Keith Jarrett: “My Song,” 1978

Keith Jarrett’s My Song is infused with a sublime simplicity and directness. It first appeared as the title track on a 1978 studio album featuring Jarrett with his “European Quartet.” (The collaboration involved the Scandinavian jazz musicians, Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen). Over the years, My Song returned in Jarrett’s improvisatory solo piano concerts. It has become a standard with other jazz artists such as guitarist Pat Metheny.

Here is a performance from Keith Jarrett’s December 12, 1978 solo piano concert in Tokyo. The venue was the enormous Budokan, an indoor arena frequented by rock and pop acts. Performing acoustically, Jarrett was positioned on a stage in the middle of the arena, surrounded by an audience of 12,000.

Jarrett’s intimate melody opens the door to an adventurous and moving improvisation filled with longing and ultimate repose.

Recordings

  • Jarrett: My Song, Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson, Jon Christensen Amazon

Featured Image: photograph by Henry Leutwyler

About Timothy Judd

A native of Upstate New York, Timothy Judd has been a member of the Richmond Symphony violin section since 2001. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he earned the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, studying with world renowned Ukrainian-American violinist Oleh Krysa.

The son of public school music educators, Timothy Judd began violin lessons at the age of four through Eastman’s Community Education Division. He was a student of Anastasia Jempelis, one of the earliest champions of the Suzuki method in the United States.

A passionate teacher, Mr. Judd has maintained a private violin studio in the Richmond area since 2002 and has been active coaching chamber music and numerous youth orchestra sectionals.

In his free time, Timothy Judd enjoys working out with Richmond’s popular SEAL Team Physical Training program.

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