Saturday, June 25, 2016

Teddy Edwards, Les McCann - It's About Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:08
Size: 176.6 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1959/2008
Art: Front

[5:33] 1. Our Love Is Here To Stay
[5:50] 2. Frankly Speaking
[4:55] 3. Fools Rush In
[4:35] 4. Undecided
[7:05] 5. Beve's Comjumulations
[5:22] 6. Willow Weep For Me
[5:17] 7. Lover Come Back To Me
[3:17] 8. I'll Remember April
[3:42] 9. Time After Time
[2:42] 10. When You're Smiling
[2:57] 11. Imagination
[3:29] 12. I Hear A Rhapsody
[2:12] 13. The New Symphony Sid
[5:12] 14. My Kinda Blues
[2:28] 15. Takin' Off
[4:42] 16. Tempo De Blues
[3:33] 17. Sittin' And Sighin'
[2:10] 18. Bye Bye Blackbird
[1:59] 19. Billy

Bass – Leroy Vinnegar; Drums – Ron Jefferson; Piano – Les McCann; Tenor Saxophone – Teddy Edwards.

Teddy Edwards was one of the top tenor saxophonists in jazz when he recorded these sessions, a consistent performer since the post-bop days of the late 1940s. Living in California, however, had denied him the kind of acclaim accorded some of his Eastern counterparts. But on these sessions, backed by three capable and effective rhythm sections, he showed he was among the most authoritative and dependable tenors in contemporary modern jazz.

The pianists all had very distinct styles. Les McCann was one of the more firmly established musicians to have shifted into the funk gear. Amos Trice, like Edwards, was a product of the Los Angeles post-bop black scene; and Englishman Ronnie Ball, since his early years under the Tristano influence, had developed a very personal and versatile style. Completing the quartets were some of the most highly regarded rhythm men on the West Coast in bassists Leroy Vinnegar and Ben Tucker, and drummers Ron Jefferson, Tony Bazley and Al Levitt.

On some of these sides we can also hear Gloria Smyth, a younger singer of boundless energy, with a warm and appealing feel for lyrics, that enjoyed some success in her in person appearances. A happy atmosphere prevails on these fine, long-unavailable sessions, all of which share a sense of mutual support and engagement by players on top of their game.

It's About Time

Joyce Breach - Nothing But Blue Skies

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:06
Size: 153.6 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[2:55] 1. Blue Skies
[4:15] 2. If I Had You
[4:11] 3. Somebody Loves Me
[3:20] 4. You're An Education
[5:39] 5. I Can Dream, Can't I
[3:33] 6. Sand In My Shoes
[3:53] 7. But Not For Me
[4:17] 8. P.S. I Love You
[3:04] 9. I've Heart That Song Before
[3:40] 10. Look At That Face
[2:26] 11. Too Marvelous For Words
[6:36] 12. The Nearness Of You
[3:22] 13. A Hundred Years From Today
[4:30] 14. What's New
[4:13] 15. Love Is Here To Stay
[4:09] 16. You're Gonna Hear From Me
[2:54] 17. Just One Of Those Things

Joyce Breach is a fine cabaret singer with a deep voice who mostly sings songs fairly straightforwardly. This is one of her most jazz-oriented releases, not because she starts improvising any more than normal, but due to her strong sidemen: trombonist Bob Havens, clarinetist Bobby Gordon, pianist Keith Ingham, bassist Bob Haggart and drummer Hal Smith (who is the leader of the backup quintet). Most of the selections are either from the swing era or played in that style, and there are plenty of short solos from Havens and Gordon. Breach sounds fine on such tunes as "Somebody Loves Me," "I Can Dream, Can't I," "But Not for Me" and "A Hundred Years From Today," although she rarely makes any of the vintage standards her own. ~Joyce Breach

Nothing But Blue Skies

Buddy Holly & The Crickets - 20 Golden Greats: Buddy Holly Lives

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:56
Size: 100.6 MB
Styles: Mex-Tex, Rock N Roll
Year: 1974/2007
Art: Front

