Keith Jarrett - The Melody at Night, With You

This solo recording is a fitting coda for Keith Jarrett's more restrained, less prolific output in the 1990s. The fitful vamps and long, ruminative improvisations that made Jarrett a solo piano star in the '70s are here either stillborn or tightly tethered to classic melodies from the likes of Gershwin and Ellington, yet there is not the slightest hint of repression. Instead, Jarrett sprinkles notes and brings the familiar strains of "I Loves You, Porgy" and "Someone to Watch over Me" to bloom with a dynamic but resonantly earth-toned vibrancy. Rarely has the pianist kept his music so simple and free of pageantry. Audible moans and shenanigans with the piano's sustain pedal are held to a minimum, and even brawny, sing-along stuff like "Shenandoah" and "My Wild Irish Rose" never lapse into sloppy sentimentality--indeed, Jarrett's two-handed caress of the latter song is so delicately self assured, the tune seems to play itself. Among the 10 tracks, only "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" finds the pianist stretching into busy (but still crisp) extended passages. Yes, there are moments when Melody's shimmering standards exude the glazed predictability of cocktail music in a hotel lobby. But those are far outnumbered by the cherished occasions when Jarrett's romanticism rings true. --Britt Robson Amazon.com

Quiet, contemplative music

Keith Jarrett is surely one of the more interesting jazz pianists around. I have his recording of the Shostakovitch 24 Prelude and Fugues and am full of admiration of his courage in straddling the divide between classical music and jazz. That recording is a superb account of one of the great classical piano compositions of the 20th century.
In this CD, we find Jarrett, recovering from a serious illness, in quiet, contemplative mood. This account of standards is almost minimalist. Jarrett presents the themes with little ornamentation and hardly adds much in the way of improvisation. Instead, he lets the tunes breath, enveloping them in quietness. The left hand adds few harmonies -- the mood is almost religious.
This is a good recording to listen to late at night when you're feeling weary and dreamy and would like to drift softly and slowly away. July 7, 2008

Waiting for More

In reply to those who think that the playing on this album is too simple, if any of them can make an album like this one, I'd like to know about it. I'd buy it in a minute. If Keith Jarrett should make one hundred more albums like this one, I'd buy every one. I'd especially like to have Over the Rainbow recorded in a studio without the coughing. I love just about every song on this album but Shenandoah stands out as the best. It is a masterpiece.
April 16, 2008

This is my alltime favorite cd.

Keith Jarrett cannot be bested. This cd is a constant companion in beauty, soul and sound. February 8, 2008

Absolutely beautiful, heartfelt music-making...

This album is simply breathtakingly lovely! A gem from start to finish, this CD is a moving tribute to the piano's ability to establish a mood of calm serenity and peace. Keith Jarrett had already established his place in my heart as one of the great jazz pianists of all time, even before I bought and listened to The Melody At Night, With You. This album showcases his elegantly lyrical side. One can admire his craft: his intelligently balanced emotional/intellectual approach here, knowing when to be simple and understated, knowing just how to voice the chords and progressions. However, as a hopelessly romantic man and musician myself, I enjoy reveling in the tender atmosphere of the music as a whole, the yearning, poignant depictions of the moments which are all too fleeting, and which pass by each of us in the journey of life, too rarely acknowledged or even realized. Thank you, Keith, for this gift! August 5, 2007

Perfection

This solo Piano album from Keith Jarrett is another reminder of the mans remarkable talents. As can be seen from the track listing these are all standards and Jarrett plays them as I have never heard him play before or since. These renditions are almost like recitals. I don't know how much improvisation there is on this album, but I suspect it is less than usual. The reason for this is that the recordings were the first he made during his recovery from the debilitating illness he suffered in the mid 1990's. In fact initially they were recorded only for his Wife and not neccessarily for commercial release.

Jarretts beautiful touch, phrasing and occasionally, such as on "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" his marvellous improvising skills are demonstrated to great effect. Really writing about this is futile, to appreciate this great album you need to listen to it.
June 9, 2007

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