieces on ONE particular "standard" chord sequence.
-------------
Keith Jarrett maintained he wasn't too keen on non-acoustic keyboards but he disguised that fact well on various videos of the time. No video of this gig afaik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb-jR8OSXaY

I can appreciate why someone like Jarrett would have grown bored with the Miles Davis group of that time. I don't think that Jarrett was incapable of being a funky player but he would not have been the last sideman to be bored with the vamps that Davis used throughout the 70s and 80s. Jarrett is something of a purist and a grand piano how the power and behavioral characteristics which give it a marked edge of the keyboards of that time even though I personally love the sunny sound from Fender Rhodes. The clip is interesting because it does still sound like Jarrett and it left me wondering how much different is was from some of acoustic piano stuff. (Also wondering just how more agile Peacock and DeJohnette would have been too.) Having had so much respect for Miles Davis, I can't help but thinking that Jarrett's intimate knowledge through working with the trumpeter would have been disappointing musically for him. It would have been for more interesting for him to have filled the shoes of Red Garland in the original quintet, I think.



I believe that Jarrett called the electronic keyboards "toys." He has subsequently recorded on harpsichords and organs. The former, I would have thought, would have provided even more limited possibilities as it is an instrument defined by it's limits such as the quick decay of notes, etc. None of this work seems to come up for discussion. I admit that I have only heard the WTC Book 1 by Jarrett and not heard him play these other instruments in a jazz context. Not being at all familiar with this part of his output, it is something that intrigues me. In the past, he has been surprisingly good on soprano saxophone evern giving Dewey Redman a run for his money on records like "Fort Yawuh." I believe he also gigged as a guitarist.

[Serial_Apologist]

I can appreciate why someone like Jarrett would have grown bored with the Miles Davis group of that time. I don't think that Jarrett was incapable of being a funky player but he would not have been the last sideman to be bored with the vamps that Davis used throughout the 70s and 80s. Jarrett is something of a purist and a grand piano how the power and behavioral characteristics which give it a marked edge of the keyboards of that time even though I personally love the sunny sound from Fender Rhodes. The clip is interesting because it does still sound like Jarrett and it left me wondering how much different is was from some of acoustic piano stuff. (Also wondering just how more agile Peacock and DeJohnette would have been too.) Having had so much respect for Miles Davis, I can't help but thinking that Jarrett's intimate knowledge through working with the trumpeter would have been disappointing musically for him. It would have been for more interesting for him to have filled the shoes of Red Garland in the original quintet, I think.



I believe that Jarrett called the electronic keyboards "toys." He has subsequently recorded on harpsichords and organs. The former, I would have thought, would have provided even more limited possibilities as it is an instrument defined by it's limits such as the quick decay of notes, etc. None of this work seems to come up for discussion. I admit that I have only heard the WTC Book 1 by Jarrett and not heard him play these other instruments in a jazz context. Not being at all familiar with this part of his output, it is something that intrigues me. In the past, he has been surprisingly good on soprano saxophone evern giving Dewey Redman a run for his money on records like "Fort Yawuh." I believe he also gigged as a guitarist.

I don't believe Jarrett was faking it on those late 1970 Miles dates: you can see he was really into the distorted sounds the instrument was capable of contributing to the whole ethos. Django Bates really digs Jarrett's contribution on electronic keyboards there - which is not surprising when you listen to his own work.

[Richard Barrett]

I don't believe Jarrett was faking it on those late 1970 Miles dates

I'm sure you're right, and that his ideas developed over the course of time towards a mature musical personality that takes a different direction. Having said that, I mentioned No End earlier, where KJ in 1986 plays multitracked electric guitar, electric bass and percussion and whose general style is not at all unrelated to that of the Miles electric band, so he obviously had some residual attachment to that way of doing things long after leaving the band. As it happens I listened to Hymns Spheres (on pipe organ) the other day. I find it one of his strongest and most individual musical statements, same with Book of Ways on clavichord. Neither could really be described as jazz, but the same goes for his orchestral and chamber compositions, which sit much more comfortably together with mid-century East Coast neoromanticism (not something I like at all, I have to say!).

edit: thinking about it, maybe the reason No End sat in a drawer for so many years before being released was that in 1986 he was still expressing strong disapproval of what he was doing in his his electric-Miles period, whereas in 2013 that kind of polemic was behind him.

[Dave2002]

I didn't realise that KJ played instruments other than keyboards. A very interesting musician - shame he has to give up keyboards, but understandable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Jarrett - mentions he played saxophone and drums in particular, as well as keyboards.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm sure you're right, and that his ideas developed over the course of time towards a mature musical personality that takes a different direction. Having said that, I mentioned No End earlier, where KJ in 1986 plays multitracked electric guitar, electric bass and percussion and whose general style is not at all unrelated to that of the Miles electric band, so he obviously had some residual attachment to that way of doing things long after leaving the band. As it happens I listened to Hymns Spheres (on pipe organ) the other day. I find it one of his strongest and most individual musical statements, same with Book of Ways on clavichord. Neither could really be described as jazz, but the same goes for his orchestral and chamber compositions, which sit much more comfortably together with mid-century East Coast neoromanticism (not something I like at all, I have to say!).

edit: thinking about it, maybe the reason No End sat in a drawer for so many years before being released was that in 1986 he was still expressing strong disapproval of what he was doing in his his electric-Miles period, whereas in 2013 that kind of polemic was behind him.

Well, in Jarrett's case this is very conjectural, however many jazz pianists who harbour strong antipathies towards electronic keyboards limit their hostilities to those such as electric pianos and synthesisers which started coming into the music in the late 1960s, and not to, for instance, Hammond organs. Or electric guitars. Or bass guitars!

[Richard Barrett]

many jazz pianists who harbour strong antipathies towards electronic keyboards limit their hostilities to those such as electric pianos and synthesisers which started coming into the music in the late 1960s

Electric pianos do of course have a highly limited dynamic/expressive range compared to the acoustic instrument; and how many jazz players have managed to get anything expressive out of a synthesizer, apart from Sun Ra and Joe Zawinul?

[Leinster Lass]

I know next to nothing about Keith Jarrett, but I was very taken with his beautiful treatment of 'Over the Rainbow' included in Radio 3's Breakfast this morning.

[antongould]

I know next to nothing about Keith Jarrett, but I was very taken with his beautiful treatment of 'Over the Rainbow' included in Radio 3's Breakfast this morning.

Agree - I got a CD “The Melody At Night With You” in our Oxfam shop for a song and IMVVHO it is excellent ...... “Someone To Watch Over Me” being a stand out track

[gradus]

I particularly like the Tokyo 96 and Whisper Not albums especially, All My Tomorrows, Poinciana and When I fall In Love, wonderful playing and heartfelt lyricism.