''A Multitude of Angels'' is a four-CD collection of solo piano performances by
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...
recorded in Italy in October 1996 and released by
ECM Records
ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...
twenty years later.
According to ECM, these performances document "the conclusion of Keith Jarrett's experiments with long-form improvisation in performances" and, as Jarrett explains in his liner notes, these were his last concerts with no breaks within each set.
Music and recording
The music comes from four concerts recorded in Italy: in Modena, Ferrara, Torino, and Genova, on October 23, 25, 28, and 30, 1996, respectively.
Jarrett recorded the concerts himself on a
DAT machine.
Each consists of one performance without breaks; these were among the last times that Jarrett took this approach to performance.
After the concerts, he withdrew from playing in public, because of
chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...
.
Release and reception
''A Multitude of Angels'' was released by ECM Records on November 4, 2016.
[ECM Record]
Keith Jarrett: A Multitude of Angels
accessed May 26, 2020
John Fordham of ''
The Guardian'' commented that, "Jarrett has always favoured exhaustive documentation, but the intensity, variety, and astonishing technical command of these performances might well persuade devoted fans and intrigued improv enthusiasts alike of his view that these were landmark moments".
John Garratt of ''
PopMatters'' wrote that, "The four-disc box set ''A Multitude of Angels'' is the new turning point in Jarrett's career where he pushed himself too hard. His temporary illness is our gain.
..Ittells the music world what Keith Jarrett fans already knew – that the man could be an endless fountain of music, a one-man jam-band that only needed 88 keys to balance the Law of Fate with the Law of Accident (according to his liner notes). Since that's the case, this box will not alter anyone's perception of Jarrett or change his reputation overall."
Track listing
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Multitude of Angels, A
ECM Records live albums
Keith Jarrett live albums
2016 live albums