feature photo: Daniela Yohannes
Keith Jarrett’s playing days may be over, but ECM Records continues to reach into its bottomless well of quality unreleased Jarrett recordings. The Old Country (out November 8, 2024) from a 1992 date is the latest ‘new’ album from a living jazz piano icon, an assemblage of leftover tracks not selected for the live souvenir At the Deer Head Inn originally released in 1994.
You might already know the story about At the Deer Head Inn and why Jarrett chose to perform at this rather small but historic jazz venue nestled in northeast Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. This was the spot where the 16-year-old Jarrett played his first jazz gig in 1961 and his return there more than 30 years later was a sort of homecoming for him. Performing with Paul Motian on drums was also a homecoming, as while the drummer was in Jarret-led ensembles starting in 1967, the two hadn’t played together for sixteen years. Bassist Gary Peacock had already been in Jarrett’s Standards trio with Jack DeJohnette for a while, but this was the first (only?) time the three giants of their respective instruments got together to perform.
Jarrett doesn’t really vary his approach at all from his Standards trio, which is fine: Motian is plenty different enough from DeJohnette to give this set its unique vibe. As this is just different songs from the same engagement, The Old Country likewise sticks to interpretations of other people’s compositions, mostly pulled from the Great American Songbook and various jazz standards. The intrigue lies in how these songs are treated.
Cole Porter’s “All of You” isn’t made recognizable until after Jarrett’s dazzling intro which only hints at the strain. There’s nothing opaque at all in “Straight No Chaser,” (video above) the Monk classic motif is stated in straightforward fashion and then Jarrett plays along the extended course that masterfully swings with economy largely with only one hand, making even the spaces between the notes as meaningful as the notes themselves.
Jarrett has so many gears in his shift box, he’s able to distinguish each track by the distinctive, differing moods he sets. Those rapidly flowing bop lines that maintain their grace heard on “Golden Earrings” can only be from him. Jarret’s single-line phrasing on “How Long How Has This Been Going On” matches that of a seasoned jazz singer. “I Fall In Love Too Easily” is treated with reverent delicateness, hushed down so that all that remains is the tune’s simple beauty. Still, some of Jarrett’s right-hand journeys are ones only the elites can undertake.
Jarrett’s two-handed technique is on full display for “Everything I Love,” spilling out the melody with interlocking notes that arpeggiate chords in a liquid manner. Peacock’s following aside is a little low in the mix but Motian’s trading fours with the pianist reveals his uniqueness in marrying tonality with rhythm.
The titular song “The Old Country” comes from the pen of Nat Adderley, an unsung, exceptional composer, but not unnoticed by Jarrett. His cohorts slip a subtle suave swing underneath, and that piano gradually shifts away from simply stating the melody to coming up with endless permutations of it while digging into that pocket.
Blessed with the spotless production you’d come to expect from an ECM joint – especially on these KJ records – The Old Country is an equal companion to At the Deer Head Inn, not inferior leftovers.
*** Keith Jarrett CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
- Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock + Paul Motian – ‘The Old Country’ (1992; 2024 release) - November 7, 2024
- Devin Gray – ‘Melt All The Guns II’ (2024) - November 5, 2024
- David Cain – ‘Variations’ (2024) - November 1, 2024
