Keith Jarrett: A Group That Lives for Understatement

[7/4]

June 23, 2007

Music Review | Keith Jarrett Trio

A Group That Lives for Understatement

By JON PARELES

The huge catalog of jazz standards is a cozy, private place for the Keith Jarrett Trio, which returned to Carnegie Hall on Thursday night as part of the JVC Jazz Festival. Mr. Jarrett on piano, Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums have been playing together for 24 years, Mr. Jarrett proudly announced onstage. In the concert’s only overstated moment, he added, “Every time we play is a historical event for me, and it should be for you, too.”

Otherwise, this trio lives for understatement. Together the three musicians have evolved an approach so delicate that it verges on stealth. Mr. Peacock and Mr. DeJohnette provide a hushed, tiptoeing counterpoint to Mr. Jarrett’s long, singing piano phrases, keeping the music translucent. When Mr. Jarrett states a melody as a series of chords, each note sounds precious and irreplaceable, and when he takes off on one of his graceful linear improvisations, he constantly varies speed and inflection — ambling, darting, sprinting, sighing — in ways he might have learned from Ornette Coleman and Paul Bley.

The whole trio plays softly, whether in a ballad or a lightly swinging blues, so that every crescendo becomes an event. Tempo is never rigid; the trio breathes together, lingering or lilting.

In their long careers, all three musicians have visited the edges of free jazz, but this trio prizes tonality and the way a single note can recast a chord. Their set included songs as familiar as “Someday My Prince Will Come” and as rarely unearthed as Dave Brubeck’s “It’s a Raggy Waltz.”

Mr. Jarrett started “Yesterdays” with a piano solo of chromatically mutating chords, as if he were pondering the possibilities the song held. When he unveiled the melody, Mr. DeJohnette announced its appearance with gusts of whooshing cymbals played with mallets.

The trio is also fond of ostinatos, hovering over a chord or two and letting each musician’s part rise out of it in turn: Mr. Jarrett’s harmonic permutations, Mr. Peacock’s springy and teasingly varied bass riffs and Mr. DeJohnette’s carefully orchestrated drums and cymbals.

“I’m a Fool to Want You,” a ballad that Billie Holiday sang, arose like a distant mirage out of an intricate modal Afro-Latin vamp, its melody not appearing — and its absence not even noticed — until five minutes in. Eventually the melody was left behind again as the vamp faded out, then back in, then out, with an almost hypnotic suspense.

Another Holiday song, “God Bless the Child,” grew out of a rolling, gospel-like riff, topped with the melody in widely splayed chords and later terse but rounded blues phrases, over a rolling funk beat from Mr. DeJohnette. Even at its heartiest, the music held the audience hushed, as if no one wanted to miss a single precious detail.

[RDK]

I love Jarrett's playing - he's one of my top 5 pianists - and I've been a fan of his trio since their first album back in 1982 (iirc), but damn he's a pretentious jackass.

[Van Basten II]

I love Jarrett's playing - he's one of my top 5 pianists - and I've been a fan of his trio since their first album back in 1982 (iirc), but damn he's a pretentious jackass.

That's because he's a genius, he said it himself

[J Larsen]

I posted on this in the "what live music are you seeing tonight" thread, but the incident cited was far from the only pretentious moment at that show. I was half expecting him to walk up to the mic and start talking about when he first realized he was a genious/how hard it is, etc.

[Guy Berger]

I posted on this in the "what live music are you seeing tonight" thread, but the incident cited was far from the only pretentious moment at that show. I was half expecting him to walk up to the mic and start talking about when he first realized he was a genious/how hard it is, etc.

Fortunately with Jarrett, the music generally more than makes up for the personality.

Guy

[Chuck Nessa]

Fortunately with Jarrett, the music generally more than makes up for the personality.

Guy

Might be, but I have never seen that. If you want to credit the "sidemen", I might agree but......

[Guy Berger]

how so Guy? an interestingly prickly Pennsylvania-native personality made unbearable by dogshit notespinning music, "standards," gospel or pure "improv"? props to Dewey & the ability to subsidize ECM, otherwise fuck the rest ya'll, get in Liberace instead, it's A LOT more "daring."

Sorry about your blind spot, Clem.

Sorry, that comment was unnecessarily rude. That said, hey, the guy has made lots of good music (not just with Dewey) and it's too bad that you can't hear it.

Guy

Edited June 24, 2007 by Guy

[Chuck Nessa]

Clem and I seem to have the same defect.

'cept I know it's Werner Klemperer.

Edited June 24, 2007 by Chuck Nessa

[rostasi]

Otto Klemperer and the Warner Bros.

Rod (whose so verklempt and unkempt)

[RDK]

So I take it that Jarrett was a firstborn? -_-

[jlhoots]

Such pontificating (you know who you are).

What the hell - I'll join in.

I really like Jarrett's playing.

Hope the rest of you spend 6 or 7 hours on Werner Klemperer!!

[GregK]

Some news about upcoming releases by the trio. Why nothing recorded after 2002 has been released yet, I don't know, but here it is:

Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette: Live in Canada and Europe - Upcoming releases

The summer tour of the trio of Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette – this time with concerts in Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Spain -kicks off this weekend at Toronto’s Four Seasons Art Centre (June 29). Subsequent dates are Montreal, Place des Arts (July 1), Paris, Salle Pleyel (July 7), Perugia, Arena Guiliana (July 10), Brescia, Piazza della loggia (July 13), Essen, Philharmonie (July 16), Juan-les-Pins, Les Pinedes Gould (July 19), and Peralada, Castell de Peralada (July 22).

