Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett was born on May 8th, 1945, in Allentown, PA. He is an American composer/pianist who has performed in both jazz and classical music. Since the early 1970's he has enjoyed great success as a group leader and solo performer. His improvisations draw not only from the traditions of jazz, but from other genres as well, especially Western classical music, gospel, blues, and ethnic folk music. He has played with Art Blakey, Charles Lloyd, and Miles Davis. This video is from his concert in Tokyo in 1984.

One of Jarrett's trademarks is his frequent, loud vocalizations (grunting, squealing, tuneless singing). He is also physically active while playing, almost dancing on the piano bench. Jarrett has noted that these vocalizations are based on involvement, not content, ultimately enhancing the quality of the music. However, he is notoriously intolerant of audience noise, including coughing and other involuntary noises. Along with this, he is very protective of his concert recordings. He has been known to stop during a few of his shows because he mistakingly viewed objects as recording devices in the audience. A final note, Jarrett is strongly opposed to electric instruments and equipment. With that said, don't let all of these odd attributes shy you away from this great musician.

http://www.keithjarrett.org/

Smelly Dog