Keith Jarrett
Radiance
(ECM 986 9818)

Four years ago, Keith Jarrett announced that he was unlikely ever to attempt another solo piano recital. But in 2002, he decided to risk it with two concerts in Japan and this double CD is the result. Earlier improvisations were vast, epic affairs, hugely demanding of mental and physical stamina. These sets take a different format, consisting of separate pieces. Jarrett builds his improvisations from scratch, but once the flow of ideas starts, everything sounds seamless. In this case, despite great contrasts from one piece to another, there is still that sense of unity and flow.