My first encounter with Keith Jarrett was many years ago, when my then girlfriend (or so I imagined her to be) presented me with a copy of The Köln Concert, new at the time. I listened to it several times and couldn't get much out of it but convinced myself I loved it when it was really the girl. The feeling was not reciprocated however, so we went our separate ways and I haven't listened to the record since. I was a callow youth in those days, though, and I'd like to believe my ears have grown considerably since.

A few -- no, many -- years later, I heard a terrific version of "Chelsea Morning" on the radio while driving around Nashville. I waited impatiently to hear who it was. It was Jarrett's trio, on Whisper Not, which I promptly bought and loved. Still, my previous experience with Jarrett stopped me from running out and buying more even of his trio stuff. I've often wanted to pull the trigger but those two-disc ECM recordings aren't cheap and they're hard to find on sale.

So I leaped at the chance to sample the latter day Jarrett in a solo context at no cost to me, when Jazz Corner announced that it was giving away ten copies of his newest, The Carnegie Hall Concert. I figured that now I would probably get him much better than I did at 16, especially after the favorable if limited exposure to the trio stuff.

But alas, on first listen to the first disc, I found myself reacting very negatively and on second and third listens more so. The word "elephantine" sprang to mind, but I find Tom Storer at Jazz Corner has put it better than I could when he says:

"Almost entirely lacking is the rhythmic dimension of jazz, and with it the dancing improvisation that in my mind is the music's raison d'être. And I don't mean just swing—when the "free" players jettisoned chord changes and a steady beat almost half a century ago they retained as an organizing principle something one might call rhythmic sincerity. Jarrett, despite his many virtues, does not have that energy, that looseness, or that characteristic sly, knowing quality when he plays solo; at the very least, it's not evident here."

I second that, at least as to the first disc. Also, I found the melodic and harmonic aspects trite, to the extent I can reach that conclusion as a rank amateur. At least there was no "sound of surprise" for me. The second cut in particular had me grinding my teeth. At least the disc is only 35 or so minutes long.

The second disc however, is another story. Rhythmically it's much more supple and melodically it's more inventive, though I'm still not hearing too much harmonically. Still, much more enjoyable, especially (but not only) the five composed encores. Also, am I nuts, or is cut #2 on the second disc Jarrett's variations on "No Woman No Cry"?

Anyway, two stars (of five) for the first disc, four for the second. If there were a way to buy only the second disc, I'd recommend it. I will listen to that again, but not to the first.

PS - If I didn't know that that sound was Jarrett humming/groaning to himself, I could swear that he was playing the kazoo.

PPS - The applause was "music" to Jarrett's ears, maybe, but not to mine. Thirty seconds per song would have been plenty.