[2:16] 1. That'll Be The Day
[2:28] 2. Peggy Sue
[1:54] 3. Words Of Love
[2:06] 4. Everyday
[2:20] 5. Not Fade Away
[2:07] 6. Oh, Boy!
[2:01] 7. Maybe Baby
[2:19] 8. Listen To Me
[2:08] 9. Heartbeat
[1:45] 10. Think It Over
[2:02] 11. It Doesn't Matter Anymore
[2:09] 12. It's So Easy
[2:13] 13. Well...All Right
[1:48] 14. Rave On
[2:46] 15. Raining In My Heart
[3:00] 16. True Love Ways
[2:03] 17. Peggy Sue Got Married
[2:18] 18. Bo Diddley
[2:03] 19. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
[2:00] 20. Wishing

2007 reissue of this classic Holly hoedown of hits. Back in 1978 when the bio-pic The Buddy Holly Story was released in theaters, there were very few, if any, Buddy Holly albums in print. The movie was a hit and MCA released this excellent collection of original Buddy Holly tracks to meet the demand. Also known as Buddy Holly Lives (which is spray-painted across a wall on the album's cover), this is the best place to start if you want to experience the magic of Buddy Holly. Features all the hits including 'That'll Be The Day', 'Peggy Sue', 'Oh Boy', 'Maybe Baby', 'True Love Ways' and many more.

20 Golden Greats: Buddy Holly Lives

Reuben Wilson - The Sweet Life

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:20
Size: 76.3 MB
Styles: Jazz-Funk-Soul
Year: 1972/2008
Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
[5:30] 2. Cream Puff
[6:11] 3. Sugar
[6:24] 4. I'll Take You There
[6:12] 5. The Sweet Life
[4:16] 6. Never Can Say Goodbye

After a series of sugary soul-jazz dates for Blue Note, Reuben Wilson resurfaced on Groove Merchant with The Sweet Life. The title notwithstanding, the session is his darkest and hardest-edged to date, complete with a physicality missing from previous efforts. Credit tenor saxophonist Ramon Morris, trumpeter Bill Hardman, guitarist Lloyd Davis, bassist Mickey Bass, and drummer Thomas Derrick, whose skin-tight grooves sand away the polished contours of Wilson's organ solos to reveal their diamond-sharp corners. The material, while predictable (i.e., standbys like "Inner City Blues" and "Never Can Say Goodbye"), is nevertheless well suited to the set's righteous funk sound. ~Jason Ankeny

The Sweet Life

Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis - Body & Soul

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:15
Size: 76.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[5:05] 1. Leapin' On Lennox
[7:04] 2. On Green Dolphin Street
[4:09] 3. Body And Soul
[3:19] 4. Quiet Nights
[4:22] 5. Just Friends
[4:38] 6. Mean To Me
[4:35] 7. I Can't Get Started

This CD by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis was initially issued by Black & Blue under the title Leapin' on Lenox. This Laserlight budget edition eliminates one track ("The Shadow of Your Smile") and has several misspelled and incomplete composer credits. Aside from this problem, the sound quality of this edition is very good, with Davis in robust form, accompanied by pianist Milt Buckner, bassist Jimmy Gourley, and drummer Gus Johnson. Davis' strutting blues "Leapin' on Lenox" proves to be a smashing opener, followed by a spirited "On Green Dolphin Street," which alternates between a Latin setting and hard bop. Davis is also a masterful interpreter of ballads, as heard in the lush setting of "Body and Soul," while his interpretation of "I Can't Get Started" opens with a playful exchange between the leader and the pianist. Due to the difficulty of acquiring the European edition of this music at a reasonable price for many fans, this U.S. reissue may fill the bill, even with one less track. ~Ken Dryden

Body & Soul

Jack Sheldon - Live In New Orleans

Size: 121,4 MB
Time: 52:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Yo' Momma (Live) (9:20)
02. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Live) (7:45)
03. Historia De Un Amor (Live) (3:00)
04. I Was Ready (Live) (2:06)
05. The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else (Live) (8:00)
06. Rosetta (Live) (8:13)
07. Corcovado (Live) (6:11)
08. The Joint Is Jumping (Live) (7:51)

Former Merv Griffin stooge, trumpeter/singer Sheldon is joined by Dave Frishberg, piano; John Pisano, guitar; Dave Stone, bass and Frankie Capp on drums. Even though Sheldon is best known for his 16 years as musical director on the Griffin show, he did play with the Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman bands in the 50’s. This new image of Sheldon shows him rollicking and swinging in the bop tradition. Short interviews between tunes reveal a most serious artist who reflects on influences like Charlie Parker, Chet Baker and Louis Armstrong.

