Keith Jarrett

The Miles Davis Story

Trumpeter-bandleader Miles Davis (1926-91) was a catalyst for the major innovations in post-bop, cool jazz, hard-bop, and jazz-fusion, and his wispy and emotional trumpet tones were some of the most evocative sounds ever heard. He was also one of the most identifiable and misunderstood pop icons of the 20th century. This engrossing British documentary shows the complex layers of this magnificent and mercurial artist. Through rare footage and interviews, we learn of Davis's middle-class upbringing and his early days with bop legends Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. The documentary bluntly deals with Davis's narcotic nadir and his rise from the depths to become a bona fide jazz icon in the mid-'50s to late '60s. But the most penetrating and poignant portraits of Davis come from musicians who played with and were influenced by him, including Shirley Horn, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and Keith Jarrett.

Outstanding musical selections include modal masterpieces "So What" and "Blue in Green," the haunting soundtrack to the 1957 French film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud, his romantic rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," and his collaborations with arranger Gil Evans. The most surprising aspects of Davis's personality that emerge from this film are his shyness, vulnerability, and, yes, humility. As he said himself, "Don't call me a legend. Call me Miles Davis." --Eugene Holley Jr.

Keith Jarrett - Tokyo Solo

Keith Jarrett one of the world's preeminent jazz pianists--a master innovator who is also highly proficient in classical modern blues and gospel styles--performs in Tokyo in 2002 his 150th live concert in Japan.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS Rating: NR UPC: 602498731864 Manufacturer No: B000672309

It's no bulletin that improvisation is perhaps the central component of jazz, or that Keith Jarrett, a master jazz pianist, is also a gifted improviser. Yet what Jarrett plays in the course of Tokyo Solo, a 2002 performance that was his 150th concert in Japan, could hardly be called jazz, at least not according to most accepted criteria; the music heard here is, as Duke Ellington once said, "beyond category." What's more, "improvisation" seems inadequate for the process Jarrett has been perfecting since he began making solo recordings in the early 1970s. "Spontaneous composition" is more like it, for while most jazz players extemporize over a known melody or set of changes, Jarrett begins with a tabula rasa, creating music from nothing other than what's in his head and hands at a given moment. It's a fascinating process to witness, and if Tokyo Solo is not his finest work, it's nonetheless filled with extraordinary moments. It's easy to see why Jarrett, a notorious perfectionist, has performed so often in Japan: the venues are acoustically superb, the audiences are quiet and reverent, and the resulting recordings, including this one, feature impeccable aural and visual production values. Some of the material here appeared previously on the ECM CD Radiance (2005). In the course of two lengthy pieces ("Part 1" has three sections; "Part 2" has five), Jarrett's music is sometimes dissonant and challenging, filled with furious chording and dense clusters of sound ("Part 1(a)"), sometimes classical ("Part 1(b)" brings to mind a Beethoven sonata), sometimes gorgeous and almost impressionistic ("Part 2(a)" suggests a Ravel etude, while "Part 2(d)," perhaps the most sublime portion of the concert, leans a bit more toward Debussy). The setting (a darkened stage with nothing but the pianist and his Steinway) is simple, as is Kaname Kawachi's direction; there are plenty of close-ups of Jarrett's face, hands, and feet, as well as a few shots inside the piano, but nothing in the way of effects or trickery. Three more standard encores, including "Danny Boy" and "Old Man River," complete a concert sure to be treasured by Jarrett devotees. --Sam Graham

Keith Jarrett - Art of Improvisation

Trio Concert 1996

The legendary Keith Jarrett takes the stage with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette to perform a dazzling array of beloved standards, recorded live at Orchard Hall in Japan! Songs: It Could Happen to You, Never Let Me Go, Billie's Bounce, Summer Night, I'll Remember April, Mona Lisa, Autumn Leaves, Last Night When We Were Young, A Caribbean Sky, John's Abbey, My Funny Valentine, A Song, All the Things You Are, Tonk.

Directions: In the Charles Lloyd Mood

Keith Jarrett - Solo Tribute: The 100th Performance in Japan

Captured live at Tokyo's Suntory Hall, renowned piano virtuoso Keith Jarrett performs some of his most memorable and haunting standards before an enthusiastic crowd. Performed entirely solo, these numbers clearly reveal the breadth and power of his immense musical skills. Tracks: The Night We Called It a Day, I Love You, Things Ain't What They Used to Be, Sound, I Loves You Porgy, There Is No Greater Love, Round About Midnight, Solar, Then I'll Be Tired of You, Sweet and Lovely, The Wind, Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me, I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good, Summertime.

