Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is considered one of the most important living jazz piano players. His career started as a keyboardist for Art Blakey, Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has enjoyed a great deal of success in both classical and jazz music, as a group leader and a solo performer.

Other works

Jarrett also plays harpsichord, clavichord, organ, saxophone, drums and many other instruments. He often played saxophone and various forms of percussion in the American quartet, though his recordings since the breakup of that group have rarely featured other instruments, and in the last twenty years his recordings have only been on the acoustic piano. He has spoken with some regret of his decision to give up playing the saxophone, in particular. Other examples of instrumental diversity are:

Related Topics:
Harpsichord - Clavichord - Organ - Saxophone - Drums

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• Hymns/Spheres (1977), improvisations recorded on a pipe organ at a Benedictine abbey in Germany.
• Invocations/The Moth and the Flame (1981), partially recorded on the same organ as Hymns/Spheres and also featuring Jarrett on saxophone.
• Spirits (1986), a collection of "back to basics" home recordings on a variety of mainly wind instruments.

There are several compilations and collections covering various aspects of Jarrett's career:

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• Foundations - 2CD compilation of early work, from the Jazz Messengers and Charles Lloyd to the trio with Haden and Motian.
• The Impulse Years, 1973-1974 - the albums Fort Yawuh, Treasure Island, Death and the Flower and Backhand, with outtakes.
• Mysteries: The Impulse Years, 1975-1976 - the albums Shades, Mysteries, Byablue and Bop-Be, with outtakes.
• Works - ECM compilation, covering the years 1972-1981.
• :rarum - 2CD ECM compilation, chosen by Jarrett himself, and intended to highlight aspects of his ECM catalogue (Spirits, Book of Ways, the organ improvisations) which he felt had been neglected, as well as the more well-known work with the European quartet, the standards trio, and solo.

Jarrett has also composed for other musicians, most notably for Jan Garbarek on the album Luminessence.

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On April 15, 1978, Jarrett was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

Related Topics:
April 15 - 1978 - Saturday Night Live

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