Even so, the musician – who had not yet turned 30 – ended up agreeing, as transporting a new instrument in the cold German winter could cause irreparable damage to the piano that had been requested. The commitment to the music was so great that, as soon as he sat down to start the performance, Keith Jarrett began 66 absolutely transcendental minutes, edited in two parts (I and II, the latter having three subdivisions: a, b and c).
Each of them is centered on a repetitive set of notes, which led Jarrett, for example, to improvise for almost 12 minutes of the first part based on just two chords. In between, vocalizations and reactions from the musician to what is being played are often heard. They would, in fact, become a trademark of Jarrett when playing jazz. In the classical pieces (by composers such as Bach, Händel or Shostakovich) that he performed, these sounds are not heard.
In the aforementioned interview with NPR, he himself explained that it is not something he does consciously, but rather the result of feeling “a potential limitation”: “I usually do it between sentences, when I think about how I got to this point where I feel fulfilled.“.
The impact of this Cologne Concert It was so much so that, for years, several musicologists and academics asked Keith Jarrett to release a transcription of the two parts. For years, the musician refused to do so, but in 1990 he authorized the release of a transcription.
In addition to the piano, back pain and “bad Italian food” were obstacles in Cologne
But, in addition to the wrong piano, there were other mishaps that made the album gain legendary status. When Keith Jarrett arrived in Cologne from Zurich, Switzerland, the American pianist was almost exhausted by back pain that had been affecting him for several days.
In addition to this, the musician had the opportunity to travel by plane between Switzerland and Germany, but he refused, preferring to make the journey (currently approximately 570 kilometers) by car with Manfred Eicher, the owner of ECM.