Rio

This double CD live recording may be to some fans' taste but I found it to be somewhat uneven in quality. Unlike Jarrett's early concerts this one consists of 15 fairly short tracks. The format of his earlier live work, where a single "movement" could last as long as 45 minutes, allowed Jarrett to explore and develop a number of themes, at times reaching moments of bravura, heartbreaking grandeur. I'm thinking here particularly of the (early) Bremen concert, Koln Part I and Vienna Part II. The Rio concert certainly has highlights - tracks 6, 8, 9 and 15 for me - but is not in the same league. I'm sure many dedicated fans may disagree with me!

Keith Jarrett hits top form in this recording of a concert given recently in Rio de Janeiro. His piano playing is bothstirring and moving and leaves one clamouring for more.

Keith Jarrett's solo concert recordings have become increasingly difficult to review in recent years. Have they actually become more predictable and less inventive, or is it simply that I am too familiar with them? Either way, Rio - like Carnegie Hall and Testament - seems to feature a few dazzling patches set against an all-too-familiar background.Rio is another multi-section concert. It's a shame that Jarrett has given up the long, flowing improvisations of his early career because he no longer has to manage the transitions between sections and this has pushed him towards generic sections. Section 14, for example, is a soulless, crowd-pleasing ostinato such as he could have done at any moment in his career, and Part 11 is a (mercifully brief) example of the blues piece that he has been throwing in towards the end of his concerts since Paris '88.Nonetheless, there are some notable highlights on these two discs. Part 1, for example is a masterpiece of concentration as Jarrett unfolds a dense contrapuntal fabric that can stand as one of his most serious extemporised pieces. Part 9 is a breathtaking example of Jarrett's "sacred hymn" style and explores the high register of the keyboard to great effect.Fans of the trio will enjoy parts 4 and 7, which sound remarkably like standard ballads. Part 3 is an exuberantly swung waltz that starts, pleasantly enough, on an ostinato but then shows some real progression from its mid-point. Part 5's Latin groove reminds me of his early 1970s work and will suit long-term Jarrett fans. Part 15 - an aria over rippling sustained chords - brings the concert to a satisfyingly emotional climax.With regard to the recording itself: there must have been an outbreak of plague in Rio the week that Jarrett came to town. Never have I heard so many coughs and sneezes on an ECM recording. Although they never hit the distracting peaks of the Carnegie Hall Concert audience, their applause is also a factor in a noisier recording than one would like, and Jarrett's vocal contributions (e.g. on Parts 5 and 10) are awfully prominent.Overall I feel that if you're going for a concert from Jarrett in the period after he recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Radiance is still the recording to go for. Rio is unquestionably good, but with such a prolific recording artist one can afford to be picky.

After a cacophonous first track, the rest follows in the style we have come to expect. I liked it a lot.

This is not a record to listen to in the background whilst doing other things. It is not a record to be interrupted by phone calls or shouts that dinner's ready.Plan a couple of hours for yourself or with a friend. Turn the lights down with a glass of wine and just concentrate. You will be rewarded with a remarkable journey of sound. After each track you will wonder what Keith can possibly come up with next. The first track, and one other will throw you if you aren't used to the, let's face it, highly unusual multitonal pieces which Keith puts into a concert. I still find these pieces challenging but am starting to get it.I won't spoil it by describing each track, let this be part of your journey.But along the way you will be open mouthed at the beauty, tapping your foot to the beat, and laughing out loud at the humour in the musical twists and turns.To be fair, the above describes many of Keiths solo concerts, but there is something extra special about this one I feel. He is getting sounds out of the piano which just don't exist.