Customer Reviews

Keith Jarrett - Tokyo Solo

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Keith Jarrett is arguably the finest musician living today. A man who brings to the piano a lifetime of dedication, art, creativity, expression- all at the highest levels any human can hope to achieve, yet he continues to improve and push himself to the edge again and again. In this beautifully filmed DVD, one can find Mr. Jarrett doing what few musicians dare to do: improvise freely. These are not the longer solos of "Vienna" or "LaScala", but shorter, and I dare say, deeper. It is not without effort; Keith's performances are always intense, full of meaning, full of searching. After watching/listening to this, you will feel like you've been on a roller coaster, unbelievably drained. Mr. Jarrett returns to the piano and ends with "Danny Boy" and "Old Man River" played with such a tenderness that only years can bring to the fingers. It is his spirit and mind flowing through his arms, down to his hands, into his fingers and to our ears. We need this. As musicians and humans, we need Keith Jarrett to show us this every now and then.

Keith Jarrett's Tokyo Solo is an excellent documentation of Jarrett's world of improvisation, beautifully filmed and recorded live. This is nothing at all like his playing with his Standards Trio, where one can swing along to the beat of Autumn Leaves or Oleo. No, these solo piano improvisations are free, abstract forays into what I'd call "pure awareness" and being "in the moment." Here we are witnessing an artist who is a human vessel through which the infinite creative energies of the universe flow! His genius is in harnessing these energies into coherent essays that maintain individual character and context throughout each piece, titled only as "Part" numbers. After enduring the eight Parts of the complete concert (inherently intellectual), Jarrett treats us to beautifully emotional encores of Danny Boy, Old Man River, and Don't Worry 'Bout Me.

Jarrett's improvisations typically fall into 3 catagories: the hymnlike ballad with lyric melodies; the spastic, atonal free-for-all; and the repeated, rhythmic groove - or various combinations of each of these.

Of course, his incredible technique allows for a very orchestral approach at the piano. An incredible variety of effects and textures are the result.

This is a great study of a master of improvisation at his finest. A must-have addition for any serious fan who can honor Jarrett's process as much as the music itself. A few of these tracks have also been included in Jarrett's latest CD, Radiance.

If you do, you'll probably jump right at this brilliant DVD with almost two hours of amazing piano soloing; mostly pure improvisation, with couple of well liked standards/popular songs (Danny Boy, Ol' Man River, Don't worry 'bout me)... Jarrett is amazing, radiant, imaginative, subtle, witty, energetic and extremely intelligent, so everyone should check out something like this...

To be honest, I'm not a connosseur; I started with his recordings of standards and then decided I'm ready for his lengthier works... Boy, was I right! I guess this is not the last solo concert I'm gonna get me for birthday, christmas, new year, hanukkah, croatian independence day or any other such holiday....

This video of Keith's 150th concert in Japan was very aptly directed by Kaname Kawachi; audio recording and mixing is by Martin Pearson...It's recorded live at Metropolitan Hall in Tokyo in 2002.

Jarrett gives an amazing performance. I have always wanted to see the man play (to see him howl and groan) and it definitely delivers. Part 1B is my favorite - I still can't believe he simply improvises this stuff.

He might not be able to compose like Beethoven (maybe he could if he wrote down some of these improvisations) but he can play jazz and classical music, in my semi-humble opinion, as well as anyone. My favorite thing that he does are his solo piano improvised concerts. And this is a fine example. His groans and gyrations may be a bit off putting, but it seems as if he opens up completely, and the music pours out of him. Watching and hearing him is an experience every fan of improvised music and the piano ought to have.

I'd just heard about him, this great pianist. I had to satisfy my curiosity... This DVD shows Keith Jarrett's different styles, tastes and ... his way of moving around while playing! Just sit back and enjoy, open your eyes and ears!