Keith Jarrett: A biography

by Wolfgang Sandner, Chris Jarrett (translator)

Keith Jarrett is one of the great pianists of our times. Before achieving worldwide fame for his solo improvisations, he had already collaborated with Art Blakey, Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. His ‘Köln Concert’ album (1975) has now sold around four million copies and become the most successful solo recording in jazz history. His interpretations of the music of Bach, Händel, Bartók or Shostakovich, have also received much attention in later years. Jarrett is considered difficult and inaccessible, and has often abandoned the stage during his concerts due to restless audiences or disturbing photographers.

Few writers have come as close to Keith Jarrett as Wolfgang Sandner, who has not only closely followed Jarrett’s remarkable career from the 1960s, but has also had the opportunity to visit him in his home in the United States. For this biography, which is full of detailed musical analysis and cross-references to other artistic genres, Sandner has collected new information about Jarrett’s family background, much of which is thanks to the translator, Keith Jarrett’s youngest brother Chris. The book explores Jarrett’s work with other musicians, in particular the members of his American and European Quartets and his Standards Trio, it charts the development of his solo concerts, and it also investigates his work in the classical sphere, as well as the highly original music he has created in his own home studio. It also covers his associations with his various record labels and producers, notably his unparalleled relationship with ECM and its founder Manfred Eicher. This English edition is a significantly extended and updated version of the German original.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Biography

230 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2015

Reviews

[Randall Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stan Getz offered Keith Jarrett a job playing guitar when Keith was starting out at the Deer Head Inn and Stan watched Keith’s set on guitar. Keith once said, “if I could call everything I did Hymn, it would be appropriate, because that’s what they are when they’re correct. If [the music] does not connect with a greater power, and if I do not surrender into it, nothing happens.” Keith said, “composition is the slowest way to improvise.” With Mozart or Debussy, “the principle is to compose the improvisation.” Gary Peacock died in Olivebridge, New York in 2020.

The above (one short paragraph), is all I learned from reading this book. In this book, did Keith or the author mention what kind of pianos Keith prefers and why? Preferred microphones? Compressors and ratios? Pre-amps? Mic placement and room size? What does he look for in a take he will want to release? Any info on how Keith approaches chord voicing? or re-harmonization? Nah, you’ll learn none of that good stuff in this book.

What you will get is off-topic name dropping to show you the author is cultured. Thus mentioned are non-musicians Tolstoy, Paul Klee, Herman Hesse, Gertrude Stein, Rilke, Giacometti and Rodin. Instead of this book, checkout the DVD “Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation” or NEA Jazz Masters Interview with Keith Jarrett (arts.gov), and all of his interviews and performances on You Tube. Ian Carr’s book on Keith is also better than this book. If instead of reading this yawner you spent two hours sight reading from “The Koln Concert: Original Transcription” or “The Melody at Night With You Transcription”, or you transcribed by ear something by Keith for two hours, you’d learn more than this book teaches. I spent one and a half months this year (2-3 hours daily) memorizing Keith’s version of “Over the Rainbow” from the La Scala; but I’ll have to transcribe a lot Keith to start to get his approach on reharmonization. Keith’s music is so amazing, while this book is so disappointing.

[Ingo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less a biography then rather detailed talk about some of his albums and their making. Found it little inspiring to read.

[Dejan Dukovski · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐1/2
Nije lako napisati biografiju o Jarrett-u, pijanista koji je uvek bio zatvoren za javnost, držao je svoj muzički i privatni svet van okvira javnosti, osim u onom delu u kome je bio najpoznatiji - njegove ploče i njegovi koncerti.
Ali, uzimajući u obzir tu otežavajuću okolnost, ovo je jedna prosečna biografija (privatan život) i jedna odlična studija o njegovim koncertima i diskografiju. Isto tako, postoji full akademski pristup kad opisuje sve muzičke faze Jarrett-a i pre svega (nije mi se svidelo) uvlakački opis o njegovim koncertnim ili diskografskim uspesima.
Knjiga je odlično rasporedjena, opisujući faze koje su ključne u Jarrett-ovom životu a ne nužno pisati o godinama i dekadama - od prvog koncerta do kraja karijere. Kako sam veliki fan Jarrett-a (imam sva njegova izdanja na CD) nisam ništa značajno pročitao što ne znam. Apstrahirao sam sva kićenja bilo koje rečenice koje opisuje odredjeni LD/CD ili koncert i priznajem da ima šta kaže. Njegovi opisi su tačni, emotivni, uporedjivanja precizna, ponekad preterana.
Anyway, bilo je uživanje čitati o nekim mojim muzčkim herojima.

[JDK1962 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 20-30% biography, and the rest was the author's opinions about jazz and individual pieces/performances that struck me as an awful lot like "dancing about architecture."

My faith in the author's jazz bona-fides were also dimmed by the casual slur about the Baroness being Thelonious Monk's "girlfriend." Monk himself was quite clear on the issue (to paraphrase, "she's my best friend, and I wouldn't touch her"), and his wife (Nellie) was equally friendly with her.

As a point of reference, I've been a Jarrett fan for ~45+ years--almost as long as I've been a jazz fan--and probably have more than two dozen of his recordings (solo, trio, quartet), both jazz and classical. This book was not what I was hoping for.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit tedious, but worth the read. Keith Jarrett is one of the most talented musicians alive - in our era or any other.

I read the version translated by Chris Jarrett - Keith's brother and an incredible musician in his own right.

[Matty Demont · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are fan of Keith Jarrett, you may want to read this book. However, as the author describes, Keith Jarrett is not the type of artist that likes to be described, let alone be the subject of a biography. That said, the author did an excellent job of using the available sources to describe the personal life of Keith Jarrett and his life as an artist. He accomplishes the last task mostly by analyzing his published works, i.e., the great variety of albums and styles this artist has produced. I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to all Keith Jarrett fans!

[Carles · Rating 3 out of 5]

L’autor ens explica les seves apreciacions sobre la música de Jarrett i, amb gran erudició, ens les referencia dins el marc de l’art en general.
D’altra banda, m’esperava un apropament més detallat en quant a vivències i anècdotes.
L’estil d’escriptura, la construcció d’algunes frases o l’ús de paraules, de vegades m’ha semblat una mica ampul·lós.
M’ha agradat la completa discografia final, amb tots els crèdits.