Changes (Keith Jarrett album)

Changes is an album by American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett recorded over two days in January 1983 and released on ECM September the following year. The trio features rhythm section Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, the second release by the long-standing "Standards Trio", the first three of which—Standards, Vol. 1 (1983), Changes and Standards, Vol. 2 (1985)—were all recorded concurrently.[1]

Changes
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1984[1]
RecordedJanuary 11–12, 1983
VenuePower Station, New York City
GenreJazz
Length37:25
LabelECM 1276
ProducerManfred Eicher
Keith Jarrett chronology
Standards, Vol. 1
(1983)
Changes
(1984)
Standards, Vol. 2
(1985)
Jarrett / Peacock / DeJohnette chronology
Standards, Vol. 1
(1983)
Changes
(1984)
Standards, Vol. 2
(1985)

In 2008 the three albums were collected into a boxed set, Setting Standards: New York Sessions.[2]

Background

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Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette had originally worked together on Peacock's 1977 album Tales of Another. In 1983, they came back together after producer Manfred Eicher proposed a trio album to Jarrett.[3] The three joined in a studio in Manhattan, New York for a roughly 2-day session during which they recorded enough material for three albums, the two Standards volumes and Changes, without rehearsing or pre-planning the playlist.

The track "Prism" had been part of the repertoire of Jarrett's "European quartet" in the late 1970s. Two separate recordings of the European quartet playing the song in 1979 were later released: one on the 1989 album Personal Mountains, and one on the 2012 album Sleeper.

Original notes

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The austere and minimalist designs of Jarrett albums' layouts on ECM (a label's trademark) are sometimes filled with notes, poems, quotes or even long stories. In the original 1984 ECM LP and CD issues this Rilke poem can be found:[4]

If I don’t manage to fly, someone else will.
The Spirit wants only that there be flying.
As for who happens to do it,
in that he has only a passing interest.

Reception

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The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "Unlike the other two Keith Jarrett trio recordings from January 1983, this collaboration with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette does not feature standards. The trio performs the 30-minute 'Flying' and a 6-minute 'Prism', both of them Jarrett originals. 'Flying', which has several sections, keeps one's interest throughout while the more concise 'Prism' has a beautiful melody. It is a nice change to hear Jarrett (who normally plays unaccompanied) interacting with a trio of superb players."[5]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz    [7]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide     [6]

Track listing

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All music by Keith Jarrett.

  1. "Flying Part 1" - 16:06
  2. "Flying Part 2" - 13:38
  3. "Prism" - 6:31

Personnel

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Standards Trio

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Production

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References

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  1. ^ a b ECM Records Keith Jarrett: Changes, accessed May 2020
  2. ^ Kelman, John. (January 16, 2008) Setting Standards: New York Sessions All About Jazz. Retrieved September 2008.
  3. ^ Gans, Charles J. (2008-01-24). "Keith Jarrett Trio Celebrates 25 Years". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  4. ^ Zbigniew Granat (September 2003) The Free Spirit: Inside Out DownBeat. Retrieved May 2020.
  5. ^ a b Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed July 18, 2011
  6. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 112. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  7. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 698.