Rarum 1: Selected Recordings
In programming his two-disc entry in ECM's:rarumseries, for which the artists select tracks and provide written comments, pianist Keith Jarrett included recordings "that either have been heard less than I feel is their due or have escaped recent awareness." Open-minded listeners should rise to the challenge posed by this characteristically idiosyncratic collection, which includes solo pipe organ and clavichord performances, and tracks fromSpirits, Jarrett's love-it-or-hate-it experiment in multi-instrumental overdubbing, recorded in 1985. Jazz travelers may find this an uneven journey, particularly those who prize him most for his solo piano epics. Time limitations prevent the inclusion of sides from landmark efforts such as the 1975Köln Concert(the set's shorter solo sides include an 11-minute excerpt from his 1981 Munich concerts, presented on CD for the first time, and tracks from 1987's so-soDark Intervals, recorded in Tokyo). The highlights include performances by Jarrett's brilliant longstanding "standards" trio with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, and his '70s European quartet with Norwegian saxophonist and labelmate Jan Garbarek, who provide an unlikely but winning setting for his gospel chops. As inconsistent and elusive as this selected Jarrett may be, it provides a fresh setting in which to sample his daring, intensely lyrical approach. ECM's first foray into 24 bit/96kHz remasterings adds to the eventfulness of this release.--Lloyd Sachs