Dark Intervals


Dark Intervals is a live solo piano album by American pianist Keith Jarrett recorded on April 11, 1987 at Tokyo's Suntory Hall and released on the ECM label in 1988.[1].
For a change in Jarrett's solo career on stage, it contains eight short pieces (from 2:55 to 12:53), each with a title and accompanied by applause. Shaping the whole performance as a formal concert, it does not have the pianist signature free-form and long impromptus feel of previous recordings of its kind and it is the first time that the tunes are not tagged with the venue's name and the date of the concert.

Dark Intervals
Live album by
Keith Jarrett
Released1988, October [1]
Recorded1987, April 11 [2]
VenueSuntory Hall, Tokyo (Japan)
Genrepiano improvisations
Length58:16
LabelECM Records
[ECM 1379]
ProducerManfred Eicher
Keith Jarrett chronology
J.S. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, Buch I
(1988)		 Dark Intervals
(1988)		 Changeless (Standards trio)
(1988)
Keith Jarrett solo piano chronology
Concerts
(1981)		 Dark Intervals
(1987)		 Paris Concert
(1988)

Original notes

The following minimalistic note can be found (no author stated, possibly by Keith Jarrett) in the CD release:

"Touch is only possible at the edge of spaces.
Light is only precious during dark intervals."

1987 solo concerts

According to www.keithjarrett.org, in 1987 Jarrett played a total of 9 solo concerts in the U.S., Japan and Brazil:[3]. Dark intervals was recorded during his Japan mini-tour.

  • March 7 - New York City (USA)
  • March 27 - New York City (USA)
  • April 5 - San Francisco (USA)
  • April 11 - Tokyo (Japan)
  • April 12 - Tokyo (Japan)
  • April 14 - Tokyo (Japan) [Jarrett performing standards; DVD edition in NTSC format only]
  • May 24 - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
  • May 28 - Sao Paulo (Brazil)
  • May 31 - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

Reception

Down Beat author Josef Woodard, on his introductory notes to a 1989 Jarrett interview, states that:

"Dark Intervals, particularly, is a testament to Jarrett’s recent objective of broadening his scope while paring down to the essence of music—and being. So, while he plots courses in parallel universes—planning to record Bach’s Goldberg Variations on harpsichord and new works by Lou Harrison and Alan Hohvaness in the classical world, and reviving jazz standards in his trio—Jarrett is also searching for new meaning in a basic E minor chord. He’s thinking about the river’s source as well as its effects." [4]

The Stereophile review by Richard Lehnert gave the album the "Recording of March 1989" award, stating that:

"This album of often profound beauty, had it been released by anyone else, would call for much more acclaim; as it is, it's just another Jarrett solo masterpiece in the tradition of Staircase and The Moth and the Flame."
"The CD's DDD sound is some of the most natural solo piano sound I've heard (assuming you listen with your ears nearly touching the soundboard), entirely without harshness or glare. But, good as the CD is, the LP is better in the usual ways—deeper, rounder, more full, with greater three-dimensionality." [5]

The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 3 stars and states that, "it sounds like a formal recital of individual compositions [...] Keith is often in an introspective, even dark mood [...] The Jarrett devotee will want this; others should use caution".[6] A review in The New York Times called Jarrett's playing on this album "more spare and austere than on his 1975 solo masterpiece The Köln Concert."[7]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[6]

Track listing
All compositions by Keith Jarrett
  1. "Opening" - 12:53
  2. "Hymn" - 4:58
  3. "Americana" - 7:12
  4. "Entrance" - 2:55
  5. "Parallels" - 4:58
  6. "Fire Dance" - 6:51
  7. "Ritual Prayer" - 7:12
  8. "Recitative" - 11:17

Total effective playing time: 55:07 (the album contains 3:09 applause approximately)

Personnel

Technical Personnel
  • Kimion Oikawa – Recording Engineer
  • Christian Vogt – Cover Photography
  • Barbara Wojirsch – Cover Design and Layout
  • Manfred Eicher – Production
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References
  1. ECM Records Keith Jarrett: Dark intervals accessed May 2020
  2. Keith Jarrett discography, Dark intervals accessed May 2020
  3. Keith Jarrett 1987 live concerts accessed May 13, 2020
  4. Woodard, J. [https://downbeat.com/microsites/ecm-jarrett/post_6-jarrett-in-search-of.html "Keith Jarrett: In search of the perfect E minor chord"], DownBeat, February 1989, accessed May 2020.
  5. Lehnert, R. (March 1989) "Recording of March 1989: Dark Intervals", Stereophile, accessed May 13, 2020
  6. Ginell, R. S. Dark Intervals at AllMusic, accessed March 23, 2010
  7. Holden, S. "Jarrett: More with Less", NY Times, November 9, 1988.
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