Keith Jarrett - My Song

Doors at the Shablul club open an hour and a half before the show starts. It's recommended to arrive close to door-opening time. When people talk about Keith Jarrett, they usually think first of the virtuoso pianist and his improvised solo performances. But alongside these, in the 1970s, Jarrett's 'European Quartet' was active, leaving a deep mark on European jazz: Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, Swedish bassist Palle Danielsson, and Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen. My Song, recorded in 1977 and released a year later on ECM, is considered one of the quartet's creative peaks and the album most identified with it. What makes My Song a masterpiece is the rare connection between melody and improvisation. Jarrett wrote all six pieces on the album, and instead of showing off complexity for its own sake, he created music with clear, almost song-like melodies, alongside enormous room for freedom. His piano and Garbarek's one-of-a-kind sound carry on a constant conversation, while Danielsson and Christensen give the music movement and flexibility. The result can be quiet and contemplative one moment and stormy and free the next — a sound very different from that of Jarrett's American quartet, and one that became one of the hallmarks of European jazz and of ECM. There is also something beautiful in how the album came to be: the recording in Oslo came after a run of nine joint performances, so that by the time the quartet entered the studio, the music had already been tested on stage and the connection between the four musicians was at its peak. The quartet itself was active for only a few years, but the sound it created continued to resonate and influence long after. The title track, My Song, became the best known of Jarrett's works from this period, but the whole album — from Questar and Country to The Journey Home — displays his rare ability to write music that sounds at once simple and natural, yet opens into a rich world of improvisation. The tribute will be led by saxophonist and composer Leni Sandersky, who was born in St. Petersburg, studied and worked in Denmark, and later settled in Israel. Over the years he built an international career as a composer and performer and collaborated with musicians including Randy Brecker and Joe Locke. Sandersky, who plays alto and soprano saxophone, steps here into the role so closely identified with Jan Garbarek — but brings to it his own musical voice. Alongside him on piano is Gadi Stern, one of the founders of the SHALOSH trio and one of the most active Israeli pianists on the international scene. Stern lived for close to a decade in New York, where he developed within the local jazz scene. His playing, marked by a strong melodic sense and rhythmic freedom, makes the encounter with Jarrett's music especially intriguing. Completing the quartet are David Michaeli on bass and Aviv Bona on drums. At the heart of the evening will be pieces from My Song, alongside tracks from Belonging — the European quartet's first album, in which the distinctive sound that reached full maturity on My Song began to take shape. Leni Sandersky – saxophone Gadi Stern – piano David Michaeli – bass Aviv Bona – drums