Pianist Keith Jarrett has to climb a mountain of expectation every time he performs.
Audiences know he is capable of breathtaking, bravura performances. They also know about his finicky and testy side when things don't go right.
Which Jarrett would Maureen, Luke, Claire and I get?
Adding to the mystique is the fact he suffered from debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome, which he contracted in 1996 and which left him unable to play at all for a couple of years.
It was a long road back and last night at the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier of Place des Arts, Jarrett showed why so many music fans rejoiced when he began to play again in 2000.
He is a pianist of sublime touch and an improviser of unsurpassed brilliance. Those gifts were in full display.With long-time collaborators Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums, he plumbed the emotional depths on standards, ballads and blues - tunes that in the hands of anyone else might seem cliched.
The evening was thick with anticipation as Jarrett, clad in a turquoise vest, took the stage and wiggled his fingers at the audience. "Warmup exercises,' he joked. Soon, he was up to his old devices, standing up from the piano bench to deliver blistering runs and moaning with emotion as he sank into thick chords. The trio, in its third decade of existence, had a level of unconditional trust that allowed for completely free interplay on ballads such as Spring Can Really Hang You Up A Lot and I Thought About You.
Jarrett voiced his dense chords like nobody else, and his melodic lines were so long that you never quite knew where they were headed.
Peacock's deep-bottomed bass always seemed to lay down the right harmonic framework, while DeJohnette was appropriately understated. On up-tempo tunes like The Way You Look Tonight, they played lightly together, making great music.
Audiences know he is capable of breathtaking, bravura performances. They also know about his finicky and testy side when things don't go right.
Which Jarrett would Maureen, Luke, Claire and I get?
Adding to the mystique is the fact he suffered from debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome, which he contracted in 1996 and which left him unable to play at all for a couple of years.
It was a long road back and last night at the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier of Place des Arts, Jarrett showed why so many music fans rejoiced when he began to play again in 2000.
He is a pianist of sublime touch and an improviser of unsurpassed brilliance. Those gifts were in full display.With long-time collaborators Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums, he plumbed the emotional depths on standards, ballads and blues - tunes that in the hands of anyone else might seem cliched.
The evening was thick with anticipation as Jarrett, clad in a turquoise vest, took the stage and wiggled his fingers at the audience. "Warmup exercises,' he joked. Soon, he was up to his old devices, standing up from the piano bench to deliver blistering runs and moaning with emotion as he sank into thick chords. The trio, in its third decade of existence, had a level of unconditional trust that allowed for completely free interplay on ballads such as Spring Can Really Hang You Up A Lot and I Thought About You.
Jarrett voiced his dense chords like nobody else, and his melodic lines were so long that you never quite knew where they were headed.
Peacock's deep-bottomed bass always seemed to lay down the right harmonic framework, while DeJohnette was appropriately understated. On up-tempo tunes like The Way You Look Tonight, they played lightly together, making great music.
Before they came out for the obligatory encore, digital cameras were going off all over the place. Mr. Sensitive, (Jarrett) took the opportunity to yell at those with cameras to "Stop taking those f******* pictures if you want to hear more music." Then, he lectured the crowd about overindulgence in electronics. A small price to pay for a good time.
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