Keith Jarrett's 1975 Köln Concert: African, European, and South Asian Musical Syncretism in American Jazz

Music scholars have hailed jazz pianist Keith Jarrett’s 1975 Köln Concert, an hour long concert of free piano improvisations, as one of his greatest accomplishments (Elsdon 2013). Gernot Blume (2013) examined the Northern... [ view full abstract ]

Music scholars have hailed jazz pianist Keith Jarrett’s 1975 Köln Concert, an hour long concert of free piano improvisations, as one of his greatest accomplishments (Elsdon 2013). Gernot Blume (2013) examined the Northern Indian classical music influences on the concert, a unique perspective on a definitive American jazz performance. Jazz musicologists, including Ted Gioia in his History of Jazz (1998), largely emphasized the African and European musical foundations of jazz music, but overlooked subsequent musical influences. This presentation will synthesize information from Blume, Gioia, and other musicologists to clearly delineate such successive influences, specifically in Jarrett’s Köln Concert. As I will demonstrate, the performance specifically exemplified the convergence of African, European and South Asian musical influences, confirming a unique syncretism within jazz music. I will first illustrate the distinct musical principles and instrumental styles of Africa, Europe, and South East Asia that both jazz composers and instrumentalists have adopted. In this illustration, I will draw on secondary research, specific musical examples, and my own experiences as a jazz performer to argue for the relevance of African, European, and South East Asian musical influences on American jazz. I will then analyze Jarrett’s Köln Concert in relation to these collective influences, clearly defining the specific cultural roots of Jarrett’s playing style and compositional choices. This presentation ultimately serves to provide fresh insights into the Eastward view of American jazz instrumentalists.