Concerts (Bregenz)

by Richard S. Ginell By the early '80s, Keith Jarrett was definitely under siege, accused of arrogance, singing along too loudly, rambling eclecticism and other heinous crimes. Indeed, around this time, Jarrett would verbally attack music critics at his solo concerts, and the reflected paranoia is obvious in Peter Ruedi's defensive booklet essay for this three-LP set of music recorded in Bregenz, Austria and Munich, Germany. This set is not to be confused with the earlier, more consistently inspired Solo Concerts triple album which made Jarrett a star, yet the pianist was far from tapped out in these performances. Jarrett is often in his best lyrically funky form, where he makes the most out of a single ostinato idea -- particularly at the beginning of the Bregenz concert (Side One of the LPs) and in the middle of the Munich concert (Side Five) -- and his touch and exploitation of the dynamics and timbres of a grand piano are always a pleasure to hear. Even the passages of stasis or aimless rippling do not cancel out the treasurable moments, although the string plucking in Munich (Side Six) may be somewhat gratuitous. In any case, this is far more interesting and elevated music-making than that of the New Age navel-gazing imitators cropping up in Jarrett's wake in the early '80s. On the single-CD issue, only the Bregenz concert is included.