MC
Ziddu

Luba Mason - Mixtura

Size: 122,6 MB
Time: 53:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz, World
Art: Front

01. Freedom (Feat. Randy Brecker & Jimmy Haslip) (3:06)
02. On The Fourth Of July (Feat. Dori Caymmi & Kenny Loggins) (3:24)
03. Moondance (Feat. Al Jarreau) (4:35)
04. Beautiful (3:56)
05. Last Snowfall (Feat. Vadim Neselovskyi & Randy Brecker) (9:39)
06. Love For Sale (2:50)
07. Pale Blue Eyes (5:06)
08. Calm Before The Storm (Feat. Mariachi Flor De Toloache) (3:54)
09. Hannah (4:03)
10. Motherland (4:42)
11. All That Jazz (5:01)
12. Voi Che Sapete (2:45)

* Huffington Post : "Luba Mason is a force of nature. From the moment she hits the stage, you feel the pulse...hers and yours." ..."She goes deep and we want to dive with her." - Nancy Cohen

* BistroAwards.com :..."her voice soared from smokey bassoon to blaring soprano sax. She ended on a note that's heroin in your veins. It's addictive, you are in it's thrall, ready for the next hit. This classically trained singer, actress has charisma, stage presence and talent in spades...if there's anything she can't do well, it's not on display in this show called MIXTURA." - Tonya Pinkins

* Times Square Chronicles : "Broadway and recording artist Luba Mason ismore than a singer, she is a song interpreter, who knows how to use those vocal chops to seduce and bring you on whatever journey she wants you to come along." - Suzanne Bowling

* Theater Pizzazz : "Tall, slender and self assured, Luba Mason radiated warmth and enthusiasm for twisting familiar songs into new shapes in her new show titled MIXTURA." - Joel Benjamin

Mixtura

Judy Carmichael & Harry Allen - Can You Love Once More

Size: 146,5 MB
Time: 63:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Make Me An Offer I Can't Refuse (6:15)
02. June Song (4:04)
03. There Was Once A Time (5:10)
04. This Is My Lucky Day (3:29)
05. Take Me Back To Machu Picchu (3:56)
06. The One For You (6:25)
07. An Almost Perfect Man (4:53)
08. Pluto You're For Me (5:08)
09. Meant To Be (4:02)
10. A Lonely Breeze (5:35)
11. If Only There Were Time (7:15)
12. Can You Love Once More (6:44)

Can You Love Once More? boasts an all-star line-up headed by multiple Emmy and Grammy winner Mike Renzi on piano (who presently serves as Music Director for Tony Bennett), drummer Alvin Atkinson, bassist Mike Karn, Harry on sax and Judy on vocals.

The songs of Carmichael and Allen range from hilarious adventures in love—Take Me Back to Machu Picchu, If Only There Were Time, Make Me An Offer I Can’t Refuse and An Almost Perfect Man, to different types of love objects—Pluto You’re For Me, Can You Love Once More? (written for Harry’s rescue cat, pictured on the cover with a portrait by Harry’s wife, Ivana Falconi) to songs of profound pain, A Lonely Breeze and There Was Once A Time, to celebrations of life, This is My Lucky Day, Meant To Be, The One For You and June Song.

MC
Ziddu

Bob Baldwin - The Brazilian-American Soundtrack

Size: 166,9+179,2 MB
Time: 71:33+76:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Soul, Smooth Jazz
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. Funky Rio (8:49)
02. Ipanema Fusion (6:35)
03. Teardrop (Feat. Ragan Whiteside) (5:47)
04. Caipirinha (Feat. Torcuato Mariano) (7:19)
05. Corcovado - The Redeemer (Feat. Torcuato Mariano) (5:17)
06. Greatest Lover (Feat. Zoiea) (4:45)
07. Boa Noite (1:53)
08. Looking At Me (Feat. Gigi) (5:44)
09. Anjo De Mim (5:57)
10. The Island (Feat. Leo Gandelman) (4:01)
11. Eu Te Devoro (5:32)
12. Oasis (4:59)
13. Love Dance - May I Have This Dance (4:47)

