Trio Live at Open Theater East 1993 [VHS]

I've been a Jarrett fan since the early 70's, own most of his recordings, and have seen him live both solo and with the trio numerous times, so I am very familiar with his vocalizations. I break them into two categories - hoops/hollers/moans/groans and "singing" along with the melody he is playing.

The hoops/hollers/moans/groans don't bother me at all...it simply shows how into the music he is, and for me it doesn't detract from the music. The "singing", as others have stated, you can learn to ignore. And frankly, in most of the recordings that I am familiar with, Mr. Jarrett's vocalizations are low enough in the mix to allow one to ignore them.

However, I must admit that with this DVD, the vocalizations are exceptionally loud (perhaps because of the excellent recording quality), grossly off and out of tune (more so than on any other recording that I own), and frankly on some pieces incredibly, and sadly, distracting.

Should you buy it? Folks, there are moments of sheer brilliance on this recording, and for the music sans vocalizations, this is a 5 star recording. I have played the DVD constantly since purchasing it, as I just love these guys. But in my view, the vocalizations are much more pronounced and annoying on this DVD that on the other Jarrett DVDs. Thus, I rate this DVD 4 stars.


my 2 cents   January 31, 2003
John Bertrand (Los Angeles, CA United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

The musicianship and the quality of the filming and audio recording are simply outstanding, and it seems there is general agreement on this. The controversy concerns Mr. Jarrett's vocalizations. Here's my 2 cents:

I've been a Jarrett fan since the early 70's, own most of his recordings, and have seen him live both solo and with the trio numerous times, so I am very familiar with his vocalizations. I break them into two categories - hoops/hollers/moans/groans and "singing" along with the melody he is playing.

The hoops/hollers/moans/groans don't bother me at all...it simply shows how into the music he is, and for me it doesn't detract from the music. The "singing", as others have stated, you can learn to ignore. And frankly, in most of the recordings that I am familiar with, Mr. Jarrett's vocalizations are low enough in the mix to allow one to ignore them.

However, I must admit that with this DVD, the vocalizations are exceptionally loud (perhaps because of the excellent recording quality), grossly off and out of tune (more so than on any other recording that I own), and frankly on some pieces incredibly, and sadly, distracting.

Should you buy it? Folks, there are moments of sheer brilliance on this recording, and for the music sans vocalizations, this is a 5 star recording. I have played the DVD constantly since purchasing it, as I just love these guys. But in my view, the vocalizations are much more pronounced and annoying on this DVD that on the other Jarrett DVDs. Thus, I rate this DVD 4 stars.


Good concert if you like backround noise in your videos !   September 22, 2002
8 out of 13 found this review helpful

I've been a Keith Jarrett fan for many years, I have most of his CDs but this is my first video of Keith. The best way to describe this video would be, if you're trying to listen to somebody talk in a room and everybody else in the room is speaking at the same volume. Isn't that annoying ? well that's what this video is all about. It's a peculiar thing because I've always heard Keith make these ridiculous, meaningless, out of tune noises but for some reason when you actually see it live in concert it really seems much more distracting and almost intolerable to watch. Believe me, all these people that are complaining about Keith's ridiculous noises are not exaggerating. I even went to the extreme to try and equalize(with a 24 band equalizer) most of it out but unfortunately to no avail. So, to sum up the whole thing, good video but major unnecessary distractions !


Best Jazz DVD I Own   August 24, 2002
Le Kang (Le Monde)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

I really wish all jazz DVDs were like this. No gimmicks, no useless documentary, just amazing jazz from possibly the most acclaimed trio still playing today. The sound quality is impeccable, allowing you to really appreciate Jarrett's poignant lyricism. Out of all the live jazz I've seen, only Jarrett has moved me to tears with the pure beauty of his playing. This DVD is a great capture of a great live performance.

Jarrett and his Trio are acclaimed for bringing standards back to the modern jazz limelight. The decades-old chemistry between Jarrett, Peacock, and DeJohnette is obvious from their remarkable interaction in this concert.

Although I've never heard Jarrett play a bad set, this one exceeds my expectations. I've always been partial to the trio's "Bye Bye Blackbird", but other tracks like "Oleo" and "Solar" are among the true gems on this DVD.

The performance is wonderfully warm and live, with shots lingering just long enough to let you take it all in without engaging in the hyperactive camera work plaguing some music DVDs today. It's entertaining to see Jarrett lose his time in the first solo chorus of "Oleo", as former Miles-sideman DeJohnette throws him off with all sorts of off-beat explorations. Many complain about Jarrett's signature groans and horribly out-of-tune whining, but any Jarrett fan quickly learns to naturally filter them out. If you really have a problem with that sort of thing, don't buy this DVD or you will be distracted and more than a little disgruntled. On the other hand, if you can bear it this DVD is one of the best jazz DVDs out there.