Customer Reviews

Cure

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been listening to this album, the first Keith Jarrett I ever bought, for almost ten years. I love all the tracks, but one, Blame it on my Youth, never fails to choke me up. I recently came across to the sad, sweet lyrics to the song, and felt like I already knew them from the trio's sensitive rendering. Relax to it, slow-dance to it, ponder love over it. Sigh.

It is useless to carve in relief the astonishing abilities of this legendary musician. Jarrett in this time makes an impressive tour de force around the most remarkable ambassadors of the jazz. Old folks is a sensitive version original of Willard Robinson. Jarrett is fine creator of atmospheres and his playing texture flows with such accurateness and brightness that you can consider be listening ten pianist in one. When musicians of the artistic stature of Jack De Johnette and Gary Peacock decided to rejoin him after Standards Vol. I and Vol. II, there was that invisible and necessary rapport.

Woody in you is an admirable exercise of virtuousness and expressive elegance. Blame me it on my youth is the most introspective piece. Surrounded of a nocturnal breath and lyrical mood, sensitivity and outstanding refinement.

Body and soul is a towering classic and Jarrett makes an extraordinary rendition of this work.

In sum one of the most interesting works of this overwhelming musician.

This is definitely an excellent album even as an album by the world's best piano trio, the Keith Jarrett Standards Trio. I would especially recommend this album to those people who love Keith's new album, "the Melody at Night, with You." Please listen the track, "Blame It On My Youth," and compare it to the new version of the same song in "the Melody..." You will find what ability Keith already had when the trio recorded this album and what he has achived in "the Melody..."

As a Japanese crtics wrote, "In his new album, Keith Jarrett has achived the artistic ability that Bill Evans had but not (at least overtly)Keith: the ability to express sorrowness of life/art."

My point is that I love this album as well as "the Melody..." becasue both album truly represents Keith, himself.

I'm probably somewhat unusual among Jarrett Trio fans in that I like his more recent work better than his recordings from the 80's/early 90's. It may have something to do with the production--this CD, like the original Standards 1 and 2, has a kind of echoing quality a little too reminiscent of George Winston-style New Age piano, for my taste at least. The version of "Blame It On My Youth" is very good here, but Jarrett's playing is decorative and even sappy at times, unlike the version on "The Melody At Night, With You," which is stripped down and utterly heartbreaking. Also, uncharacteristically, DeJohnette plays these little trills on the ride cymbal that break the mood and almost ruin the whole performance. If you want to hear Jarrett at the absolute pinnacle of his trio work, try the recent "Up For It," or my favorite, "At the Deer Head Inn" (with Paul Motian sitting in for DeJohnette).

I am a relatively new Keith Jarrett fan. I have recently purchased his Carnegie Hall solo piano concert (2 discs) and several live performances of the trio. One of my favorite of these live cd's is Live at Deer Head Inn. I believe I favor the smaller venues over the larger concert halls where things just feel a little more formal for my liking. As I understand it, the performance on The Cure was recorded at New York Town Hall. It doesn't feel like a formal setting but maybe a little smaller and more intimate. This lends itself to a more loose attitude all the way around. The musicians seem like they are willing to explore a bit in several directions and in such a manner that is absent in some of the other live cd's I've heard. At no time do they overindulge keeping their explorations to reasonable sections of time thus never boring the listener. To the contrary, I find the music engaging, never flagging. The selection of songs the trio chose for this performance never fails to delight. There are no weak songs, no weak moments. Add to all of this a wonderful recording with the usual clarity ECM provides consistently, and you have a recording I highly recommend. This is straight ahead jazz. Even the "outside" playing is accessible and the trio, for the most part, keep their arrangements on the conservative side. That is not to say they lack adventure or inventiveness. It just means that those who have not been exposed to Sun Ra or Bitches Brew will have no trouble digesting this music to the end of enjoyment!

I LOVE this CD. One of my all time favorites and I highly recommend this to any KJ trio fans!!!

GREAT playing, but everyone once in a while some retard starts moaning and making bizare sounds that the engineer should have gotten rid of... oh wait, that is the piano player... what a schmuck... there, I said it... what MANY people have been meaning to say... Keith is so freakin' great if he just shut up when he played. The occasional moan is fine, but come on.

Keith Jarrett is known for his musical brilliance and genius, which can be heard and all his recordings. But what is more, you get the geniuses of Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette in addition when hearing the Standards Trio. The first tune, "Bemsha Swing" is a Monk tune which Jarrett performs in a personal way. Then a bit slower tune "Old Folks", and an up-tempo "Woody'n You". The song after that, "Blame It On My Youth" is probably the most beautiful song on this album. It is also appropiately placed, just after a fast song. After the next two songs, "Golden Earrings" and "Body and Soul", comes the title track "The Cure", a different and more free song than the standards. I don't know if it's improvised at the spot, but it almost sounds like it. Some may find it boring, but listening to it more than a couple of times, it's actually not that bad. The final song, "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", the trio can give all they have left in them.

The sound quality isn't the best, but it certainly isn't very poor either. It has a special live atmosphere to it. It isn't the best Standards Trio release in my opinion, but if you have heard some of the better ones and need some more, then this album is surely worth your money.