NEW RELEASES : Keith Jarrett Goes It Alone With Only Mixed Results

KEITH JARRETT “Vienna Concert” ECM * * 1/2

The pianist, who may have inadvertently ushered in the era of New Age piano with his immensely popular, improvised solo concerts during the ‘70s, returns to that unaccompanied format after a lengthy hiatus.

Like his prior solo efforts, Jarrett’s two-part program, recorded last December in Austria, pays homage to no one musical style. For instance, in Part One the pianist moves from a meditative series of chords that he deftly embellishes with splashes of color to a bluesy, gospel-like phrase, then to a frenetic free-form passage that resembles the streets of Manhattan at rush hour. Later a pop-like anthem leads to a quiet finish.

Jarrett plays brilliantly throughout--his touch is exquisite, his execution flawless, his sudden employment of dynamics startlingly welcome. Still, much of this music is minimalistic--subtle variations on a number of mini-themes--and the numerous repetitions of these ideas ultimately diminishes a listener’s interest.

The artist has recently worked to great aesthetic success in a trio setting playing pop standards and jazz classics. That variety of material would make Jarrett’s solo concerts more compelling.