Customer Reviews
Piano playing at its best - By: lhdps, 22 Oct 2007 
I first heard this record at a friends house. I was completely blown away. I went straight to the first record store & bought it. Since then it became my favorite Jazz album of all times, & has put Keith Jarret,in my opinion, on the top of the world's greatest piano players.
I've been a fan ever since & bought every single live album he has released. They are all amazing, but there's no love like the first one.
No record collection will be complete without it.
THIS is real music! - By: Peter Brooks, 10 May 2007 One cannot expressin words the beauty of this music. It is utterly raw, coming straight from the heart, a work of sheer genius. Whilst many pieces of so-called piano jazz easily lend themselves to the background of an occasion, the Koln Concert demands constant attention; with all of its changesin tempo, key, style & melody, the listener is enticed into the music, eagerly awaiting the next delicate keystrokes. Indeed, rather than being required to glean the often precious-few moments of brilliance from much music, with Keith Jarrett at the piano, the listener finds these instances thrust upon them every few seconds!
If you concentrate on the music for just a minute, you will find melodies which would ordinarily be the core of a piece, but whichin this situation are simply played fleetingly, only to be replaced by yet another gorgeous tune.
I highly recommend this music to absolutely anyone; you do not have to be a jazz-lover to appreciate it! Even if you have never listened to this genre before (I am still unsure as to what "this genre" actually is!!), I sincerely appeal to you to give it a go! I promise you won't be disappointed!
If you do decide to purchase this album, & enjoy it anywhere near as much as I have, may I also recommend the Sun Bear Concerts, the Paris Concert, & Live at Carnegie Hall for more of the same! Jarrett has also playedin a jazz trio, with Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette, & their music is also excellent. Other jazz pianists who I have found to have a similar touch include; Brad Mehldau, Bill Evans & Michael Wollny, although their music tends not to be improvised.
Happy listening!
a work of genius - By: the, 26 Feb 2007 Is Jarrett playing the piano or is the piano playing Jarrett or is the music playing both of them? This is beyond improvisation. Jarrett is responding to every note, totallyin the moment.
by the way - sorry to be pedantic, but it wasn'tin the opening of Carnal Knowledge (releasedin 1971, 4 years earlier than the concert) butin Nicholas Roeg's Bad Timing starring Teresa Russell & Art Garfunkel. That's the first time I heard the Koln Concerto & I couldn't wait till the end of the film to find out what the music was.
AWESOME - By: L. Atack, 09 Sep 2006 I am a musician & a teacherin a Special School & I have never been moved so muchin the whole of my life as when listening to Part 1 of the Koln concert - it overwhelms me with emotion - wonderful awesome. Oh to the power of music.
Brilliance personified - By: S J Buck, 07 Sep 2006 This is the Keith Jarrett album that made ECM records, & I believe it is now the best selling solo Piano record ever.
The history behind this famous recording is now legendary. Jarrett hadn't slept for 24 hours prior to the concert. The wrong Piano was brought along for the event & couldn't be changed. Jarrett was kept waitingin an Italian Restaurant prior to the concert & had to bolt his food down to be back the auditoriumin time.
The recording very nearly never took place, butin the end Eicher & Jarrett decided to make a documentary recording because they had already paid for the recording facilities.
The music itself is sublime. There are only 4 tracks. Track 1 is 26 mins & a marvel of improvised development. Startingin delicate minor bluesy mode & at 12 mins becoming a thunderous gospel influenced piece. I'm less keen on track 2 & 3in which Jarrett gets into some of his repetitive grooves. There are still some great moments but as complete pieces they are a little less satisfying. Track 4 is a beautiful tune. Its hard to believe that Jarrett hadn't pre-composed this, but for those who are unaware this album & all of Jarretts solo Piano (non-classical) albums are improvised on the spot.
A bit of trivia part of the opening track was used as soundtrack musicin the film "Bad Timing".
