Customer Reviews

Keith Jarrett Trio - Live at Open Theater East

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really wish all jazz DVDs were like this. No gimmicks, no useless documentary, just amazing jazz from possibly the most acclaimed trio still playing today. The sound quality is impeccable, allowing you to really appreciate Jarrett's poignant lyricism. Out of all the live jazz I've seen, only Jarrett has moved me to tears with the pure beauty of his playing. This DVD is a great capture of a great live performance.

Jarrett and his Trio are acclaimed for bringing standards back to the modern jazz limelight. The decades-old chemistry between Jarrett, Peacock, and DeJohnette is obvious from their remarkable interaction in this concert.

Although I've never heard Jarrett play a bad set, this one exceeds my expectations. I've always been partial to the trio's "Bye Bye Blackbird", but other tracks like "Oleo" and "Solar" are among the true gems on this DVD.

The performance is wonderfully warm and live, with shots lingering just long enough to let you take it all in without engaging in the hyperactive camera work plaguing some music DVDs today. It's entertaining to see Jarrett lose his time in the first solo chorus of "Oleo", as former Miles-sideman DeJohnette throws him off with all sorts of off-beat explorations. Many complain about Jarrett's signature groans and horribly out-of-tune whining, but any Jarrett fan quickly learns to naturally filter them out. If you really have a problem with that sort of thing, don't buy this DVD or you will be distracted and more than a little disgruntled. On the other hand, if you can bear it this DVD is one of the best jazz DVDs out there.

Keith Jarrett Trio Live at Open Theater East is the next best thing to being there. The DVD release features an uncompressed PCM stereo soundtrack (in addition to the standard Dolby 5.1 surround) that is as crisp and clean as it gets. This is one of the best sounding DVD concert releases I have heard.

The performance is stellar. Peacock, in particular, really shows how sympatico he is with Jarrett and DeJohnette, eliciting lots of smiles (and Jarrett's signature groans and hollers) from both.

It's a very well put-together program, with the highlights being Solar, Oleo and Keith Jarrett's original, The Cure. Presented with no interruptions, it's pretty much like being there. The filming is simple, with good coverage of all trio members, without some of the quick cuts that I find irritating in some concert recordings. If you are a player, you'll get plenty of chances to watch the musician who interests you, without the others being sacrificed.

Well worth the buy.

Typically excellent concert by Jarrett / Peacock / De Johnette performed at an open theatre on a wet day in July 1993. Numbers played: "In Your Own Sweet Way", "Butch And Butch", "Basin Street Blues", "If I Were A Bell", "Oleo", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "The Cure", "I Thought About You" and a 26 minute "Solar - Extension" in which I finally get to see how the ever-inventive De Johnette makes some of his unique sounds. Deceptively easily, that's how!. Amusing to see the audience sitting motionless out in the gloom while these guys give it everything! We know, of course, that the Japanese love the music and revere the musicians (and they do respond when appropriate, by the way!) but it does look funny. Two hours of this wonderful trio in concert. It's a buy!

The musicianship and the quality of the filming and audio recording are simply outstanding, and it seems there is general agreement on this. The controversy concerns Mr. Jarrett's vocalizations. Here's my 2 cents:

I've been a Jarrett fan since the early 70's, own most of his recordings, and have seen him live both solo and with the trio numerous times, so I am very familiar with his vocalizations. I break them into two categories - hoops/hollers/moans/groans and "singing" along with the melody he is playing.

The hoops/hollers/moans/groans don't bother me at all...it simply shows how into the music he is, and for me it doesn't detract from the music. The "singing", as others have stated, you can learn to ignore. And frankly, in most of the recordings that I am familiar with, Mr. Jarrett's vocalizations are low enough in the mix to allow one to ignore them.

However, I must admit that with this DVD, the vocalizations are exceptionally loud (perhaps because of the excellent recording quality), grossly off and out of tune (more so than on any other recording that I own), and frankly on some pieces incredibly, and sadly, distracting.

