Keith Jarrett: Top Recordings

SOLO PIANO
	Koln Concert Probably Jarrett's most famous and well-known solo piano work, this single CD is in many people's collections. Recorded in 1975, it features brilliant improvisational work that utilizes the piano's full range and creates many beautiful textures. Probably your first stop if you're new to Jarrett and want to sample his extensive improvised piano work.
	Solo Concerts: Bremen & Lausanne This nearly two-hour recording (2 CDs, originally released as 3 LPs) documents a two-part concert in Bremen , Germany, as well as a concert in Lausanne, Switzerland. Jarrett's playing is inventive and technically brilliant here. This is the recording that first made him famous for his solo piano improvisations.
	Facing You Though this is a studio recording, it is completely improvised, much like one of Jarrett's concerts. Recorded and released in 1972, this is the premiere Jarrett recording for ECM, produced by Manfred Eicher. Jarrett's work here draws a lot on jazz and gospel, something that can't always be said of his more recent work. An absolute classic.
	Vienna Concert Jarrett himself considers this to be his finest solo piano recording. This performance has the feel and structure of a classical piano concerto, and though it is entirely improvised, it is a very symetrical and well-conceived improvisation. The second half is a bit looser, and overall this performance does rank as one of the pianist's best.
	Sun Bear Concerts Recorded in 1976 in five Japanese cities (Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Sapporo), this was originally released as a 10-LP box set. Now a 6-CD set, it is an incredible repository of pianistic exploits from the peak of Jarrett's early period. Though it's expensive and will take the listener some time to assimilate, the performances here are nearly all exquisite, and none is the least bit boring or repetitive--quite an achievement.
	The Melody At Night, With You There are those who will argue that this recording, done in Jarrett's home studio in 1997 as he struggled to overcome chronic fatigue syndrome, are not up to his usual standard. That is perhaps true, but these are unusual performances for Jarrett in that they are all brief, and all based on standards with little ornamentation. The result is hushed, nearly ambient, and exquisitely beautiful.
	La Scala A two-part, very lyrical performance that demonstrated quite clearly that in 2000 Jarrett was back. Though not the same pianist as he had been during the '70s and '80s (how could he be?) his improvisations have grown in both scope and structure, and this is a triumphant recording.
GROUP RECORDINGS
	Fort Yawuh Fort Yawuh is one of the "American" quartet's best efforts, a series of live performances that demonstrate the many different aspects of the group. This is a really essential Jarrett album and a side of his music you don't get to hear on his numerous ECM releases. For those with some time, money, and interest, the two collections *The Impulse Years, 1973-74* and Mysteries: The Impulse Years 1975-77 provide access to all eight (including this) of the American quartet's albums, most of which are domestically out of print, and they are well worth the money.
	Belonging The first recording by Jarrett's "European" quartet, which he led simultaneously with his more experimental, freer, "American" quartet. Featuring saxophonist Jan Garbarek, the music here takes American gospel and roots music as its basis, often with very stunning results.
	Survivor Suite Another triumph for the "American" quartet, a group that was capable of producing a wide array of sounds and textures. There's free jazz as well as music that is light, soft, and comfortable. Well worth checking out, both for Jarrett fans and fans of small group jazz of the period.
	Nude Ants The "European" quartet live at the Village Vanguard in 1979. Great performance by a band at the top of its form.
	Spirits You'll either love or hate this recording. Jarrett plays 18 different instruments, using multi-track recording and overdubs to create his solo venture. Much of the music has a Native American vibe, though other inspirations are apparent as well. There are those that would argue that this paved the way for much New Age music, but it is much more complex and richly textured than much other New Age material.
	Mysteries: Impulse Years 1973-74 Includes the albums Fort Yawuh, Treasure Island, Death and the Flower, and Backhand.
	Mysteries: Impulse Years 1975-77 Includes the albums Shades, Mysteries, Byablue, and Bop-be.
STANDARDS TRIO
	Whisper Not This two-disc set was the Trio's triumphant return following Jarrett's late-'90s bout with chronic fatigue syndrome. Everything is in place here, with the group exhibiting its near-psychic ability to think as a unit. Stunning performance, and a must-have for all jazz fans.
	Standards, V.1/Standards, V.2 Keith Jarrett went into the studio in 1983 with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette and recorded three albums worth of material (the third, entitled Changes, features original material rather than standards), thus beginning the (so far) 20-year legacy of the Standards Trio.
	Tribute Jarrett and the trio play a series of dedications to the jazz masters who originally performed these tunes, including Sonny Rollins ("All the Things You Are") and Bill Evans ("Solar").
	At the Blue Note This box set (six discs) documents the group's three night stand in 1994 at the legendary jazz venue. Stunning performances with the emphasis, as it often is, on standards. Sure, it's expensive, but you get your money's worth.
	At the Deer Head Inn Jarrett returns to the site of his first professional gig in Allentown, PA after 30 years, bringing his inventive trio along. Features performances of "Bye Bye Blackbird," "Basin Street Blues," and "You and the Night and the Music."
	Inside Out Jarrett, Peacock, and DeJohnette perform trio improvisations, much as Jarrett has done throughout his career on solo piano. It is obviously more difficult for three people to completely improvise a program of music (save for the encore), yet this group makes it sound not only easy, but also beautiful.