Latest news with #jazz
ABC News
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
The best-selling album that nearly didn't happen: Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert, 50 years on
Today it's the best-selling piano and solo jazz album of all time. But 50 years ago, Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert nearly didn't happen. Between the substandard piano, an exhausting car journey, missing meals, and chronic back pain, Jarrett's iconic performance in the Cologne Opera House had the makings of a disaster. Instead, Jarrett turned it into something that has captured audiences for half a century. As the Köln Concert turns 50, the jazz world explores Jarrett's remarkable legacy and pays homage to an album that has inspired countless pianists. Jarrett was born in 1945 in Pennsylvania, USA. His parents fostered his early musical abilities, with the young Jarrett having perfect pitch and a knack for improvising at the piano. Jarrett started lessons at age three and gave his first recital when he was just seven. The young artist was a fan of classical music. Throughout his career Jarrett has noted the influence of classical composers like J.S. Bach. Jazz became a part of Jarrett's musical world when he was in high school, starting with artists like Dave Brubeck. "Brubeck taught Jarrett about form and structure in jazz, and he could see how it behaved in a similar manner to the classical styles he'd already been mastering," shares Jazz Legends presenter, Eric Ajaye. Keith also became a fan of jazz artists pushing the boundaries, like pianist Paul Bley. When he was 16, Jarrett had the chance to further his classical music studies in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, who taught some of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, from Daniel Barenboim to Quincy Jones. The young pianist pulled out at the last minute and took a different direction. Jarrett "knew that if he really wanted to have an impact as an artist, he'd have to make his own discoveries and forge his own path," says Ajaye. Instead, Jarrett went to New York in 1964 and got his first big break playing Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. "Blakey wasn't Boulanger. Instead of teaching harmony and form he simply built bands around the energy of his youthful musicians," Ajaye says. From there, Jarrett's work spans the who's who of jazz. He worked with musicians at the top of their game like Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis, as well as producers including George Avakian who worked with artists from Louis Armstrong to Edith Piaf, and Manfred Eicher, founder of the renowned ECM record label. Ajaye credits Davis as the first person to encourage Jarrett to perform solo. Davis's trumpet improvisations would also have a significant on Jarrett's future solo style. "Both rely on extreme discipline and command of instruments and audiences, but both also required the daring to know when to abandon technique and simply play on impulse," Ajaye says. That daring would go on to help create the biggest-selling solo jazz album of all time. The events that lead up to the Köln Concert hardly seem the right mix to create a record that would go on to sell over 4 million copies. But somehow it became a career-defining performance. "This is a gig where everything went wrong, but the music still carried the day," says Ajaye. 18-year-old concert promoter Vera Brandes invited Jarrett to perform the first-ever jazz concert in the Cologne Opera House. The pianist arrived in the city in the late afternoon after an arduous car trip from Zurich. Jarrett had been suffering from chronic back pain and turned up at the venue in a back brace to help him manage it. Instead of the full-size concert grand piano Jarrett had requested, the venue provided a baby grand from a rehearsal room that was in poor shape. It was out of tune, the sound quality wasn't great, and the pedals weren't working. Jarrett already had a reputation for being demanding, but somehow Brandes and Eicher convinced him to go ahead with the sold-out concert, and to keep the recording engineers around to document the performance. Jarrett and Eicher left for dinner while the piano technicians to tried to make the instrument playable. After a missed meal thanks to a restaurant error, at the very late starting time of 11:30pm, Jarrett started the performance that would go on to make history. In the Köln concert, "Jarrett produced one of the most profound improvised concerts of his career," says Ajaye. The pianist took the confines of the "shoddy" instrument and worked around them or even using them to his advantage, "drumming up improvised rhythms on the noisy pedals and using the tinny upper registers to create new texture." "Jarrett was able to find some sort of magic within the confines of that old piano producing a brilliant performance full of lyrical melodic moments all on the fly," Ajaye says. Australian jazz pianist Matt McMahon agrees. "I think in a strange way, what happened with the Köln concert, and this piano that was subpar, is it really clarified his playing," he shares with The Music Show's Andrew Ford. Like much of Jarrett's work, The Köln Concert encompasses sounds that echoed then-familiar American musical traditions, like blues and gospel. McMahon believes this might be a part of the album's success. He suggests that "even though from second to second, no one knows exactly where this is going next," the sounds of familiar genres help the audience feel more comfortable with the uncertainty. Jarrett was already popular by the time of the Köln concert, but the success of the recording really put him on the map. His career continued to grow with solo and group performances and an enduring, fruitful relationship with ECM. His output spanned classical composers like Bach and Shostakovich, as well as his original work. Following disruptions to his career from back pain and chronic fatigue, in 2018 Jarrett had a series of strokes that caused some paralysis. After rehabilitation, Jarrett regained enough mobility to play piano with his right hand, but "we may never see the master perform a live concert again," says Ajaye. However, Jarrett's incredible influence on jazz is still being felt today. "Keith Jarrett will forever be remembered for the way he elevated not just the piano but also jazz as a whole, taking the art of improvisation to places where it hadn't gone before," says Ajaye.
