@aerialcombat Yup… I would feel better about myself just because I’ve watched a video that Rick has. But this IS a really good demonstration/explanation.
Great video! I'm excited to stumble across this because I watched that very Keith Jarrett video about 2 years ago and commented on how amazing it is. Another commenter asked me to describe what was so unusual and this is what I posted: "Well, first of all, his ability to establish such a rhythmically dynamic ostinato and maintain it throughout the piece is incredible. Then he begins a simple harmonic riff that basically just oscillates between the tonic and dominant. Then he begins the melodic invention, at first diatonic - exploring the whole scale - then venturing into borrowed harmony, and then finally into a full use of chromaticism. Around the middle of the piece, his left hand and right hand completely diverge, as though two different pianists were playing together. That little harmonic refrain from the beginning returns periodically throughout the piece, as if to give the listener something to grab onto. And under all of this, that ostinato never wavers. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he brings the train into the station (so to speak) with a wonderful decrescendo of tempo, rhythm, and harmony, bringing it all to a perfectly satisfying conclusion. To think that this is all improvised, on the spot, is simply jaw-dropping to a classically trained musician like me. I don't particularly like jazz music and I certainly don't listen to it regularly. But some performers rise so high in their accomplishments that even those who don't follow that field can recognize and appreciate it. I place Keith Jarrett in that group, along with people like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Yo-Yo Ma, and perhaps Martha Argerich."
In his interview, in 00s I guess, Keith said he even wanted to let his left hand play free. It's the time when he started to play shorter improvisations than an hour long ones. At the same time, Shostakovich influences were detected in his later solo piano concerts.
I did an interview with Keith for Jazz Times and asked him about the "impossible" things he did...he had coherent answer: he said that if your hearing (inner ear) was strong enough that your fingers wouldn't have to be searching and scuffling. That made sense because when my own hearing was really good on a given night, my fingers weren't "worried" about "how" to play. On bad nights, I was "trying" to play and "trying" and "succeeding" are mutually exclusive concepts. Ha!
I heard Keith in Vancouver in June 1974 improvise solo piano, it was mind blowing (Vancouver Sun Jazz critic Bob Smith wrote the same thing then), a religious experience, extremely high energy with thick gospel chords. Another Piano teacher on youtube went further, he said that KJ was the greatest pianist of the recorded era. That particular piece you demonstrated from the Bremen Lausanne album was a more refined version of an earlier improvisation from 1972 in Europe as someone posted below though. Back in the 70's Keith admitted to his brother Scott (guitar player and singer that made an album with Keith) according to my friend Nels Guloien who was his drummer that there were other pianists that were better than him, but Keith did get more and more technical as the years went by although his most creative time may have been the 70's. Rick Beato posted this as the most beautiful 2 minutes of music (the energy is comparable with the Vancouver concert of 1974)... th-cam.com/video/0BgXCDuqZvM/w-d-xo.html
One could create a left-hand ostinato and with the right hand work through Syncopation for the Modern Drummer, by Ted Reed. There are many rhythms and phrases there, all presented in a logical manner. I still use it for building independence as a drummer and I’ve been playing for over 30 years.
I've been aware of this ostinato for years, and this is really well explained. It's worth mentioning that the first version of it is on the Bremen and Lausanne concert album from 1973, and that version is more mind boggling than the "Last Solo" one by quite a large degree - it's a superhuman performance. Keith is a stunning musician.
@@pierrejpiscitelli Great :) FYI in this bootleg, there's a small excerpt of it somewhere as well, so it seems maybe it evolved out of an improvisation. It wouldn't surprise me though, in a documentary he said the My Song was originally an improvisation....th-cam.com/video/bje4ptrorTk/w-d-xo.html
The first version of it was on a solo concert from 1972 in Europe as someone posted on here, the 73 version is more refined and he did it as an encore, so he must have practiced the 72 version which came about from improvising in his reverie, his altered state of consciousness, like a trance. He was doing live composing back then, playing something from nothing in front of an audience, Miles Davis asked how he did that. There has not been any other musician that did that as far as I know.
