''The Melody at Night, with You'' is a solo album by American pianist
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 at his home studio in 1998 and released on
ECM
ECM may refer to:
Economics and commerce
* Engineering change management
* Equity capital markets
* Error correction model, an econometric model
* European Common Market
Mathematics
* Elliptic curve method
* European Congress of Mathematics
...
October the following year.
Background
It was recorded during his bout with
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 ...
and was dedicated to Jarrett's second and then-wife, Rose Anne: "For Rose Anne, who heard the music, then gave it back to me."
In an interview in ''Time'' magazine in November 1999, he explained
"I started taping it in December 1997, as a Christmas present for my wife. I'd just had my Hamburg Steinway overhauled and wanted to try it out, and I have my studio right next to the house, so if I woke up and had a half-decent day, I would turn on the tape recorder and play for a few minutes. I was too fatigued to do more. Then something started to click with the mike placement, the new action of the instrument,... I could play so soft,... and the internal dynamics of the melodies... of the songs... It was one of those little miracles that you have to be ready for, though part of it was that I just didn't have the energy to be clever."
The album contains eight
jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...
s, two traditional songs, and, uncharacteristically for Jarrett, only one improvisation ("Meditation", the second half of track six).
Reception
The album was very successful commercially, becoming one of the best-selling jazz instrumental albums of the 2000s, and winning a number of awards; The second track, "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)", was nominated for the 2001
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.
The critical reception was more mixed, however, with some critics praising its intimacy, while others criticized its simplicity. On the negative side, the
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 2½ stars (out of 5) and states, "these performances lack color, contrast and life; and while you pull for Jarrett to summon the energy to make music again, the results are touching for a while but soon pall."
[Ginell, R. S. ]Allmusic Review
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
accessed July 6, 2020
On the positive side, it was ranked the No. 2 Jazz album in the
DownBeat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
"Critics Poll 2000", and
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
rated it an ''A''.
[Further reviews: Q (2/00, p.90), 4 stars out of 5; DownBeat (8/00, p.27); JazzTimes (1-2/00, pp. 95–6)] The authors of ''
The Penguin Guide to Jazz
''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...
'' awarded the album 4 stars, calling it "a record of fragile magnificence, a sequence of filigreed songs from a common musical past... It is a quite simply magnificent record, swinging in a way that Jarrett has rarely before been swinging... and sweetly melodic."
Writing for DownBeat, John Ephland commented: "the playing on this solo-piano recording is subdued, but does not lack for earnestness, passion or focus. The music is exquisite, unnerving and disarming, as the virtuoso bypasses flourish, instead choosing to speak plainly."
Track listing
:''All tracks are jazz standards or traditional songs (5 & 9), by other composers, except the second half of track 6 ("Meditation"), which is an improvisation by Jarrett:''
# "
I Loves You, Porgy
"I Loves You, Porgy" is a duet from the 1935 opera ''Porgy and Bess'' with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was performed in the opera's premiere in 1935 and on Broadway the same year by Anne Brown and Todd Duncan. They reco ...
" (
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
,
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...
,
Dubose Heyward) - 5:50
# "
I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" is a pop and jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster published in 1941. It was introduced in the musical revue ''Jump for Joy'' by Ivie Anderson, who also provided the v ...
" (
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
,
Paul Francis Webster
Paul Francis Webster (December 20, 1907 – March 18, 1984) was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and was nominated sixteen times for the award.
Life and career
Webster was born in New York City, United St ...
) - 7:10
# "Don't Ever Leave Me" (
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...
,
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...
) - 2:47
# "
Someone to Watch over Me" (Gershwin, Gershwin) - 5:05
# "My Wild Irish Rose" (Traditional) - 5:21
# "
Blame It on My Youth
"Blame It on My Youth" is a jazz standard written by Oscar Levant (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics) in 1934.
Recorded versions
*1934: The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (vocal by Bob Crosby) - recorded for Decca Records (catalog 320) on November 1 ...
/Meditation" (
Edward Heyman
Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films.
Biogr ...
,
Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian and actor. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for reco ...
/Jarrett) - 7:19
# "Something to Remember You By" (
Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz.
Biography
Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia Colle ...
,
Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz.
Biography
Early life
Schwartz was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on Novem ...
) - 7:15
# "
Be My Love
"Be My Love" is a popular song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Nicholas Brodszky. Published in 1950, it was written for Mario Lanza, who sang it with Kathryn Grayson in the 1950 movie ''The Toast of New Orleans''. The song was nominated f ...
" (
Nicholas Brodszky
Nicholas "Slug" Brodszky (russian: Николай Бродский; April 20, 1905December 24, 1958) was a composer of popular songs for the theatre and for films.
Brodszky was born in Odessa, Russian Empire, into a Jewish family, who moved to ...
,
Sammy Cahn
Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premier ...
) - 5:38
# "
Shenandoah" (Traditional) - 5:52
# "I'm Through With Love" (
Gus Kahn
Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' By ...
,
Fud Livingston
Joseph Anthony "Fud" Livingston (April 10, 1906 – March 25, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger, and composer.
Career
In the 1920s, he performed with Ben Pollack and served as his arranger (to summer 1925, and again ...
,
Matty Malneck
Matthew Michael "Matty" Malneck (December 9, 1903 – February 25, 1981) was an American jazz violinist, songwriter, and arranger.
Career
Born in 1903, Malneck's career as a violinist began when he was age 16. He was a member of the Paul White ...
) - 2:56
Personnel
* Keith Jarrett –
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
Production
* Manfred Eicher – producer
* Keith Jarrett – producer, engineer
* Sascha Kleis – design
* Daniela Nowitzki – cover photography
* Rose Anne Jarrett – liner photography
References
External links
*
The Melody at Night, With You – review in All About Jazz, Glenn Astarita, November 1, 1999
*
The Melody at Night, With You – review in All About Jazz, David Adler, December 1, 1999
Keith Jarrett, "The Melody at Night, With You", ECM Records– review in
JazzTimes
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of growth ...
, Doug Ramsey, January/February 2000
ECM 1675– publisher page
Album background
Transcriptions**
My Wild Irish Rose, transcribed by Evilásio Vilar
**
Shenandoah, transcribed by Douglas Gould
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melody At Night, With You
ECM Records albums
Keith Jarrett albums
1999 albums
Albums produced by Manfred Eicher
Instrumental albums
Solo piano jazz albums