''The Survivors' Suite'' is an album by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett featuring his 'American Quartet' ensemble which included

Dewey Redman Walter Dewey Redman (May 17, 1931 – September 2, 2006) was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett. Redman mainly played tenor saxophone, though he occasionally also played al ...

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

, and

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. He first came to prominence in the ...

. It represents the first album they recorded for ECM and in terms of music it has been widely considered to find the group at its pinnacle. Initially published in January 1977, vinyl was reissued in April 2017 as audiophile pressing taken from the original analog tapes.EC
The Survivors' suite, Keith Jarrett
accessed May 16, 2020

Original notes

In the original ECM 1085 vinyl and CD issues this quote can be found (no author stated, possibly by Keith Jarrett):

Conception and composition

Regarding sound, venues, composition and orchestration, in a February 2009 interview conducted by

Stuart Nicholson Stuart Nicholson may refer to: * Stuart Nicholson (footballer) (born 1987), English footballer * Stuart Nicholson (jazz historian) (born 1948), British jazz historian, biographer, music journalist, music critic, and academic * Stuart Nicholson (org ...

, Keith Jarrett stated that:

Critical reception

According to some sources, it was voted ''Jazz Album of the Year'' 1978 by the extinct Melody Maker. In their review, it was noted that "The Survivors' Suite is a brilliantly organized and full-blooded work which provides the perfect setting for all four talents. This is a very complete record. It creates its own universe and explores it thoroughly, leaving the listener awed and satisfied... An unashamedly ardent album, Jarrett’s very finest." Writing for the now defunct jazz magazine ''Jazz.com'',

Ted Gioia Ted Gioia (born October 21, 1957) is an American jazz critic and music historian. He is author of eleven books, including ''Music: A Subversive History'', '' The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire'', ''The History of Jazz'' and ''Delta Blu ...

rated 97/100 the whole ''The Survivors' Suite'':Gioia, Ted (June 2008
The Dozens: Essential Keith Jarrett by Ted Gioia at Jazz.com
accessed September 2020 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 databa ...

review by Stacia Proefrock awarded the album 5 stars, stating, "Like other albums of its time, this was beginning to show the brightness, lightness, and soft edges of contemporary jazz, but the solidness of Haden's bass helps the music rooted and earthbound.".Proefrock, S
Allmusic Review
accessed September 16, 2011 ''

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 b ...

'' by Richard Cook and Brian Morton regards the album as a "masterpiece, with the quartet pulling together on an ambitiously large-scale piece, each member contributing whole-heartedly and passionately."

Track listing

:''All music composed by Keith Jarrett.'' # "The Survivors' Suite: Beginning" - 27:21 # "The Survivors' Suite: Conclusion' - 21:18

Personnel

* Keith Jarrett - piano, soprano saxophone, recorder, celeste, osi drums *

- tenor saxophone, percussion *

- double-bass *

- drums, percussion Production * Manfred Eicher - producer * Martin Wieland - recording engineer * Barbara Wojirsch - layout * Keith Jarrett - cover photography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Survivors' Suite, The Keith Jarrett albums 1977 albums ECM Records albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher