In 1975, while I was working for Charisma Records. I happened to be in Cologne for reasons I can't recall, and heard about the Keith Jarrett concert from Vera Brandes, the very youthful (only 18 yrs old!) promoter, who pulled off a major coup in getting Jarrett in the first place and then overcoming several serious setbacks (one regarding the grand piano he was to use) to stage the concert. It didn't start until nearly midnight and as I had only found out about it at the last minute I didn't get a seat, but stood just inside one of the many entry doors of the Opera House. It didn't matter though, because I was so entranced by Jarrett's performance that I didn't even notice.
My main memory is of his intensity...he moaned, groaned,swayed, stood up, sat down, stood up again...segueing effortlessly from passage to passage, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings and the enraptured audience. Time just flew by and suddenly it was over... the audience, who were certainly aware that they had witnessed something really special, were applauding wildly, relishing their good fortune at having witnessed it...and I have to say, I was too.
Interestingly, the ECM double album (which I still have)has no liner notes or any information whatsoever about the concert, other than the barest details of what was played and for how long. The Wikipedia page, however, gives a very good description of the event and the background to it.
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