Review: Keith Jarrett - The Out Of Towners

By this point, together for almost twenty years, the trio of Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette are easily the longest association and most constant group in jazz. All three masters of their individual craft, since first getting together their collective skill and interaction has resulted in an empathy and that almost no-one else can touch.

Preferring to avoid the more avant regions with which the members have individually sometimes gone to, either solo or with other groups, this Standards Trio have chosen instead to focus for the most part on original and sometimes surprising takes on classic jazz tunes. So, recorded at the Munich State Opera, ‘The Out Of Towners’ like all of the trios releases, comes with great anticipation. But, as some naysayers may enquire, what differentiates this from the many others in the trios’ catalogue?

To start, the sound recording here is absolutely pristine. I strongly doubt you’ll ever find a better live recording of a piano trio than you will here - the clarity of the sound is superb. But also just as importantly the song choices are more than just the usual standards.

Opening with a brief solo introduction, Jarrett makes ‘I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me’ a lovely and complex rendition. And the way the rhythm duo enters behind him is so smooth it should be used as textbook for any aspiring group out there. Later ‘You’ve Changed’ is a gorgeous ballad and is a perfect example of how this group takes a song you think you know and is able to just open it up – presenting it in a new way that somehow enhances the melody of the piece.

Gerry Mulligans ‘Five Brothers’ swings as it was meant to do and Cole Porters ‘I Love You’ is near-perfection, only just a tad marred by a frankly odd and unengaging cymbals-only solo. The best trio piece here though is the Jarrett original title track; a lengthy and funky blues-gospel, it benefits greatly from some inspired soloing by Peacock. For those that - understandably - bemoan Jarretts lack of composition more recently, here is a shining example of his compositional talents, but one that is undeniably improved by the intuition of the band.

As an encore we are given a tranquil yet moving ‘It’s All In the Game’, in which Jarrett performs solo – his first in this context for two years, and live for six years, since 1995s ‘La Scala’. Perfectly as in the moment as his famous solo recordings, he shows great restraint and stays true to the melodically-rich piece. Achingly beautiful, it is unreservedly a highlight of Jarretts career.

A good starter for anyone unfamiliar to the trio, it’s also be a great additional volume for fans of the trio and their other recordings, showing as it does an incredible raising of the art of interpretation to what is arguably an even higher level. The way they play these tunes is so fresh that each of them can sound like an entirely new piece each and every time they sit down to play it. The sheer breadth of material and playing here gives the impression of something very complete, and Jarretts final stirring playing is so heartfelt, you’d have to possess the stoniest of hearts not to be entirely transfixed. ‘The Out Of Towners’ is stellar Standards Trio, but more than that, it is stellar piano trio, and simply brilliant music.

*****

Review: Keith Jarrett - At The Blue Note: The Complete Recordings

As big a fan as I am of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Vijay Iyer, Bill Evans, Bud Powell, and many more, it is Keith Jarrett whose piano sound I find myself craving the most. Why? I'm sure I could write a book, and still not quite put my finger on the exact reasons, but needless to say it is Jarrett's solo, trio and quartet works that reach me the most. In his time too he has issued two bumper six-disc 'complete' sets, one featuring all the solo concerts from a tour in Japan, and this one below, a set showcasing a complete three-night residency at New York's famous Blue Note club.

When reviewing a piano trio of any notable standing, it has become the standard expectation of the reader, almost to the point of cliché, that at some point the reviewer will insert some words of comparison with the classic Bill Evans trio of Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. Truly groundbreaking, that superb group redefined the way a trio could play, in just the short few years that they were together. This is especially evident on the live performances they recorded, for most with the universally lauded ‘Complete Village Vanguard Recordings’ set, from which the individual albums ‘Sunday At The Village Vanguard’ and ‘Waltz For Debby’ were also pulled. With no disrespect to those outstanding musicians or recordings intended, that constant source for comparison needs to be toned down, if only through overuse, but also because Keith Jarrett’s trio comprising himself, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, have arguably set a new template.

Having played together since 1983, the ‘At The Blue Note’ box-set documents a three-night residency at the New York venue from June 3^rd to the 5^th in 1994, with each disc giving us a complete set. Typical of the trio, they ignore the usual dynamics of the bass and drums simply providing rhythm and marking time for the lead of the piano. Instead each of the group, with Jarrett providing the guiding voice, has the freedom to explore whatever avenues are suggested by the tunes. And as such each of the tunes here are presented in many varied ways, with some pieces being played as written (‘When I Fall In Love’), others with stretching out the melody or bridge (‘Things Ain’t What They Used To Be’), and others are completely deconstructed and played in a way never heard before. ‘How Long Has This Been Going On?’ at nine minutes for example never once comes close to stating the melody of the song until it’s pretty much over.

With massive live documents such as this (thirty-eight tracks over six discs in a hefty but sturdy box), you can often expect a good deal of repeated songs – hopefully each time played in a different style or pace. Here though only three pieces are repeated over the six sets, including a very welcome take on Jarrett’s own ‘No More Lonely Nights’, which serves to show us just how perfectly this band can resolutely never play the same piece the same way twice. And even on recorded sound with no visual aid of being there, you can sense the palpable excitement of the players as they push each other further on to their shared goal.

The sound here is truly remarkable too - as indeed are all ECM live recordings. Peacock has never sounded better, with his bass deep and heavy, mixing perfectly with the always impressive cymbal work and here incredibly vibrant playing from DeJohnette. And of course Jarrett sounds pristine, his piano and perfectly light touch never captured badly. Each note is played with a pristine touch and pitch, and the cascading runs feel fluid and beautiful everywhere throughout this set.

And again, as with all live events captured by Manfred Eicher, the audience is there, but not intrusively so; you can feel them and after each song you can hear their appreciative and sometimes rapturous applause, but they never interrupt the music – save one occasion on the first night and set opener ‘In Your Own Sweet Way’, where you can clearly hear a bottle go tumbling from one of the tables.

An outstanding trio, captured crisply in an intimate and world-famous venue, this is high-calibre in every sense of the word. This is a stellar group captured at a then peak of their abilities and their collective telepathy. At six hours and a hefty price tag, it is a lot of music for a lot of money, but you won’t find a better collected document of the three playing together, and to be able to hear every recorded note of a whole residency really is something else. For the newcomer, there are good one and two-disc sets of this group, including a single-disc one-set performance from this box. But for the fan who already owns some of this so dubbed ‘standards trio’, and loves the sound of a piano trio is full swing, this is invaluable. A five-star collection in every way. And the trio's take on Monk's 'Straight, No Chaser' here is absolute class.

*****