Should you buy it? Folks, there are moments of sheer brilliance on this recording, and for the music sans vocalizations, this is a 5 star recording. I have played the DVD constantly since purchasing it, as I just love these guys. But in my view, the vocalizations are much more pronounced and annoying on this DVD that on the other Jarrett DVDs. Thus, I rate this DVD 4 stars.

Watching these three artisits is a rare treat. They play with a level of musicianship, presence, surrender and selflessness that is extremely rare. In some pieces one wathches them becoming possessed in every cell of their being by the music, much of it clearly improvised. Watching this affects one deeply. Thank you!

This is the first Keith Jarrett Trio DVD I bought .
The whole presentation is first rate and I would recommend it to any jazz fan .

Keith does not speak to the audience , but lets the piano do the talking . Double bassist Gary and drummer Jack are with him every step of the way .

The way the concert is filmed keeps the pace going and always changes angles at the right speed .

An essential purchase for fans of piano trio jazz .

The musicianship and the quality of the filming and audio recording are simply outstanding, and it seems there is general agreement on this. The controversy concerns Mr. Jarrett's vocalizations. Here's my 2 cents:

I've been a Jarrett fan since the early 70's, own most of his recordings, and have seen him live both solo and with the trio numerous times, so I am very familiar with his vocalizations. I break them into two categories - hoops/hollers/moans/groans and "singing" along with the melody he is playing.

The hoops/hollers/moans/groans don't bother me at all...it simply shows how into the music he is, and for me it doesn't detract from the music. The "singing", as others have stated, you can learn to ignore. And frankly, in most of the recordings that I am familiar with, Mr. Jarrett's vocalizations are low enough in the mix to allow one to ignore them.

However, I must admit that with this DVD, the vocalizations are exceptionally loud (perhaps because of the excellent recording quality), grossly off and out of tune (more so than on any other recording that I own), and frankly on some pieces incredibly, and sadly, distracting.

Should you buy it? Folks, there are moments of sheer brilliance on this recording, and for the music sans vocalizations, this is a 5 star recording. I have played the DVD constantly since purchasing it, as I just love these guys. But in my view, the vocalizations are much more pronounced and annoying on this DVD that on the other Jarrett DVDs. Thus, I rate this DVD 4 stars.

This DVD introduced Keith Jarrett to me.
I had just a vague idea about his music before,
and since i purchased this DVD about 8 months ago,
i've listened to his music every single day.
I'm truely in love with this performance, notes and groanings.
"Solar - Extention" is a real highlight, spanning 27 minutes,
the extention is a middle eastern type vamp, a journey.
"The Cure" is totaly groovy, "Butch and Butch" a great uptempo blues,
All the standards are preformed with the freshness and mastery
typical to this trio and the interaction between the three is
amazing.
WARNING : buying this DVD can (as in my case) cause you to shell
some serious money (after this dvd, i bought "Keith Jarrett At
The Blue Note, The Complete Recordings" a 6 cd set, and i'm
currently waiting for the "Last Solo Concert" DVD to arrive"

I would give this dvd 7 stars too, if it were not for one detail. The coverage of the different musicians is great, the visual quality is great, the musicians are (of course) great, but what is the deal with the annoying high-pitched noises Keith Jarrett makes?! I mean it's not even in tune with what he's playing! Talk about ruining an otherwise perfect dvd. It's really great jazz, and I attempted to look (or listen) past the ridiculous noises, but to no avail. Pure torture. Maybe I just don't have good concentration, but there is so much good jazz out there that I would never recommend this dvd. I recommend buying something else and saving yourself the unnecessary hassle--unless you have extremely good concentration.

Okay, I think all KJ fans (at least those worth their salt) have already gotten to the point where the moaning and gesticulations no longer detract from the music. There might have been like 2 or 3 days in there (before the light of divine intervention shone down upon me from musical heaven) where I thought the sounds were strange, but that's it. Bottom line, the concert is AMAZING, and if you can't get past the intermittent noises, you ain't a fan of Keith Jarrett