CD 2:
01. Children Of The Sun (Feat. Cafe Da Silva) (4:01)
02. Home From Work (5:42)
03. The Sound Of His Voice (For Maurice White) (7:28)
04. My Soul (6:09)
05. For You (Feat. Porter Carroll) (5:26)
06. Summer Madness (Feat. James Crab Robinson) (Remix 3000) (5:58)
07. Yesterday (6:53)
08. South Of The Border (7:06)
09. Mobile And Global (Feat. Mark Gabriel Hasselbach) (5:11)
10. Summer's Over (6:27)
11. I Need The Air (You Breathe) (6:09)
12. State Of Mind (7:25)
13. The Message (A Maurice White Dedication) (2:52)

The Bob Baldwin love affair with Brazil began with his love of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Sergio Mendes as a child. His love elevated when he witnessed the marriage of American Funk/Jazz and the Samba/Bossa Nova sound, which was later explored by the likes of Djavan, Ivan Lins, Elaine Elias, George Duke, Maurice White, and Pat Metheny. Fast forward, Baldwin follows up his experimental Brazil Chill (2004) disc with more flavors from Rio, with covers by the aforementioned Djavan, Jobim and Lins. The result is a 20-song plus soundtrack through the eyes of this American…musically celebrating the year of the 2016 Summer Olympics, in beautiful Brazil. Enjoy!

MC CD1 - MC CD2
Ziddu CD1 - Ziddu CD2

Incognito - In Search Of Better Days

Size: 162,8 MB
Time: 69:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Funk
Art: Front

01. Love Born In Flames (4:19)
02. Just Say Nothing (4:39)
03. Everyday Grind (6:04)
04. Racing Through The Bends (4:06)
05. Love's Revival (4:42)
06. Selfishly (4:56)
07. Love Be The Messenger (4:25)
08. I See The Light (3:29)
09. Echoes Of Utopia (6:48)
10. Move It Up (5:07)
11. Crystal Walls (3:29)
12. Bridges Of Fire (6:24)
13. All I Ever Wanted (4:15)
14. Better Days (7:06)

You would think that a 37-year-old band would rest on its laurels...right? No, not Incognito! The band is as creative and full of fire as it was at its conception in 1979. A rare feat in these days and times.

The fresh, uncompromising, soulful, Jazz-Funk-laden songs and instrumentals that are the bones of Incognito continue to shine through . . . and there is more. The sound of Bluey’s London for over three and a half decades weaves its way throughout this album and gives it flesh, with splashes of Drum & Bass and Broken Beats, Rare Groove, Deep Soulful House, and even influences from the Rock and Blues that were at the heart of the UK scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s.

From the driving bass of featured guest Stuart Zender on the opening track, you know that this album is upping the ante and it’s going to be one hell of a good ride! Imaani, Vanessa Haynes, Tony Momrelle, Katie Leone, Vula Malinga — the UK’s finest and most soulful voices hit you relentlessly one after the other with songs that will remain with you from the first hearing. And as if that was not enough to make this one of Incognito’s best albums, in comes American chanteuse extraordinaire aka “the voice of Incognito” — Maysa, to seal the deal!

Other special guest artists — including pianist Avery*Sunshine, drummer Richard Spaven, cosmic percussionist Jody Linscott, and Japanese guitar legend Tomoyasu Hotei of Kill Bill fame — leave their indelible marks on this much-anticipated release.

Bluey’s songwriting and production senses are as always full-spectrum, steeped in deep, rich history, bridging the classic sounds of the past and the tonal and sonic languages of the present and future. These songs of Love, songs of awareness, questioning, challenging, optimism, joy, and hope are without a doubt some of his best!

As Bluey continues blazing his own trail with his ever-expanding community of top-of-the-line artists, fueled by a passion for storytelling and creating unity through the Groove, Incognito’s “In Search of Better Days” takes us there. This album is . . . Truth!

