KEITH JARRETT - Budapest Concert
ECM 073 0194 (2CD set)
Keith Jarrett (piano)
Recorded live at the Béla Bartók Concert Hall, July 3rd, 2016
Released just days after the devastating news that Jarrett would probably never play in public again makes this an even more important album than ever. Budapest Concert is the second complete show to be released from the pianist's 2016 tour and was in fact recorded two weeks before the Munich concert released as Munich 2016 (ECM 779 3748), and under the current circumstances it is hoped that more from this tour were captured on tape.
Much has been made of Jarrett's solo recordings over the course of the last 49 years and even more so since the release of The Köln Concert recorded in 1975. Huge slabs of music that would take up an entire set of a concert performance, and physically draining for both performer ad at times listener, as torrents of notes and ideas flowed from Jarrett's mind and fingers. This method of music making would serve the pianist well, but as his critics may well point out, one that is hard to sustain over a career without becoming formulaic, or worse for the benefit of the performer only.
It is therefore much to Jarrett's credit, and that of a truly creative artist, that he would always seek to keep his music interesting and continuing to develop. After a break of nearly of a decade, the pianist was recorded live in concerts in Osaka and Tokyo in 2002, and the resulting album released in May 2005, Radiance, found Jarrett exploring a new way of shaping his solo performances. Instead of the usual long arcs of musical development we were presented with shorter episodes that were more easily digested and compete in themselves. Simply put, Jarrett would begin to play and when he felt an idea was done, he stopped.
This method of working was clearly productive, and a re-energised Jarrett was set to continue performing solo concerts, with a steady stream of releases documenting progress. As such, many seek to compare one concert with another, but looking for the perfect singular performance is not the issue here. Each concert stands or falls on its own merits, and such is the quality of Jarrett's output there is not a dud amongst them.
So, in this context, Budapest Concert is a most welcome addition, and should be viewed as a distinctly separate work from Munich 2016, a different day and set of circumstances responsible for its creation. The music on this outstanding set finds the pianist in peak form and provides a rich tapestry of music over nearly an hour and a half. The concert opens with Jarrett flexing his fingers in a dark and forboding manner that permeates much of disc one. The music is very much exploratory, covering much ground with glimmers of light peeking through 'Part III'.
Disc two opens with 'Part V' and finding the pianist in a lighter frame of mind with a delicately lyrical melody that is immediately appealing. This feeling is also captured on 'Part VIII' that is developed patiently, and a wonderful example of just letting the music dictate the chosen path with nothing forced or hurried for the next motif or phrase to be revealed. In between these two improvisations, Jarrett is at his most boppish on 'Part VI' driving things along at a fair pace and immediately followed by the meditative 'Part VII' with its tender and joyful melody tugging at the heartstrings. The improvised section of concert concludes with a rousing blues, with Jarrett in an exuberant mood, before coming back at the request of an appreciative audience for two encores, an exquisite reading of 'It's A Lonely Old Town' and an equally delightful 'Answer Me, My Love' in a wholly satisfactory ending to a superb concert.
As I said earlier in my opening paragraph, let us hope that more of this final tour were recorded and are released in due course. It would then be a fascinating experience to listen the music in chronological order, following the pianist's journey from city to city, and hear how each shaped the music created.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 073 0194 (2CD set)
Keith Jarrett (piano)
Recorded live at the Béla Bartók Concert Hall, July 3rd, 2016
Released just days after the devastating news that Jarrett would probably never play in public again makes this an even more important album than ever. Budapest Concert is the second complete show to be released from the pianist's 2016 tour and was in fact recorded two weeks before the Munich concert released as Munich 2016 (ECM 779 3748), and under the current circumstances it is hoped that more from this tour were captured on tape.
Much has been made of Jarrett's solo recordings over the course of the last 49 years and even more so since the release of The Köln Concert recorded in 1975. Huge slabs of music that would take up an entire set of a concert performance, and physically draining for both performer ad at times listener, as torrents of notes and ideas flowed from Jarrett's mind and fingers. This method of music making would serve the pianist well, but as his critics may well point out, one that is hard to sustain over a career without becoming formulaic, or worse for the benefit of the performer only.
It is therefore much to Jarrett's credit, and that of a truly creative artist, that he would always seek to keep his music interesting and continuing to develop. After a break of nearly of a decade, the pianist was recorded live in concerts in Osaka and Tokyo in 2002, and the resulting album released in May 2005, Radiance, found Jarrett exploring a new way of shaping his solo performances. Instead of the usual long arcs of musical development we were presented with shorter episodes that were more easily digested and compete in themselves. Simply put, Jarrett would begin to play and when he felt an idea was done, he stopped.
This method of working was clearly productive, and a re-energised Jarrett was set to continue performing solo concerts, with a steady stream of releases documenting progress. As such, many seek to compare one concert with another, but looking for the perfect singular performance is not the issue here. Each concert stands or falls on its own merits, and such is the quality of Jarrett's output there is not a dud amongst them.
So, in this context, Budapest Concert is a most welcome addition, and should be viewed as a distinctly separate work from Munich 2016, a different day and set of circumstances responsible for its creation. The music on this outstanding set finds the pianist in peak form and provides a rich tapestry of music over nearly an hour and a half. The concert opens with Jarrett flexing his fingers in a dark and forboding manner that permeates much of disc one. The music is very much exploratory, covering much ground with glimmers of light peeking through 'Part III'.
Disc two opens with 'Part V' and finding the pianist in a lighter frame of mind with a delicately lyrical melody that is immediately appealing. This feeling is also captured on 'Part VIII' that is developed patiently, and a wonderful example of just letting the music dictate the chosen path with nothing forced or hurried for the next motif or phrase to be revealed. In between these two improvisations, Jarrett is at his most boppish on 'Part VI' driving things along at a fair pace and immediately followed by the meditative 'Part VII' with its tender and joyful melody tugging at the heartstrings. The improvised section of concert concludes with a rousing blues, with Jarrett in an exuberant mood, before coming back at the request of an appreciative audience for two encores, an exquisite reading of 'It's A Lonely Old Town' and an equally delightful 'Answer Me, My Love' in a wholly satisfactory ending to a superb concert.
As I said earlier in my opening paragraph, let us hope that more of this final tour were recorded and are released in due course. It would then be a fascinating experience to listen the music in chronological order, following the pianist's journey from city to city, and hear how each shaped the music created.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
