CD1
1. Four
2. My Foolish Heart
3. Oleo
4. What's New
5. The Song is You
6. Ain't Misbehavin'
CD2
1. Honeysuckle Rose
2. You Took Advantage of Me
3. Straight, No Chaser
4. Five Brothers
5. Guess I'll Hang My Tears out to Dry
6. On Green Dolphin Street
7. Only the Lonely
Keith Jarrett - Piano
Gary Peacock - Double bass
Jack DeJohnette - Drums
You
can't accuse Keith Jarrett of excessive humility.
His sleeve-notes for this album tell us that
"The music came out...with an athletic grace
and power true to jazz's roots" and "Jack,
Gary and I know by now that we're all in the
presence of masters". This double CD was recorded
at Montreux in July 2001 and Jarrett says
"This is a concert recording I was holding
onto until the right moment presented itself.
It shows the trio at its most buoyant, swinging,
melodic and dynamic". The right moment turned
out to be October 2007 (I received the album
rather late) although Keith doesn't convincingly
explain why he waited so long.
No
matter - the album was certainly worth releasing
at any time, despite the fact that the sound
quality is not as perfect as one would have
wished (Jarrett mentions "Heat, lighting and
sound problems"). The bass and drums often
sound muddy, although Jarrett's piano comes
through clearly. And the trio was clearly
on top form. This is Jarrett's "Standards
Trio" and the programme consists of tunes
from the Great American Songbook as well as
compositions by the likes of Sonny Rollins,
Thelonious Monk and Gerry Mulligan. Perhaps
the biggest surprise is the inclusion of two
pieces by Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin'
and Honeysuckle Rose - which the trio
plays with vigorous conviction. In the former,
Jarrett imitates Waller's stride style but
for the latter he lays down a muscular four-in-a-bar
beat mainly with single bass notes. These
are both predominantly piano features (although
Gary and Jack get solos on Honeysuckle
Rose, with the drums especially thrilling)
but they illustrate the shortcomings in recording
quality: less than crystal-clear.
Apart
from the sound problems, this is a splendid
set. The trio really does justify Jarrett's
rodomontade. They may be playing standards
but this is no conventional trawl through
oft-played tunes. The trio brings its wide
improvising experience to each number. For
example, it was a long time before I recognised
My Foolish Heart, as Jarrett's lengthy
introduction is as enigmatic as one of Erroll
Garner's "Guess what" beginnings. And the
ten-minute Straight, No Chaser is taken
down multifarious routes at varying tempos,
including some free playing as well as straightforward
swing.
The
translucency of Keith's piano playing is set
against the sturdy bass of Gary Peacock and
the audacious drumming of Jack DeJohnette
to create a contrasting mix of styles. It
sounds as if all three players are having
fun - a quality which has not been so evident
in some of Jarrett's solo recitals. And there
are plenty of up-tempo tracks which, allied
with Jack's comparatively frequent drum solos,
add to the feeling of exhilaration. I know
it's a cliché but, if you only have
to get one album by the Standards Trio, this
is probably the one.
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
ECM
173 7326
