As you probably have read and remembered from posts I have made, Doreen, I am a little bit of a Keith Jarrett fanatic.
I have collected nearly all his albums, and there are many of them. I listen to the solo improvs quite frequently.
"The Koln Concert" is one of his earliest, and while the best-selling keyboard solo performance of its time when it came out, is only one of the many recorded performances of solo, improvised work.
Here is a link discussing some of the others:
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~lnewton/musi ... ketch.html
This whole website is worth reading if you are a Keith Jarrett fan, as I am.
Keith Jarrett ( who is the same age I am-- born 1945) was a child prodigy and performed Bach keyboard inventions and other works in public to sizeable audiences when he was five and six.
He has recorded Mozart concerti with orchestras from Europe and a great deal of Bach keyboard music. Along with Glenn Gould he is my favorite Bach keyboardist.
Jarrett is a prolific ensemble player, and his Standards trio with Gary Peacock and Jack deJohnette has recorded many excellent albums. "At the Deer Head Inn" and "Still Live" ( 2 disk set) are notable. I also own the complete six nights at the Blue Note, recorded in the nineties. Jarrett has played with many famous groups, from Miles Davis on down.
http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presen ... arrett.php
( nice little blurb at this CalBerkeley website announcement. Gary Peacock, a world-class jazz bassist, is the thin man in the center. The poor bastard is battling cancer at the moment . . .)
In all, I suppose I own about forty Jarrett albums.
Jarrett is also a highly inventive and tuneful composer.
He plays many instruments, including flute, guitar, drums, and all the saxes. And he plays them well.
He has a recording studio in his home where he makes his own records and multi-tracks ensemble pieces, like Lightning Rod and you do.
He suffered for three years from chronic fatigue syndrome and has only recently resumed concertizing.
Just a little background on one of the most inventive, prolific and exciting keyboard players on the planet.
The young pianist Brad Mehldau, whom I like very much ( and have recommended to you), and who, like Jarrett, is influenced by one of my favorite musicians, the late Great Bill Evans, has studied Jarrett extensively. You can hear it in Brad's playing.
--Z