50 years of The Köln Concert
Fifty years after Keith Jarrett performed the [Köln] Concert to a sellout crowd, Kevin le Gendre explores the enduring appeal of the biggest selling solo piano record of all time, and unpicks a new musical language born out of adversity.
That night in January 1975 is full of stories — of Keith Jarrett's long journey, no food, poor sleep and arriving at the Cologne Opera House to find a broken piano. The concert was almost cancelled and the legendary recording beloved by millions nearly never happened. Yet could these problems be at the heart of the album's bewitching new sound world?
I love Keith Jarrett improvised solo recordings. There are many of them, and virtually all were recorded live with an audience. Köln is the most famous. There is a (non-documentary) movie about it, Köln 75, premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival next month (February).
I’ve listened to Köln — parts I and II C, anyway — many times, though generally I’m more familiar with his post-2000 output. Of those the best may be The Carnegie Hall Concert (2005;06) Rio (2011) and La Fenice (2006;18).
Tragically, Jarrett suffered two strokes in 2018 and can now only play with his right hand. His final concert was another improvised solo performance at Carnegie Hall on 17 February 2017. I hope ECM releases it some day.
Update, 12 February: added a still from the now-available trailer.
Update 17 February: further coverage of the concert and the film at The Guardian, Jazzwise, Variety (includes a two-minute clip from the film), and The Spectator. Movie reviews: Screen Daily, Cineuropa, and The Hollywood Reporter. There’s also a documentary in the works. And the BBC produced a couple of other shows about the concert in 2011.