Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett is one of the most influential pianists of the last 35 years. With an expressive chordal style and deft stylistic versatility, Keith Jarrett’s early stint with C. Lloyd put his name in the jazz spotlight. His awe-inspiring solos ( including shimmering Post Bop work) and textural mastery ranged in sound from bellowed grunts to percussive solos where he struck the inside of the piano.

Keith Jarrett | video

Jarrett’s move to M. Davis’ band in the late 1960s (following H. Hancock’s departure) took him into the electric age, with notably remarkable results on Live/Evil (1970) and other recordings opposite C. Corea. After swearing off the electric piano and organ, he proceeded to set the jazz world on its ear with his melodically masterful straight-ahead jazz dates and solo performances. In the legendary The Koln Concert (1975), Keith Jarrett set the stage for a new breed of jazz that organically developed outside the realm of Bop ( though unfortunately a great number of new age pianists have butchered Keith Jarrett’s entrancing, rhythmic style) . These days Jarrett tours sporadically, performing both classical and jazz music when not suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.

( Noah Enelow )