KEITH JARRETT — El Juicio (The Judgement) (review)

KEITH JARRETT — El Juicio (The Judgement) album cover

Album · 1975 · Post Bop

3.5/5 · 2011-12-02
Chicapah

I don’t have enough years left on this mortal coil to become an expert on any jazz musician. There’s just too much music from across the globe to sift through in order to do that unless one begins that task in their teens. Committing sins of severe compromise, I often pick out one album at random from an artist’s catalogue of material and form my opinions about their music from that one sample. I realize that that method is fraught with potholes and may be considered grossly unfair in the long run but my rationale is that every record someone puts out should represent them to some extent, for better or for worse. In the case of Keith Jarrett, all I know is that he’s highly regarded by many jazz aficionados, he was a child prodigy on piano, he worked with folks like Art Blakey, Charles Lloyd and the great Miles Davis and that his live album, “The Köln Concert,” is the best-selling piano recording of all time. (I ran a record shop for a while in the late 70s and I constantly had to restock that LP. I guess I should’ve given it a listen. Duh.) So earlier this year I picked up a copy of his 1971 disc “El Juicio (The Judgement)” out of the used vinyl bins and started playing it as often as possible to see what Mr. Jarrett is about.

He and his talented trio of sidemen start with what turns out to be my favorite cut, “Gypsy Moth.” It owns a cheerful Ramsey Lewis-like groove yet it has a slightly sinister slant as if this particular “In Crowd” is hanging out at the bar in the Hotel Hades rather than the Ritz Carlton. Apart from the exuberant atmosphere that surrounds this song I was immediately drawn to and impressed with the slinky upright bass work of Charlie Haden. Jarrett’s piano solo is mirthfully loose up till Dewey Redman’s tenor saxophone enters and together they run through an involved but intriguing melody line. Redman then proceeds to deliver a sax ride that flies delightfully all over the place while Haden’s bass tactfully weaves in and out of the fray from underneath. All in all it’s a fun aural excursion. “Toll Road” is next, a far less structured number that’s good, no doubt, but doesn’t hold my attention as well. It does give me an opportunity to hear Keith’s remarkable abilities on the soprano sax, though, and I find his style to be fluid and somewhat frolicking in manner. Further kudos to Charlie for his entertaining bass solo and to drummer Paul Motian for keeping this tune from spinning out of control.

“Pardon My Rags” is an unaccompanied piano recital by Jarrett. It’s an intense but terrific piece that’s a cross between Scott Joplin on amphetamines and Art Tatum on Xanax. I really, really like this song as it lifts my mood immediately with every listen. If “Pre-Judgement Atmosphere” is any indication of what sitting in God’s waiting room is going to be like then we need to prepare ourselves for a nerve-racking experience. Cacophonous percussion dominates the first half, followed by a drum solo by Paul that’s ominous and arrhythmic. It’s mercifully short, serving as the intro for the album’s centerpiece, “El Juicio.” This is a 10+ minute busy affair that’s purposefully disjointed and decidedly free-form. While I fully understand and appreciate the skill involved in pulling off such an endeavor as this, it isn’t my preferred brand of jazz. That causes me to observe it from the outside instead of being drawn into it. Once again Haden’s upright bass is the highlight of the number and the odd alien voices, whistles and toots concoct a distinct air of mystery. In other words, if this represents what’s going to go down on Judgment Day then nothing is for certain for anybody. (My advice is to hedge your bets and spend a little time in church. Can’t hurt.)

“Piece for Ornette (L.V.)” is a fast-paced, near-frantic song where Dewey’s alto sax gets to shine, aided to a large extent by Keith’s soprano sax injections. It evolves into a spirited conversation/argument between the two instruments that eventually rises to a fevered pitch with Charlie and Paul racing to keep up. Again, not my cup o’ Lipton, but quite admirable on a wild, torrid level. “Piece for Ornette (S.V.) is a 12-second reprise of the central theme that fits in well as a clever caboose.

If not for the bubbly “Gypsy Moth” and the invigorating “Pardon My Rags” I’d have to compartmentalize this album as being too avant garde for my slightly conservative taste but those two cuts positively affected me so I opt to recommend “El Juicio” as a fine jazz record that touches a lot of bases. While I’m not inclined to go out and blow my allowance on more Keith Jarrett discs immediately, this record indicates to me that I’d enjoy hearing more from him in time. He’s definitely a beast on the ivories and he obviously hangs out/associates with guys who know how to play hot jazz with fervor.