The Köln Concert isn't one of those cliche "jazz" records. First off, it's just Keith Jarrett and a piano, with no band or sidemen to be seen. Second, it's part of the ECM family, best known for exploring the spaces in-between jazz and classical. Finally, it has a really odd history behind it.
This isn't an easy album to get into it. It really shouldn't be something you randomly select in the morning. There are no "songs"; the concert is structured more like movements of a classical piece, and all of them are officially without titles. Each movement drifts about from the ethereal to more tightly syncopated parts. Also, at certain times it sounds like there's a vocalist. That's just Jarrett with his trademark humming, moaning, and grunting along with the music, kind of like the guy at the gym bench-pressing twice his weight and making sure everybody around him knows how heavy it is. Doubly weird is Jarrett's notorious intolerance for any audience "participation", right down to the errant cough. So for God's sake, don't perceive this as an invitation to start singing along!
As previously mentioned, there's quite a few stories buzzing around this particular recording. Most interesting is that the piano itself was certifiably awful, due to some confusion beyond Jarrett's control. Amazingly, he adapted his style to compensate for the instrument's liabilities. In the end, he got the last laugh, as this album would end up being the biggest-selling solo jazz performance album in history and probably one of if not the landmark ECM recording.
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