ABC News
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Together Alone with Crowded House and talking About Ghosts with Mary Halvorson
Brooklyn-based jazz guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson has released a new album About Ghosts. Featuring her long-time improvisatory band Amaryllis, this time she's also added two saxophonists into the mix. Mary speaks to Andrew Ford about what adding more horns allows her music to do, how an increased focus on composition has changed the way she improvises, and about some of her more surprising musical influences (people like Elliott Smith and Robert Wyatt). Together Alone is not Crowded House's most famous album, but for Barnaby Smith, it's their best. Recorded in the wild reaches of Karekare Beach in Aotearoa New Zealand, its sound and stories emerge directly from that place. Barnaby, who is the writer of 33 1/3: Together Alone, travelled to Karekare to absorb the atmosphere that precipitated the album joins Andy to make the case for this album in the output of one of Australasia's most successful bands. Title: Full of Neon Artist: Mary Halvorson & Amaryllis Composer: Mary Halvorson Album: About Ghosts Label: Nonesuch Title: Together Alone, Kare Kare, Skin Feeling, Catherine Wheels Artist: Crowded House Composer: Neil Finn, Mark Hart, Nick Seymour, Paul Hester, Ngapo 'Bub' Wehi Album: Together Alone Label: Capitol Title: Carved From, Eventidal, Full of Neon, About Ghosts Artist: Mary Halvorson & Amaryllis Composer: Mary Halvorson Album: About Ghosts Label: Nonesuch Title: Tedesca dita la proficia Artist: The Renaissance Players Composer: Marco Facoli Album: The Cat's Fiddlestick Label: Cherrypie The Music Show is produced on Gadigal and Gundungurra Country Technical production by Simon Branthwaite
CTV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Jazz guitar legend Bill Frisell returns to Halifax for jazz festival performance
Grammy-winning guitarist Bill Frisell returned to Halifax this week to headline a performance at the TD Halifax Jazz Festival. Frisell spent more than four decades carving out a space in the world of modern jazz, earning critical acclaim for both his solo work and collaborations. Though it's been almost 20 years since he last played in Halifax, Frisell says returning stirred up memories – especially of longtime friend and musical collaborator Jerry Granelli – the late drummer and jazz icon who lived in the city for many years. 'I think I first met him in the late '80s, and we became friends and played a lot,' said Frisell in an interview with CTV Atlantic's Katie Kelly. 'We made two albums together. He was just such a beautiful spirit… He inspired me, and I know he inspired folks around here.' Performing at the Lighthouse Arts Centre Friday night, Frisell will be joined by longtime bandmates Rudy Royston on drums and Thomas Morgan on bass. He says their connection on stage is built on decades of friendship and musical trust. 'These guys are like my teachers,' he said. 'Every time I play with them, they blow my mind. We don't play with a fixed setlist - the music is really happening in the moment.' Frisell is one of several high-profile acts featured at this year's jazz festival, which continues through the weekend with performances across the city. The guitarist says he's just grateful to still be exploring and connecting through music. 'Every day you pick up the guitar and there's something new to discover. That feeling of wonder - like when you're a kid and you find something amazing for the first time - I try to hang on to that.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Experimental music festival asks the question - 'What is jazz?'