MC
Ziddu

Gerry Mulligan Meets Scott Hamilton - Soft Lights & Sweet Music

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:42
Size: 98,6 MB
Art: Front + Back

(4:10)  1. Soft Lights And Sweet Music
(6:24)  2. Gone
(4:23)  3. Do You Know What I See?
(5:04)  4. I've Just Seen Her
(7:40)  5. Noblesse
(7:14)  6. Ghosts
(7:44)  7. Port Of Baltimore Blues

Starting in the late '50s, Gerry Mulligan recorded a series of encounters with fellow saxophonists that included such immortals as Stan Getz, Paul Desmond, Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster. In 1986 he resumed the practice for this one date on which his baritone is matched with the tenor of the young great Scott Hamilton. 

The music, which includes warm ballads and fairly hot romps (five of the seven songs are Mulligan originals), consistently swing and are quite enjoyable.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/soft-lights-sweet-music-mw0000649667

Personnel: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone), Scott Hamilton (tenor saxophone), Mike Renzi (piano), Jay Leonhart (bass), Grady Tate (drums)

Soft Lights & Sweet Music

Diane Schuur - Blues for Schuur

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:55
Size: 115,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:25)  1. I'm Not Ashamed To Sing The Blues
(4:16)  2. When Did You Leave Heaven?
(3:04)  3. Stormy Monday Blues
(4:42)  4. These Blues
(4:23)  5. Moonlight & Shadows
(3:09)  6. All Right, OK, You Win (I'm In Love With You)
(2:29)  7. Who Will The Next Fool Be?
(5:05)  8. Save Your Love For Me
(6:05)  9. Someone To Love
(1:57) 10. Toodle Loo On Down
(4:57) 11. You've Got To Hurt Before You Heal
(3:18) 12. I Want To Go Home

Diane Schuur is, in my opinion and many others', one of the premiere vocalists of this era. But I've been disappointed with her last couple solo releases, forgettable collections of sappy love songs. Thankfully, with Blues For Schuur, Deedles has some material she can really sink her teeth into, and the result is one of her best albums in years! The program, as the title suggests, is all blues; gut-wrenching, soul-searching, emotion-dripping blues. Schuur milks every stylistic nuance for all it's worth and backs it up with her full, powerful voice. You can tell she's really getting into it. Of course, great arrangements help a lot. The credit here goes to former Tower of Power horn arranger Greg Adams. Adams wrote the complete arrangements, not just the horns. And the all-pro seven-piece horn section (two trumpets, two trombones, three saxophones) gives the music all the punch it needs. The sweetly stinging guitar solos of David T. Walker fit the mood just right, too. Diane Schuur's collaboration album with B.B. King gave us a good indication of her ability to sing the blues. This album provides all the proof you need.~Dave Hugles https://www.allaboutjazz.com/blues-for-schuur-diane-schuur-grp-records-review-by-dave-hughes.php

Personnel: Diane Schurr (vocals); Gary Herbig, Johnnie Bamont, Larry Williams (saxophone); Chuck Findley, Greg Adams (trumpet); Nick Lane, Matt Finders (trombone); Jai Winding (piano, organ); David T. Walker (guitar); Melvin Davis (bass); Harvey Mason (drums).

Blues for Schuur

Eric Alexander - Mode For Mabes

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:50
Size: 162,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:42)  1. Mode For Mabes
( 8:05)  2. Sugar Ray
(10:11)  3. For Heaven's Sake
( 8:53)  4. Erik The Red
( 8:36)  5. Love Thy Neighbor
( 6:19)  6. Stay Straight
( 8:43)  7. Stairway To The Stairs
(11:17)  8. Naima

