Sunday morning has always been my favorite time for mellow, quiet music. Whatever frivolity has ensued on Friday and Saturday has given way to that day when you rest, not only from the past week, but the weekend as well. This morning, I discovered the perfect choice to compliment my quiet Sunday morning. The album was “The Koln Concert”, by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, and was rated as the #7 jazz album of all time on gq.com.
The album captures a fully improvised performance, just Keith Jarrett and his piano. I have always been a big fan of piano concertos in the classical arena, particularly Mozart, so even though very far from that style, the sound of the solo piano echoing through this concert hall in Cologne, Germany is very soothing. The subtle mix of chord rhythms and the occasional frenzied run up the keyboard produces a sound that is just so warm. The performance is over an hour, and is broken down into four parts to be able to be released on a record.
At times, hints of ragtime and gospel surface in the sound, while maintaining a really nice balance of heavy and light tone. As I finish this thought for the evening and prepare for another hectic week, my Sunday winds down with another listen to this beautiful performance. I tend to think and focus better with instrumental music, and I sense this album will be a frequent future soundtrack when I’m striving to focus and decompress all at the same time. Sweet dreams to all… and thank you Keith Jarrett.
A Lifetime-Plus of Music 