Keith Jarrett's "American" quartet,
comprised of Jarrett, Dewey Redman, Paul Motian, and Charlie
Haden plus contributions from percussionist Guilherme Franco,
generally gets short shrift in discussions of the mercurial
pianist's career. During the time this quartet recorded
eight albums with this group for Impulse! Records he also
recorded a number of his improvised solo piano albums and
some work with his "European" quartet (Jarrett,
Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson, Jon Christensen). The work
of the American quartet is warmer and often more vital than
the more austere work he went on to perform, despite the
fact that the group is freer and more attuned to the avant-garde
aesthetic than most of Jarrett's ensembles.
Fort Yawuh is one of the group's best
efforts, a series of live performances that demonstrate the
many different aspects of the group. "(If the)Misfits(Wear
It)," the album opener, is boppish and recalls Ornette
Coleman, though you can hear traces of the gospel influence
that Jarrett brought to bear on the European quartet recordings.
Redman offers a lexicon of avant-garde tenor sounds, his cries
and shrieks sounding less noisy and more evocative of the
human voice today than they may have come across at the time.
"Fort Yawuh" is a lyrical piece on which Redman
plays with incredible beauty. Certainly he should be recognized
as one of the best post-Coltrane tenor players to come along.
"De Drums" works up a nice groove
and allows for the aforementioned gospel and even some blues
influence to come to the fore, while "Still Life, Still
Life" demonstrates a Bill Evans influence as well as
much of the classical influence of Jarrett's solo piano work.
The album closer, "Roads Travelled, Roads Veiled"
is a free jazz exploration built on Motian's African-inspired
drumming and some of Haden's steady, melodic bass work.
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. If you are unsure or just want to check
out this group, Fort Yawuh is an excellent entry
point.
