Always Let Me Go: Live in Tokyo [Live]

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In the liner notes of 2001's Inside Out, Keith Jarrett told us that he and his long-running standards trio would be doing more unscripted free music in the future. Recorded live in Japan, this double-CD is everything this world-class trio is capable of when they are mining pure inspiration to improvise. While in the past this group has taken standards and radically reworked them, here Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette begin with the leap of improvisation: short cells of tuneful melody pop up and fade; a soloist pulls the music in new directions; ideas and interplay reach epic proportions (with two tunes passing the half-hour mark). All in all, this is a fine representation of the band, working at each member's highest creative level. Whereas many groups travel the same old paths after years of working together, this trio rightly chooses new branches, using that long-running trust and familiarity to set off in search of the new and revel in its vibrancy. Bravo. --Tad Hendrickson

Tracks:

Hearts In Space
The River
Tributaries
Paradox

Tracks:

Waves
Facing East
Tsunami
Relay

Amazon.com

In the liner notes of 2001's Inside Out, Keith Jarrett told us that he and his long-running standards trio would be doing more unscripted free music in the future. Recorded live in Japan, this double-CD is everything this world-class trio is capable of when they are mining pure inspiration to improvise. While in the past this group has taken standards and radically reworked them, here Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette begin with the leap of improvisation: short cells of tuneful melody pop up and fade; a soloist pulls the music in new directions; ideas and interplay reach epic proportions (with two tunes passing the half-hour mark). All in all, this is a fine representation of the band, working at each member's highest creative level. Whereas many groups travel the same old paths after years of working together, this trio rightly chooses new branches, using that long-running trust and familiarity to set off in search of the new and revel in its vibrancy. Bravo. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

April 23 and 24 2001 stages in Tokyo, splendid!.......2004-12-13

When their previous album "Inside out" appeared, truly "Free Jazz" by this trio was since the Album "Changes". This album goes further to be truly free, such as "341 free fade" in CD "Inside out". Disk 1 of this ablum was from the stage Part 1 on April 23, 2001 at Tokyo (Shibuya). Tunes 1 - 3 were played without stop (and without applause) because I (we) could not predict how the three players proceeded. Especially, "Tributaries" was splendid. It starts with a quiet rhythm by base and drum and progresses to the earthy ultimate. This sounds like sophisticated "Death and Flowers" in the 21 century. "Paradox" was the last tune of April 23 Tokyo concert. I did not go the April 24, 2001 concert, but disk 2 of this album is from stage Part I on the night. The play on the night was harder featuring DeJohonette's drum than the night before. It is funny that his drum sometimes sounds like Japanese traditional Drum (Taiko) on Disk 2. Only the "Relay" seems to be taken from the concert on April 30, 2001 Tokyo (Ueno).

During the Japan tour, also standards were played but only free tunes are selected in this album. I like this album for this reason. Big tunes e.g. "Hearts in space" and "Waves" sound best for their avant-guard tone and rhythm. The interactions of the three when Keith poses a phrase with new rhythm are far beyond the level found in "Inside out". Thus, this album should be regarded to persue different musical fulfillment compared to other albums, basically based on standards. This album is well satisfactory judging from the liner note in "Inside out" by Keith that is saying "the play by this trio will be much more hard and free". I do not really understand the direction of this trio because their recent two CD are based on standards and no truly free tune is included. Personally, I look forward to listening much more free tunes by this trio, as further development of their free style. Fourth instrument may be added to aid their fulfillment of free style.

WHAT IF YOU'RE NOT THE TYPE?.......2004-11-30

Listeners to this CD will fall into four general groups:

1.) Creative/Edgy Types. For the most part, these are musicians as well. Creative/Edgy types find "free jazz" refreshing, inspirational and sometimes even relaxing. They get a genuine kick out of accomplished musicians just letting it all hang out in steam of consciousness improvisation. Those experienced with various musical scales and works of the past musicians will even be able to follow "the conversation". Creative/Edgy types may be the best qualified to judge particular pieces of "free jazz"-unfortunately they are largely incapable of explaining their appreciation to those outside their circle.

2.) Phony And Pretentious Avant Garde: Unfortunately, we all know someone like this. They have no real appreciation or love for "free jazz" of any kind; but they wish to count themselves as among the "elect" who "get it". They will speak disparagingly of the philistines who reject such fine art; but one suspects that when no one else is around they secretly listen to Britney Spears or Garth Brooks.

3.) Struggling But Not Up To It Music Lovers: These are folk who genuinely love music from many different genres and try to give "free jazz" a chance. They love jazz and particular jazz musicians. They may even be fans. And so they try to listen and learn to appreciate these excursions musicians they really respect find so revitalizing. Bits and pieces may be interesting-but for the most part "free jazz" passing them by.

4.) "I Know What I Like And This Isn't It" Crowd: Admittedly the largest group in this discussion. Resources are small, dollars scarce, and time short-so why waste any of the preceding for music that doesn't have a beat, you can't dance to, or whistle as you walk down the street. You have to give some grudging respect to these honest "every men". When all is said and done is it this group that pays the bills. There are stories of the Paris audiences rioting in rage and disgust at the premiere performances of Stravinsky's "Rites Of Spring". On the one hand, you could look down your nose at "those who can't recognize real art". On the other hand, there is something commendable about quite intelligent people thinking for themselves and letting the "artiste" know what they think by throwing chairs around and burning the curtains.

I for the most part belong in group #3; but on occasion I mess up and slip into group #4. Wild horses would have to drag me a "live" concert of "free jazz" for fear that I might suddenly leap for my chair and start a fist fight with the musicians. My own desire is to give "free jazz" a chance occasionally in order to expand my musical horizons. After all, music I once hated in the past I have come around to embrace and love today. But I have to admit that the initial exposure is somewhat akin to having the hairs in my nose ripped out.

