Customer Reviews

Melody at Night With You

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

We Germans like to quote Goethe - so let me start out with a free translation of a Goethe quote that comes to my mind when I think of this CD: "A true master proves himself when his means are limited."

Of course the circumstances under which this CD was produced (Jarret's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) have been (ab-)used by the record company (and by himself?) to hype up this album quite a lot. So until I actually had listened to the CD, I was quite sceptical about what to expect here. Did Jarret simply record some cocktail bar tunes, only presenting them in a pseudo-sophisticated fashion? The plain and simple answer is "anything but that". Every single track on this album is truely deep, inspired and meditative in the best way - only a very superficial listener can confuse this album with bar music. The songs on this CD may be played in bars, too - but never in Jarret's way. While bar music only pretends to be truely felt and meaningful - certain amounts of alcohol might be required for the listener to believe so, too - this music does the opposite: It does not have a certain fake sentimental attitude, but it simply sounds out simple and truthful. At first, one might be tempted to get a nice glass of wine (or a cup of coffee) ready, sit in an armchair, and try to just "hang loose" while listening. The thing is, though, that the music won't let you! Moreso, it does the opposite: It forces you to listen very, very closely - and what you'll hear you'll find amazing: Simple classic tunes played in a way that is never overdone, never superficial, but that reflects what can't easily be put into words and thus makes us play and listen to music at all: Truths about ourselves, the way we perceive outside and inside worlds...just find out for yourselves!

The music on this album never reminded me of Jarret's disease; it is not at all "music played by a patient". What is more: On his older recordings, I sometimes find Jarret's ("old", respectively "pre-CFS") style of producing cascades of sounds disturbing and out of place - it seems to me that there, he is occasionally providing a shiny and shimmery surface more than he is focusing on the core powers that lay within the music. On this album, he HAS to focus on the latter because of his disease. And through that he is maybe more of an artist than he ever was before: No more finger acrobatics (only a brief souvenir of that in "I Got It Bad"), but music which is simply beautiful and deep. On this album, Jarret's piano doesn't just sound, it sings.

Finally there's a solo piano album in my collection that can match John McArthur's `HIDDEN', Brad Mehldau's "Elegiac Cycle", Bill Evans' "Alone" and Keith Jarrett's legendary "Koln Concert". It's Keith Jarrett's `The Melody At Night With You'. Haven't heard such a great piano solo album in years. "The Melody At Night With You" was a revelation to me. Jarrett finally prooves that he CAN be the kind of piano player we new he could be. He tones down his signature moans and grunts, his beating of the piano and he plays, honestly and sincere. As a gift to his wife, Jarrett's playing takes your breath away. His playing is daring and adventurous, and because he has a perfect sense of structure as well, he never gets lost and keeps everything in perfect balance. And on top of this, his playing is deeply moving. I hear a lot of McArthur and Evans in Jarrett's playing on this album, but, much more important, I hear foremost a pianist with a distinct style of his own, that is warm and not pretentious. He is distinct. You will not regret buying this album.

In one of the most beautiful piano jazz albums I own, Keith Jarrett takes eleven standard songs about love and gives them a nighttime, quiet-by-the-fireplace treatment. He was obviously inspired/influenced by jazz pianists like Bill Evans and Barbara Carroll to name just two, but this album is certainly not a re-tread. It is an original.

Jarrett can do almost anything on the piano. I not only own some of his wonderful jazz recordings like "Whisper Not," but also classical recordings of works by Shostakovitch and Haydn. Everything Jarrett records comes out golden.

Every tune on this CD is special, but I particularly enjoyed the Gershwins' "I Loves You, Porgy" and Oscar Levant's "Blame It On My Youth" (a gorgeous song with a great lyric which, sadly, so few people sing or play). The American folksong "Shenandoah" is given a lovely, surprising arrangement by Jarrett. This album is a treasure. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Keith Jarrett- The Melody At Night, With You (ECM 1675) Jarrett at his breath takingly best. Ten standards, or as Jarrett would say, ten love songs, and one meditation thrown in for good measure, played with great elegance and dignity as only Jarrett is able to do. This rates in my books as one of his most personal recordings, along with Tokyo 96, as well as Koln Concerts, which I funnily enough never play anymore, except on those special occasions, when I want to remember how much ECM means to me. There is a certain sadness at times to this music, Jarrett in what I feel is a somewhat reflective mode. It has an almost live feel at times, and you almost expect the imaginary audience to wildly applause its appreciation. But then again, it's a reflection on Jarrett that what you get on a studio recording of his is more often than not just as beautiful to listen to live. After having battled with CFS for some time, it's really wonderful to hear this modern master back in the studio (his own this time, not ECM) paying homage to Gershwin,Ellington, Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, as well as Sammy Cahn. Gershwin's I Loves You Porgy is exquisitely played, and even though he has covered tunes like Someone To Watch Over Me, or even Blame It On My Youth on a number of occasions on different recordings, it's great to hear it again and again. Beautiful melodies, fantastic phrasings and key changes. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, plays it like this man. And as an added bonus, for all those people that can't stand his vocalizing while playing, on this recording. it's pretty much non existent It strikes me as 'old music', tunes that no longer seem to be covered by musicians, eg Shenandoah, an old sea shanty, given new life by Jarrett, or Sammy Cahn's Be My Love. I've not heard anyone cover either of these tunes in a long time. At times the music borders on lobby room playing but this is nit picking. He can play in my lobby anytime. I own a lot of Jarrett's recordings, and this rates as one of his finest to date. An amazingly beautiful album to immerse yourself into.