Coming of age as a premier tenor saxophonist, Alexander pays tribute to the jazz icon from Memphis, pianist Mabern, by featuring him on this recording with a sextet who also pay a debt to the great edition of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers frontlined by Wayne-Shorter, Lee Morgan, and Curtis Fuller. This is modern mainstream post-to-hard bop at its finest, wth Alexander and Mabern's supporting cast making all of this music simply come alive. Trombonist Steve Davis, trumpeter Jim Rotundi, bassist John Webber, and drummer George Fludas clearly have Blue Note and Riverside late-'50s jazz in their bones, and it seeps out of every swinging pore. Alexander shows much influence from Shorter, George Coleman, and Joe Henderson. His sound is fleet, literate, and blues-drenched, and he hits every note with seeming perfection and deep knowledge. Featured on the ballad to easy-swinging versions of "Stairway to the Stars" and "For Heaven's Sake," his performances further evidence his development as a topnotch interpreter and improvisor. The rest of the band achieve good solos on the over ten-minute "Heaven's Sake" and the 11-minute plus, 6/8 version of "Naima." The musicians in this frontline, with their rich harmonic tilt, assert themselves collectively on "Naima," the title track, and "Erik the Red," their strong suit. "Erik," penned by Davis, is truly a great piece of spirited writing that displays unity, anchored by Mabern's repeated triple chords and Alexander's long, loping giraffe-neck lines. "Mode for Mabes" not only lets the band fly on a Jazz Messenger-flavored, easy-swinging, democratic melody, but it also casts a bright spotlight on Mabern. 

He is about as lyrical a pianist as there is in jazz today, and this piece, as well as the other compositions, shows the compatible group making those melodic statements blossom. Whether chiming and resonant for the intro of "Stairway," brimming with soul and conviction on Phineas Newborn Jr.'s "Sugar Ray," or absolutely killing on his solo during "Naima," Mabern's musicianship is as precious as a truckload of diamonds. 

Of course, the band can swing hard, as they do on the dramatic, meaty melody of "Stay Straight"; they can also get happy, chasing all cares away on the easy swinger "Love Thy Neighbor." You won't find a better modern mainstream jazz recording of the '90s than this one. It's a canididate for best jazz CD of 1998, a feather in Alexander's cap, and a musical triumph for Mabern; it can not come less than highly recommended.~Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/mode-for-mabes-mw0000035945

Personnel: Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone); Jim Rotondi (trumpet); Steve Davis (trombone); Harold Mabern (piano); John Webber (bass); George Fludas (drums).

Mode For Mabes

Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:08
Size: 151,8 MB
Art: Front + Back

(26:02)  1. Part I
(14:54)  2. Part II A
(18:14)  3. Part II B
( 6:57)  4. Part II C

Recorded in 1975 at the Köln Opera House and released the same year, this disc has, along with its revelatory music, some attendant cultural baggage that is unfair in one sense: Every pot-smoking and dazed and confused college kid  and a few of the more sophisticated ones in high school  owned this as one of the truly classic jazz records, along with Bitches Brew, Kind of Blue, Take Five, A Love Supreme, and something by Grover Washington, Jr. Such is cultural miscegenation. It also gets unfairly blamed for creating George Winston, but that's another story. What Keith Jarrett had begun a year before on the Solo Concerts album and brought to such gorgeous flowering here was nothing short of a miracle. With all the tedium surrounding jazz-rock fusion, the complete absence on these shores of neo-trad anything, and the hopelessly angry gyrations of the avant-garde, Jarrett brought quiet and lyricism to revolutionary improvisation. Nothing on this program was considered before he sat down to play. All of the gestures, intricate droning harmonies, skittering and shimmering melodic lines, and whoops and sighs from the man are spontaneous. Although it was one continuous concert, the piece is divided into four sections, largely because it had to be divided for double LP. But from the moment Jarrett blushes his opening chords and begins meditating on harmonic invention, melodic figure construction, glissando combinations, and occasional ostinato phrasing, music changed. For some listeners it changed forever in that moment. For others it was a momentary flush of excitement, but it was change, something so sorely needed and begged for by the record-buying public. Jarrett's intimate meditation on the inner workings of not only his pianism, but also the instrument itself and the nature of sound and how it stacks up against silence, involved listeners in its search for beauty, truth, and meaning. 

The concert swings with liberation from cynicism or the need to prove anything to anyone ever again. With this album, Jarrett put himself in his own league, and you can feel the inspiration coming off him in waves. This may have been the album every stoner wanted in his collection "because the chicks dug it." Yet it speaks volumes about a musician and a music that opened up the world of jazz to so many who had been excluded, and offered the possibility  if only briefly of a cultural, aesthetic optimism, no matter how brief that interval actually was. This is a true and lasting masterpiece of melodic, spontaneous composition and improvisation that set the standard.~Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-k%C3%B6ln-concert-mw0000188364

Personnel: Keith Jarrett (piano).

The Koln Concert