Keith Jarrett is no stranger to free-form improvisation as demonstrated by his landmark KOLN CONCERT (1975) and SOLO CONCERTS (1973) albums in the mid-1970's. My brother who is an actual musician and an optometrist once told me that when he got an office of his own that he would fill the waiting room with a tape loop of Jarrett's SUN BEAR CONCERTS album. Indeed, after all these years I have developed a certain fondness for "Part I"-the first cut on KOLN CONCERT. But I must confess that I found it a great relief when Jarrett switched to his "standards" performances long ago. I simply found Jarrett's more "conventional" records more superior and enjoyable.

My reaction to ALWAYS LET ME GO thus is quite predictable. I want to be on Jarrett's side on this; but for the most part I can only take these improvisations in bits and chunks. Most of these cuts initially sound like mice are running across the instruments. There are great stretches of chaotic noise with small islands of brilliant playing that suddenly appear and catch your interest like suddenly waking from a deep sleep wide awake. These "small islands" float to the surface only to disappear moments later.

Strangely enough, the most effective cuts on this CD are the longest. "Waves" and "Hearts In Space" clock in at over 30 minutes each. Notes of chaos and brief flashes of melody and inspiration float in and out of conscious thought; but when these pieces end one is left with a feeling of deep satisfaction. In the wake of these two cuts, the rest simply pale in comparison. Taken by themselves, one can listen to the shorter pieces with some benefit and enjoyment but they are not quite as rewarding.

It seems that you just can't listen to this kind of music as you normally would more mainstream jazz. You have to relax and let the music work on you. This can be quite frustrating if you can't take it on its own terms-which admittedly I can't a good deal of the time. Thus Jarrett's following album UP FOR IT comes as sweet water after a parched walk through the desert.

My advice is to consult the list of people types above and honestly confess at least to yourself who you are.

If you are a number 4, stay away. By all means, if you are newly tipping your toe into jazz, don't start here.

If you are a number 3, maybe try it. Success may depend on the mood you are in and your ability to just listen to a cut or two at a time

If you are a number 1, this will be manna from heaven. The album will come like love letters from God. Buy it now.

If you are a number 2, please stay away from this album and spare the rest of us your verbal diarrhea. I find you guys everywhere and you just spoil it for the rest of us.

Free, playful, spellbinding.......2004-10-08

Keith Jarrett (piano), Gary Peacock (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums): their collective resume is impeccable. Their usual method as a trio is to stick to common standards (inventive though the reworkings may be), but they've got some good experience in the more freeform jazz camp as well. On 2001's Inside Out they tried scrapping the framework and improvising from scratch, and liked the result so much that they delivered over two hours of similar explorations with Always Let Me Go. I'd recommend Inside Out to anyone, Jarrett fan or not, and if you like it enough to want more, you'll probably want to eat this one up. It's a jewel.

ALMG isn't free jazz in the sense of being tuneless or formless - well, most of the time - but in the sense that the forms & melodies emerge on the spot as a collective creation (and it remains beautifully listenable, which isn't always a given in the free-jazz camp). Throughout the whole course of the album they're constantly listening and responding to each other in a beautiful three-way dialogue. The water theme that runs through the titles is very appropriate, as everything they do is in a perpetual state of flowing and changing, never quite repeating itself.

"Waves," for example, begins with Keith starting a quiet little melody on his own. Gary picks it up and fleshes it out. Jack stays quiet, as any percussion at this point would be out of place, but begins adding a splash or two once things start picking up. All three finally hit the groove together at around eight minutes. Then Jack takes over, his relentless clattering pushing the others into a busier and busier jam. The others stop on a dime as Keith switches gears into a loose rambling line; then they start up again as a trio as fast as they stopped, this time staying in hyper mode for a couple minutes. Then, as if on cue, everything goes quiet again before Gary takes the lead into something slow and almost bluesy.

You get the picture. It's all like this. They don't really know where they're going, but the richness of the journey is how they get there together.

The fact that we get the proceedings without any fades (as there were on Inside Out) means that it can seem to drag in spots; two tracks alone run over half an hour each. So for those who don't care for the aimless-sounding stuff, ALMG will probably seem 20 or 25 minutes longer than it needs to be. But for those listeners who want to hear the whole process unfold at its own pace, beginning to end, here's everything presented as it happened. It's a wonderful and colorful ride.

Here's to new explorations.

4.5.......2004-10-05

To the KJ fans who disparage this release, open your minds. Yes, Disc 1 opens with free, free jazz but like always, Jarrett's conflicts resolve. Tributaries is mesmerizing, like the Jarrett compositions on the Blue Note sets. And it's completely improvised. DeJohnette's drums on this track are simply amazing. And Paradox could be any strong be-bob standard. Disc 2 follows with more of the same. And to accuse these men of flaunting egos!! That's exactly what I want out of these amazing musicians.

Random and Strange.......2004-09-02

Ok, I'm missing the 'Genius' here. Being a huge KJ fan I find this double CD terribly egotistical and equally unlistenable. I agree 100% with the 1 star review below.

Basically what you get is a bunch of random improvisation (the 3 instrumentalists playing 3 different songs at once). There are a few sweets spots when Jarrett decides to stop playing random disonnace but for the most part this is Jazz grandstanding at it's worst. Lack of melody, rythym or coherency. Just ego. Even worse, Jarrett's signature vocal atonal grunts, moans and squeaks are here in full force to detract from what quality Jazz there is. I'll stick with his standards.

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