Keith Jarrett - La Scala

Jarrett Noodling

Miguel of Seattle hits it on the head: mindless is just one word that comes to mind; boring, unfocused etc.
As a trio and if you can stand the vocal orgasms of Jarrett the group swings. But the solo efforts are not much more than fooling around at the keyboard at home to pass the time of day (or night). October 12, 2008

My Favorite Live Jarrett

Ok, shoot me---Koln Concert isn't my favorite solo concert. To me, this just shoots Koln in the foot! Why?

Koln Concert is a masterpiece, full of development and extreme detail to development. However, La Scala is romance in his language. To me, the first 7 minutes musically define love--and God, "....for God is Love (Christian theology)". IMHO, this is the best music to make, hands down!

However, this was recorded right before he got sick; not very easy to find and many do not know about it. Sad--this is what started me listening to Keith Jarrett.

Overall, this is awesome. Just listen--and open yourself. Take it in completely--as a Wagner or Verdi Opera. It will probably break your emotions--let it. At that point, you now have heard KJ. June 27, 2007

Astoundingly gorgeous piano music

This is, I believe, one of keith jarrett's final released recordings of his longer form improvisations. Since then on Radiance, etc. he has been giving concerts with a stream of shorter pieces.

Anyway, with the exception of some rather long repetitive sections such as in the middle 20 minutes or so of part 1, and the atonal stuff on part 2 (which is interesting but perhaps not all that listenable), this has some of Jarrett's most gorgeous improvised piano music.

If you're like me, your favorite Jarrett material sounds almost like Romantic era piano music, such as the latter half of Koln: Part II B, or Radiance Part XV as examples. The first bit of Part 1 of La Scala and the last bit of Part 1 are incredibly melodic, gorgeous passages in this style as well.

If you're patient with Part 2, you're also in for a treat as he plays one of his best tremolo style improvs in the latter half or so. I think I enjoy this tremolo style improv more than Vienna: Part 2, it seems to move around more and have more lyrical melodies.

In short, this is Jarrett at his most melodic and his most lyrical. Just be patient with the repetitive sections...fast forward if you need to..that's what I do, lol! Sometimes its great to just let him take you for a ride though. Anyway, definitely buy this album, highly reccommended for any true lover of complex, beautiful piano music. August 21, 2006

Ticklish Ivories, Indeed!

Twenty years after his famed KOLN CONCERT, pianist Keith Jarrett delivered another outstanding solo fantasia onstage in Milan. While I can't quite agree with the numerous earlier reviews favoring LA SCALA over its legendary predecessor, neither can I offer any evidence in support of my own preference aside from pure personal taste - which, in the realm of true music, is of course the only limitation which can or should apply.
The album-length "La Scala, Part I" seems to have scored top points with most prior reviewers, and it is indeed a phenomenal musical and - at three nonstop quarters of an hour - physical achievement. I myself, however, prefer the comparatively brief (at twenty-six minutes) "Part II," which showcases the full range of Jarrett's playing from extreme abstraction to sublime classicism and back again and suffers only from a louder and more substantial than usual dose of the master keyboardist's trademark grunting and gasping. He certainly hasn't lost his touch!
For those not particularly into Keith Jarrett, a single solo album may well suffice. I'd still recommend KOLN for such listeners, but not without mentioning this similarly thrilling performance from one of modern music's truly unique talents. A fine show, to say the very least. August 8, 2006

Outstanding

It's quite funny how some things happen in life. Firstly, the concept of Jarrett's solo concerts. The amount of masterpieces that have been spontaneously improvised and influenced so many musicians and non-musicians, but also the amount of them that may not have happened due to show cancellations and/or illness. These performances are thus not only a wonderful work by a master musician, but a small miracle in that everything worked out in order to allow this creative process to occur, spontaneously.

The second curious thing is that 'La Scala' was in a pile of CDs my dad wanted to sell, because neither of us enjoyed it. I decided to give it one last try, and I have barely stopped listening to it since. Now you ask, 'what has this got to do with buying La Scala?', since this review is technically supposed to influence your decision to buy this CD rather than one of 10 or 15 you are considering buying instead. Quite simply, 'La Scala' is not only a great piece of music, it's a lesson that will change your perspective on approaching the listening experience; learning not to behold what happened previously, or expect what will happen in the future. You are hence not only listening to what Mr Jarrett offers the listener, you are learning to offer the same to him as he offered to you: embracing the next step.

Unlike the two most famous, Köln and Vienna, each moment of 'La Scala' is as important as the next. There are no individual moments, apart from maybe the end. 'La Scala Part One' is a 44 minute build to a climax. It's the greatest known example of Jarrett's ability to build tension, and keep building it. The last 9 minutes of 'La Scala' are worth the 35 minutes before it, that will, on first listen, seem a little pointless without the climax that fuses everything together.

Better yet, hear for yourself! September 4, 2005

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