In October ECM releases “My Foolish Heart” a 2-CD documentation of the trio’s effervescent performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2001, a spirited journey through the history of jazz.

Next year, Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette celebrate 25 years of setting standards. To mark this imminent anniversary a special three disc edition of the New York recording session of 1983 is being prepared, with music of “Standards Vol. 1”, “Standards Vol. 2” and “Changes”. More details soon.

[Van Basten II]

Jarrett was in Montreal and he was in fine form, played standards. First part was mostly melancholic except for a spirited the way you look tonight that seemed to suprise the rythm section who were pretty mellow tonight. Second part was more eclectic, especially loved his version of Epistrophy.

The pianist had the peek a boo style in full effect, crouched at the piano, head down, he would at times while still playing turn his head towards the audience grimacing or smiling, with him it's tough to tell.

Despite a piano who was not tuned completely properly, he remained on good behaviour until the end of the show. During the encore he blasted out people taking pictures, a fine show that last near 2 hours and a half.

[trane_fanatic]

http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=22983

Goodness!

[RDK]

I would pay good money to someone to yell "Freebird!" at one of his shows (er, "concerts") just to see Jarrett's reaction.

[Lazaro Vega]

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy_regions/um...tt-after-insult

He's out.

[Shawn]

Plain and simple, the guy is an...

[skeith]

Plain and simple, the guy is an...

Yeah, but a very talented one! Come on, if we refused to pay attention to artists who fall into this category, we would be depriving ourselves of a lot a great art.

I am a big fan of Jarrett's but must admit this trio has never moved me much.

[Guest donald petersen]

someone who knows more about life and music than me (clem wu?) mentioned that jarrett has a very 4-square rhythmic approach and this is certainly true. much of what he does has a cheesy cadence to it, imo. especially in group settings, i mean. everything hits right where it "should", even in the pseudo-ornette pieces (even when things are off-kilter, it is controlled and tame) which give me such a headache with his motian/haden rhythm section.

Edited July 16, 2007 by donald petersen

[Guy Berger]

someone who knows more about life and music than me (clem wu?) mentioned that jarrett has a very 4-square rhythmic approach and this is certainly true.

I admit I don't hear it, but perhaps you can give an example. (Assuming we aren't just talking about the gospel-oriented pieces.)

For example, does his solo on "The Windup" (Belonging) have a 4-square approach?

Guy

Edited July 16, 2007 by Guy

[RDK]

someone who knows more about life and music than me (clem wu?) mentioned that jarrett has a very 4-square rhythmic approach and this is certainly true. much of what he does has a cheesy cadence to it, imo. especially in group settings, i mean. everything hits right where it "should", even in the pseudo-ornette pieces (even when things are off-kilter, it is controlled and tame) which give me such a headache with his motian/haden rhythm section.

I dunno... I guess I'm just really into cheesy cadences!

[Alexander Hawkins]

Jarrett comes across to me as a complete pseud with his 'gospel' approach. His music reeks of the same conservatism as the Marsalises, and frankly, I hold it in the same contempt...except that his is arguably more pernicious, as he seeks to appeal the the more 'discerning' audience.

Of course, I wish I had it in me to ignore him, but he's got my goat

[Alexander Hawkins]

p.s. IMHO, good for the people at Umbria! About time people stood up to his extraodinary conceitedness.

[Guy Berger]

Jarrett comes across to me as a complete pseud with his 'gospel' approach.

Would you say the same about Herbie?

His music reeks of the same conservatism as the Marsalises,

Can you elaborate on this? (ALL his music?)

Guy

[Alexander Hawkins]

Sorry! Came across more confrontational than I'd meant, but I'll have a go!

I'd say Herbie's is a far less mannered approach to the idiom. With Jarrett, I get the impression he thinks 'right, I'm going to do my gospel thing now'; there then usually follows a IV-I heavy vamp piece. It seems to me that the influence is more subtle (real?) in Herbie's stuff. Even in relatively explicit contexts (e.g. 'Feelin' the Spirit'), the gospel language comes across as a more integral part of his own. [n.b. I am by no means a particular Hancock fan!]

It's the second point where I came across especially clumsy. First, I'd have to come clean - I don't know his music at all well, I'm sure, compared with many. So I should have been clearer that I'm talking more about my perception. By conservatism, I think I'm getting at two things. First, the retrogressive career trajectory. I think Jarrett's 'standards' explorations seem qualitatively different to (say) Shepp or Pharoah taking a step back, idiom-wise. Second, the actual language of his playing - it's totally 'safe', and IMHO comes across as geared to making the listener think how hip he's being. I totally grant that this judgement is probably inextricably linked to my prejudice against my stage manner, but I find his playing totally disingenuous. I hear Jarrett, and the music is almost extraneous: I don't trust that he wouldn't just do whatever, musical or not, would have people fawning over him.

When I said his conservatism was arguably more pernicious, I was getting at this fact that he sells his brand of music (commercial language deliberate!) as somehow cutting edge or innovative (playing not only on his 60s/70s credentials, but also on the reputations of Peacock and DeJohnette), whereas at least the Marsalis school of neo-conservatism calls a spade a spade...

Again, apologies for the above comments - much 'cattier' than I'd meant, but hopefully that elaborates a little!