Keith Jarrett Trio - Live at Open Theater East

Superb audio, interesting video direction, three virtuoso players interacting for more than two hours: recorded jazz concerts don't get much better than this performance by the Keith Jarrett Trio. Pianist Jarrett, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and bassist Gary Peacock play two complete sets of standards in this 1993 Japanese concert. Watching them is fascinating--especially Jarrett, eyes scrunched in concentration, writhing intensely, coaxing and wrenching ideas from his keyboard, and punctuating his improvisations with weird, off-key vocalisms. But listening to them is even better. This is a group in perfect sync with one another; even a 26-minute version of Miles Davis's "Solar" and Jarrett's own "Extension" doesn't have a boring moment. You won't get much of a "show," per se--typically, Jarrett doesn't say a word to the audience--but that's hardly the point. With musicians this good, the playing's the thing. --Sam Graham

An original and influential stylist, pianist Keith Jarrett and his trio, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, bring fresh, innovative interpretations to several "standards" in this breathtaking live performance recorded in 1993. Tracks: In Your Own Sweet Way, Butch and Butch, Basin Street Blues, Solar-Extension, If I Were a Bell, I Fall in Love Too Easily, Oleo, Bye Bye Blackbird, The Cure, I Thought About You. 130 minutes.

Keith Jarrett - Last Solo

While there's no shortage of audio recordings of pianist Keith Jarrett's improvised solo performances--works that make up arguably his most creatively fertile period--visual records are few, which makes this 92-minute DVD, recorded in 1984 in Tokyo, of particular interest. But it's something of a mixed blessing; while Jarrett's playing is always good, and often much more than that, actually watching him do it is another matter. His pained facial contortions, moaning along with the music, and other antics are on full display here, shot in both close-ups and long shots and seen from every conceivable angle, and they are a distraction. If you can get past them and concentrate on the music, which includes two lengthy improvisations, a lovely rendition of "Over the Rainbow," and a brief encore that may be the most compelling piece of music here, Last Solo will prove a most worthy document of a master musician in peak form. --Sam Graham

An original and influential stylist, pianist Keith Jarrett brings his unique live performance skills to this solo concert from 1984. With fresh, innovative interpretations of his "Tokyo '84" series, Jarrett breathtakingly shows why he is one of the most significant pianists of the last forty years. Tracks: Tokyo '84 #1, Tokyo '84 #2, Over the Rainbow, Tokyo '84 Encore.

Standards II

Dynamic music legends and frequent collaborators Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette combine their talents for this rich, melodic performance recorded live in Tokyo at the Hitomi Memorial Hall. A number of beloved standards come to life as never before in this celebration of the past century's greatest musical accomplishments. Tracks: You Don't Know What Love Is, With a Song in My Heart, When You Wish Upon a Star, All of You, Blame It on My Youth, Love Letters, Georgia on My Mind, You and the Night and the Music, When I Fall in Love, On Green Dolphin Street, Woody'n You, Young and Foolish.

Keith Jarrett - Standards

With musicians of the caliber of pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, this 10-song, 105-minute performance, recorded in Tokyo in 1985, could hardly be less than outstanding. But two numbers--"Rider" and the Billie Holiday classic "God Bless the Child"--are positively transcendent. Both are reminiscent of the music Jarrett made with his so-called "Nordic quartet" on the brilliant '70s albums Belonging and My Song; gospel-based, powerful--funky, even--with wonderful solos by all three musicians, they have an element rarely found in Jarrett's music--i.e., fun--and are themselves worth the price of admission. Not that the other stuff isn't good, too; it is, even with the usual distractions of Jarrett's physical conniptions, his annoying tendency to hum or sing along with his playing, and so on. All in all, a good show, with "Rider" and "God Bless the Child" satisfying the search for the sublime. --Sam Graham

Recorded live at Koselnekin Hall, Tokyo, on February 15, 1985, this dazzling concert teams up one of the most significant pianists of the last forty years with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette for an unforgettable celebration of music. Tracks: I Wish I Knew, If I Should Lose You, Late Lament, Rider, It's Easy to Remember, So Tender, Prism, Stella by Starlight, God Bless the Child, Delaunay's Dilemma.