Wow! This is the rare jazz record of late that I cannot get out of my CD player. Passion, simplicity, and an absolute command of space and silence echo throughout. As an earlier fan noted, the version of "Blame It On My Youth" is another definitive reading of this piece by Jarrett, who turns it into absolute poetry.

This is the perfect record for quiet, romantic times, a great record for contemplation.

It's stunning.

I have been a fan of Keith Jarrett for years. This CD reflects a quieter, romantic side that really does not appear clearly in most of his works. It is easier listening than his earlier works but don't think that this means he's easy listening because there is such tender emotion is his lyricism that you want to listen more intently. I lent this CD to my significant other and I am still trying to get it back! She loves it and she knew little of his work beforehand. KJ's genius continues to reveal itself in different modalities. This is an excellent CD and an important one to add to your Jarrett collection.

When a dear friend lent me her pre-release copy of this disc in November, I did not know what to expect. Would this be the Jarrett of the Cologne Concert or the Sun Bear Concerts? The Jarrett of a Detroit concert some twenty years ago where he berated the audience for sneezing and coughing, made everyone sneeze and cough to get it out of their system and then started from scratch? Perhaps the Jarrett of recent recordings of Mozart, Hašndel or Shostakovich? Yes and no -- and perhaps all of the above.

After a career-interrupting bout with chronic fatigue syndrome, Jarrett is ready to embrace life and its beauty as well as its bittersweet nature. His deep love and affection for his wife Rose Anne (Colavito) Jarrett is obvious in the care both in arranging and in performing the carefully chosen works on this album. The "Shenandoah" positively sent shivers down my spine.

My wife and I haven't been able to put this disc away (we actually have separate copies so we can listen at home and in the car). We have bought copies of this disc for all of our immediate family members, scattered across the country, and included the disc in our holiday packages.

Previous reviewers have diverged from my positive take on this disc, but if one expects only a monochromatic approach from a performer, one will always be disappointed when a different set of colors emerges from the playing. I cannot recommend this disc highly enough -- listen to it and form your own opinion. I'm sold!

"The Melody at Night With You" finds the jazz veteran alone at the piano gracefully tackling 10 jazz standards and folk songs from the great American songbook. A more intimate departure from past recordings, Jarrett does not play with the usual wild abandon that many fans have come to expect. Rather, a subtle intensity undergirds these ballads, as he elegantly but passionately pares down the melodies and chord progressions to their cores. Jarrett never gets carried with the acrobatics that characterize so many jazz pianists; rather the craftsmanship and musical essence of the song always take center stage. At times the music seems a bit thin and wispy, probably due to the recording conditions, but Jarrett's simple treatment of the tunes coupled with his unique introspective lyricism and phrasing make this a very memorable and valuable addition to Jarrett's discography.

This is a quietly astounding record, free of the overplaying (albeit divinely inspired) and self-indulgent repetition (albeit hypnotic) of Jarrett's earlier solo work. This is very much like a very fine late-period Bill Evans album -- pregnant with sadness, full of poignant hesitations and silences, almost tentative in its delicacy. Jarrett is determined to draw every molecule of emotion out of the old standards he brings to life here. It's so unflashy you could almost miss it... but there's a tragic wisdom between the lines here, and a commitment to love, craft, and the pure beauty of melody in every note.

The Melody at Night, With You, is one of the best solo piano albums released in decades. The music uplifts the spirit and makes you believe that life is worth living. Just a man alone with his piano -- no stunts, no remixing, no other musicians. Just a great artist doodling on some of the greatest songs ever written. The best "I Loves You Porgy" since Holiday or Simone. A gorgeous album. Don't miss it.