On January 24, 1975 Keith Jarret entered the Köln Opera House unprepared, without having any set of premeditated passages at the ready, and improvised a solo piano concert that changed the way music was perceived at that point for both the audience, and the receiving public in general. The Köln concert is often referred to as one of the masterpieces of jazz music, as one of the masterpieces of any solo artist ever and as one of the most impressive displays of human capability for improvisation and creation ever captured.
These attempts at categorization obviously are bound to be pointless, since the music herein transcends any label that one could think to stick to it, and with every clearly audible groan of the artist acting as a genius it becomes apparent that we the audience are reduced to nothing more than bystanders who witness the immersion of Keith Jarret into his very own sphere of existence, where no criticism or comparison could possibly hold.
At the beginning of the concert you might hear some chuckles, stemming from the fact that Keith Jarret allegedly said upon entering the stage that he will let himself be inspired by the sound of the Opera bell. Well, that bell must have had an extremely warm, dreamy tone, as the results should keep you warm and cozy through rain, wind and snow.
And when you spin it, take a care to remember that this music was just coming spontaneously to the very fingertips of its creator, and try to imagine how humbled and joyed the original audience must have felt.
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