Keith Jarrett’s trio triumph ‘The Old Country’ is an equal companion to ‘At the Deer Head Inn,’ not an inferior second helping.

There’s no better way to remember the brilliance of the late Paul Bley and Paul Motian – as well as that of the still-thriving Gary Peacock.

Standing at only three feet tall, Michel Petrucciani showed during one summer evening with jazz giants Gary Peacock and Roy Haynes that he himself was a giant.

Albert Ayler’s violent alchemy of Africa and Europe imbues ‘Copenhagen Live 1964’ with historical importance because more than fifty years hence, these ideas put into practice sound as radical today as they did back then.

The first jazz record released by the just-beginning ESP-Disk record company, ‘Spiritual Unity’ quickly put this tiny label on the map, as well as thrust Ayler to the forefront of the free jazz movement when it was released more than a year later. Even then, this record was well ahead of the frontier of jazz and remains so today.

It’s about more than mere individuals playing well, and this performance brings real meaning to the words “spiritual unity.”

People like to make that joke about jazz not being dead — no, it just smells funny; har, har … oh, so clever — or they cling to the belief that nothing new has happened You May Also Like: Bill Frisell’s Timeless ‘Live’ Opened Up a New Musical World forRead More

It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s…almost July? Well, mid-year has once again snuck up on me. Time to recap the (fantastic) musical half-year that has apparently flown by. You May Also Like: Matthew Shipp Trio – ‘World Construct’ (2022) Matthew Shipp Trio – ‘New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz’ (2024)

The combined talents of Jarrett, Peacock, and DeJohnette extend far beyond technical facility. They’ve played together for so long now that to look for their line between improvisation and straight play is to miss the point. You May Also Like: Keith Jarrett Returned to His Strengths on ‘Testament Paris/London’ NoahRead More

For most musicians and singers alike, mining those great American standards can only get you so far before it begins to sound tired and rote. For thirty years running, the greatest living jazz trio is still mining that gold vein while keeping it fresh and vital. You May Also Like:Read More