Keith Jarrett is nothing less than a living legend. Audiences flock to his rare performances in the world's finest concert halls, and it is his unique ability to create music in the moment that has made him most famous - his spontaneous improvisations often sound as if they've been carefully composed over time. His 1975 album, The Köln Concert, catapulted him onto the world stage, and - at 4 million copies and counting - is the best-selling solo piano recording of all time. In 2005, Keith Jarrett played his first US solo concert in a decade on the stage of Carnegie Hall, America's most celebrated venue. One year later to the day, this electrifying night of music will be released.Since being afflicted in the late '90s with chronic fatigue syndrome, which kept him on the sidelines for several years, Keith Jarrett has had to reinvent himself as a performer. It's no slight on his classic live recitals of the past to suggest that has proven to be a fruitful development. In moving away from his long, inwardly streaming, lyrically sustained works and adopting a more easygoing episodic approach, he has become more accessible (and less windy) without sacrificing intensity or the freedom to draw upon all manner of styles including blues, gospel, and Americana. Recorded in 2005, The Carnegie Hall Concert features a 10-part piece that runs a gamut of moods and emotions. The enjoyable encore portion consists of three new originals, including a standard, "Time on My Hands," and a rare, enthusiastically received Jarrett oldie, "My Song," from the '70s. This is the 61-year-old artist's 25th solo album for ECM--most in a jazz genre but some classical, most on piano but some on organ and harpsichord and even wind instruments. It leaves you looking forward to number 26. --Lloyd Sachs