The funny thing is, if you just listen to KJ w/ his trio you might get the impression that his left hand isn't that monstrous. It's really in the solo recordings where you realise what an anomaly he is.
Such a easy going pace to explain this. What you know and how you bring light to is so refreshing. Clear and so well spoken... you have a true gift for teaching. Do you? Thanks very much for this. One of the most enjoyable Vids I've seen yet. And I'm Picky! all the best.
Wonderful stuff. No doubt. For me personally, I’ve seen both Hiromi and Chucho Valdes do equally or more mind blowing things… just speaking to what resonates with my soul. Not here to be “competition” guy.
I would've thought you were going to say Keith's ability to improvise counterpoint. While not on the same level of harmonic complexity, I would say that despite people looking down their noses, George Winston (self-proclaimed as not a jazz musician) was pretty amazing in the category of ostinato left hand while improvising in the right hand. His versions of Holly and the Ivy and his original pieces, Hummingbird, Colors/Dance, February Sea and others by their machine-like and unrelenting character would probably be a good stepping stone towards Jarrett's use of the technique. Then on the classical side you have the Passacaglia of Leopold Godowsky.
Love it. KJ is indeed a legend and I hadn’t seen that performance of his before. Now that we’ve got the left hand down, I’m already looking forward to your next video where you will take us through how to play Keith’s RIGHT hand…
@@spiritwanderer777 That is eventually the goal. But, it's important to realize that we need to build up a "vocabulary" of things to say. Transcription of existing phrases is an amazing learning tool, and that "imitation" will eventually lead to "emulation." In other words, when learning a language, we have to read and understand existing works and vocabulary in order to eventually use language in our own original way. But yes, just sitting around and copying Keith's phrases all day without an end goal, wouldn't be the best idea!
Very instructive and useful video! You have very nice approach and motivating way of presentation, moved by your personal love for good sounding music. Congrats!
Technique is one tool to express yourself and many pianists are gifted, Yuja Wang, Martha Argerich,Lang Lang, Keith Jarrett,Brad Meldhau,Chick Corea,Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson and others. In the case of Keith Jarrett is forte is the lyrical playing using ears only and no preconceived pattern except from melodic phrases took from romantic era ,( he did played all the bebop languages at early age and with is trio Jazz standard). Jarrett was also the only pianist being able to play like Ornette Coleman. Try the exercise: On a Cmin chord play only C D Eb F G B ( avoid A or Ab) and do anything and it will by ear reach a pendulum of melodic Cm G7 Cm G7. Try it on reverse cycle of fiths ( Cmin Gmin Dmin Amin etc…) My point is you can’t only explain is genius by his only ability to play ostinato ( Meldhau is far way out now ) Jarrett improvisation is a mixture of Rachmaninov-Ornette Coleman- Bud Powell for the diatonic playing. Jarrett is the Glen Gould of jazz. Lyrical voice to a musical phrase. Corea was the Picasso cubist pianist Meldhau is the Jackson Pollock of the piano with a pop rhythm like a drummer in 16th 32th rythmes.
@@mattpiet239 I am talking about the outside playing ( bebop Powell Triton sub, Coltrane’s changes, Brecker post Coltrane outside playing , Steve Grossman modalism outside playing,Corea diminished scales outside playing, Marsalis triads outside playing,Mike stern bebop outside playing, Hancock -Davis outside playing ,Garbarek chromatic outside playing and at last in the spectrum you have Meldhau with a very stretchy outside playing using something descending runs made of 3 augmented scales divided by a chromatic connector. As Jarrett and mostly in this ostinato in F he is playing with mostly modal interchange to be able to play outside F major to F locrian F mixo to F aeolian etc … As the early Corea with holland and atschul is free jazz is still mathematically constructed as opposed to Paul Bley, Cecil Taylor or Anthony Braxton . From Kandinsky to pollock in painting.