They say jazz is about the notes you don't play — or in some cases, the horns you don't honk. The harbour symphony has been a time-honoured tradition in St. John's since 1983, and the arrangement performed on Wednesday marked the beginning of the Sound Arts bi-yearly festival Onsound. This year's theme is What Is Jazz?, a question perfectly suited to a song made from the deep ringing — or barmping — of several ships' horns. This time, it was a symphony of one, with a Coast Guard vessel acting as the first and only chair in its oceanic orchestra. Harbour symphony assistant Mahina Graham-Laidlaw said the uncertainty is part of the beauty of the 42-year-old act. "You never know what to expect," she said, looking through the harbour fence as the barmping started to fade. "There's always something different each time I've done this and that's my favourite part of it." Wednesday was Jacob Cherwick's first time composing a harbour symphony. He wrote a score for four horns, but ended up with only two horns on one boat. It wasn't a problem, according to Cherwick. "It's more about the experiment than writing an actual melody," he said. The musician says there's something freeing about exploring new sounds without being confined by theory or traditional song structure, and that's why he was happy to be involved with the jazz edition of Onsound. Sound Arts executive director Michelle LaCour says Newfoundland and Labrador is seeing a revival of that same carefree music-making, and jazz along with it. Featured musicians Ana Luísa Ramos and Florian Hoefner have noticed it, too. "When I came here 11 years ago, there wasn't much of that," said Hoefner. "That's really changed. It seems like the scene is really alive." Ramos added she'll be bringing her signature bossa nova style to the festival. "I think that's really interesting too, to kind of explore different styles of music from around the world outside of the Western canon of jazz music," LaCour said. Onsound also hosts a range of workshops and touring musicians from the rest of Canada at venues across St. John's. The festival ends on Saturday, July 19.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Saudi jazz singer is hitting all the right notes
RIYADH: From soulful Hijazi oud melodies to renditions of smoky jazz and blues tunes, Loulwa Al-Sharif is crafting a sound, shaped by personal loss, that is uniquely her own. The self-taught singer, also known as Lady Lou, left journalism to pursue her heart's yearnings, she said during her appearance recently on Arab News' The Mayman Show. 'I knew that I loved, like, music since I was a little kid. I used to love to perform just for my family and myself, but then I stopped for a long time. 'And while I was working in the newspaper and in other jobs before that, I used to do music … part-time.' Al-Sharif sang Arabic songs when she was young. 'When I was 15 years old, when I discovered that I liked to sing, I used to sing Khaleeji (Gulf) and Tarab (classical Arabic music) such as songs from prominent Egyptian singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. 'But then when I started learning (to sing) in English, the first song I learned, with my blues brother — his name is Moez — it was 'Ain't No Sunshine.'' 'So just simple, you know, it's a very simple song with him because he encouraged me, like, you have soul, and you need to do that more,' she said. The death of her father was a pivotal moment in her life. At the time, she had not been performing and was still quite 'shy' and lacked confidence. 'I believe that was my — I don't know what to call it — escape or something, I don't know. But all my emotions and my feelings were, ya'ni (like), driven into the music. 'Even, to be honest, it helped me a lot because my father was a musician, and so believing that, oh, wow, I'm doing what my father used to do and putting all my emotions into, ya'ni … it was healing. 'Saraha (honestly), so it was healing for me. Pursuing music and just creating and singing.' Al-Sharif learned her craft at jam sessions, often late at night, supported by members of the Jeddah music community. 'First, I chose rock. I started singing, like, rock covers, you know, like Evanescence and things like that.' She then focused on jazz and blues tunes, including from the late English singer Amy Winehouse. 'To be honest, I feel like I was, like, a little bird, and now I'm just, like, flying. 'It's helped me a lot. Because I didn't have that confidence back then, and I was, ya'ni, when I performed, I used to perform in front of, like, a few people.'
