To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the formation of one of the greatest piano trios of all time, Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack Dejohnette, ECM records released Somewhere, a new live recording by the trio. The music features many of the hallmarks that have made the three artists so widely lauded among music lovers, such as unique renditions of popular tunes and extended improvisation, as well as four new tunes that have been touring staples but have yet to be released officially.
The album begins with an improvised introduction, entitled “Deep Space,” that walks a fine line between free improvisation and melodic allusion. This track leads into a stunning rendition of the Miles Davis song “Solar” marked by a highly unconventional opening head section, which features the melody in a lower register and plentiful use of free space between the three musicians.
The next song, “Stars Fell on Alabama,” continues the song selection’s celestial theme, but more importantly, features the trio at its most melodic as the three musicians really slow down and take their time to express the song to its fullest capabilities. Showing true musical elasticity, the trio moves from the more slow-jazz feel of “Alabama” to a bouncing swing rendition of the Arlen/Koehler classic “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” that is seeped in the blues tradition.
Up until this point, the album has been very good, but what sets this offering and this trio apart is the title track “Somewhere” taken from Leonard Bernstein’s musical, West Side Story. The song features one of Gary Peacock’s finest solos, but at the six-minute mark, it transforms into “Everywhere,” which is a moniker applied after the fact to name an extended improvised piece of music that developed spontaneously at this particular concert.
“Everywhere” is the highlight of Somewhere as it develops from a slow outro into a full-blown rhythmic dance that captivates the listener. To follow this monumental song to its full musical capacity, the trio blows through another tune from West Side Story, “Tonight,” which highlights Jarrett’s virtuosity and Dejohnette’s ability to make a drum kit sing. The album concludes with the classic tune “I Thought About You,” which has been featured on several Jarrett recordings, but never fails to please the ear. What sets this version apart is the direct allusion to the opening melody of Gershwin classic “I Loves You Porgy,” which features the same ascending major seventh chord as the trio comes back in from the bass solo.
Whether you are a casual jazz fan or a devoted Jarrett lover, Somewhere is sure to please even the most capricious ear. The quality of Martin Pearson’s sound production is so high that it urges all listeners to invest in a high-fidelity sound system to revel in the richness of the tone. Furthermore, the quality of the trio’s playing is of the highest calibre and is free from artifice or affectation. As Peacock recently pointed out in Downbeat Magazine: “Once you get to that point where you don’t feel like you have to make a statement anymore, you enter a space of enormous freedom.” In other words, you enter a space where the only possibility left is music itself.”
