Keith Jarrett

The Survivors’ Suite

ECM. LP Jazz pianist’s late-’70s masterpiece, on vinyl only.

It was hard to pigeonhole Keith Jarrett in the 1970s. A veritable gushing fount of creativity, his myriad releases ranged from studious solo piano recitals to opulent orchestral suites and envelope-pushing small ensemble albums. Some of his most adventurous and groundbreaking work came via his American quartet, which featured saxophonist, Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Paul Motian. Undoubtedly, their most potent offering together was 1977’s The Survivors’ Suite, a sprawling yet multi-faceted 49-minute piece split across two sides of vinyl. Displaying an oftoverlooked versatility, Jarrett alternates between saxophone, bass recorder and percussion as well as his customary piano, but his greatest strength here is as a composer. He sustains the listener’s interest by creating a continuous ebb and flow of contrasting ideas and moods,