Artwell Deep Dive: Keith Jarrett, Jazz Pianist (Part 1)
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About Keith Jarrett
Becoming one of the greatest jazz pianists, classical interpreters, or composers of your generation is an incredible feat… Keith Jarrett is considered all three.
A prodigious talent, Keith was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1945, and began learning the piano at age three, two years later — at the age of 5, he had his first TV appearance, by seven he played a two-hour classical solo concert in his home town, and by nine he performed solo at Madison Square Garden as part of a Lion’s Club Convention.
In his teens, Keith was personally invited to train in France under legendary composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, who trained many of the greatest classical musicians of the 20th century. However, he declined the invitation and instead opted to attend Berklee School of Music in Boston to learn Jazz.
His stint at the renowned music school was short lived as he was thrown out after a year, which led him to New York City, there he scraped by until he found consistent work in the jazz world — briefly joining Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, becoming a mainstay in Charles Lloyd’s innovative quartet, and eventually playing in Miles Davis’ electric band, before striking out on his own.
The 1970s was a busy period for Jarrett, in addition to leading two popular jazz bands, known respectively as the “American Quartet” comprised of Dewey Redman on sax, Charlie Haden on bass, and Paul Motian on drums, and the “European Quartet” with Jan Garbarek on sax, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums — Keith also pioneered a new kind of performance, the improvised solo piano concert.
Each concert was completely unique, with Jarrett composing new material for each show, live and on the spot, never to repeat that music again. His 1975 Koln concert has gone to become both the best-selling piano recording and the best selling solo jazz album in history with around 4 million sales. In 2025 the album was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
With both his quartets disbanding by the end of the decade, the 1980s was an adventurous period for Jarrett. While continuing to perform his popular solo concerts, Keith formed a new trio known as the “Standards Trio” with Jack DeJohnette on drums and Gary Peacock on bass — which would go on to become one of the longest lasting and most celebrated jazz trios in history, he would record the experimental multi-track record Spirits where he played more than a dozen instruments, and he would return to the classical piano world with notable interpretations of Bach, Mozart, and Shostakovich.
In 1996 Jarrett was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which resulted in him stepping away from performing entirely. Thanks to experimental treatment, he was able to record the 1999 album The Melody at Night With You in his home studio, before returning to the stage with the Standards Trio later that year.
Keith Jarrett continued to perform solo, with the trio, and with orchestras until suffering two major strokes in 2018, which left him unable to use his left hand — effectively bringing the seventy year long career of one of the most innovative and prolific musicians this world has ever known to a close.
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