@@lucbeaugrandJackson Pollock loved jazz,he used to listen to it while he painted, but interestingly enough,he was mainly into dixieland and swing era big bands. I would have thought that he would be all about bebop considering where he was coming from artistically.
Never thought about that but it makes perfect sense. when I play transcriptions of his work the remarkable thing is it feels often like playing Bach. The left hand is independent and both hands have near constant inner part counterpoint . I wonder if he practiced a lot of organ to get these skills to where he had it.
Good points... the way I once heard it explained was "The left and right hand are not independent, they are INTERdependent." This is the most profound thing any music teacher ever said to me and I never forgot it.
I agree with you, one of the greatest musicians of our time. Thanks for the very interesting video. I bought the Köln Concert on LP twice in a row because I heard it so often. I can't believe he improvised it all, it's great. Good music will survive any time... I'm very happy to subscribe to your channel... thank you
Congratulations, Pierre - you nailed it. It's funny, I thought about making a video about this issue years ago, too - but never did, so you took the burden from me 😂. Fact is that Keith usually is performing one or two ostinato based improvisations per concert - a huge reservoir! I use many of them just to noodle around in the morning or when teaching improvisation, and it's always a lot of fun!
Thank you so much for talking about Keith Jarrett and analysis his work (I hope there will be other videos). I work on a lot of transcriptions with audio as a support. This is invaluable musical material. I read in an interview with Keith Jarrett that he considered himself a workaholic. I think that in addition to his innate talent, there is a huge amount of work behind it, which few people imagine (to reach this level). Just subscribed to your channel ✓
I have to shout out Keith's ostinato + improv introduction to "What Is This Thing Called Love", on the Whisper Not album. It's my favorite jazz solo and was a rich subject for months of study and practice---which just made it seem even more amazing.
Nice video! When you said Jarrett + ostinato I immediatly thought of this concert you linked ❤ I think when you're the one coming with your own ostinato ideas / improv it's always easier to play and sync both hands at speed than when trying to reproduce one from another pianist, but I guess that's kind of obvious!
Very nice video Pierre! Thank you.I have a request-Could you please do a video on how a beginner improvisor on the piano could use voice leading to improvise! Thank you
I have recently started playing and have been following your Van Halen jump tutorial and was struggling to get the left hand moving at an independent rhythm to the right. Nicely timed video for me, will definitely look at this as practice and take a break from Jump!
Appreciate it a lot. I think some people are born with easier independence between left and right hand. But you gave us some idea to improve with the exercises you mentioned 👍🏻
Pierre, given that this is an ostinato, do you think that he automatised it at a level that he doesn’t think anymore about it and it’s like playing only the right hand? Or is he aware every single moment of the two hands? I played for long time in a Doors tribute and my way was to automatize the bass line. Not very proud of that, but if you think of both more mistakes popped up. Some exercises/tips to improve?
It's hard to say. I think that multiple things are true-- likely a mix of tremendous natural talent as well as tons of practice of all different combinations and permutations so that anything he wants to play in the moment, is manageable when juxtaposed against the left hand.
This is indeed the thing I find so fascinating about Keith's playing, not only as a listener, but also a player. I agree that your technique for teaching this can help, as our brains need to literally learn how to execute those physical actions. I have an alternative method for approaching this challenge that I'd be happy to share with you sometime. Maybe a chat if you ever get a minute. Regardless, learning from and being inspired by Keith... Absolutely yes!
What about Ray Manzarek of the Doors? Playing the Doors Bass lines with his left hand? I don’t know if Ray was playing ostinatos. But this made me think of Ray. Although he may not be way up there in the jazz/keyboard pantheon. He was pretty amazing, and made some enjoyable music.
He was great! I don't see any of this as a "ranking" system. Ray was amazing, Keith was amazing, and Chick Corea was amazing too! Keith and Ray are very different musicians, but both wonderful in their own ways.
@@pierrejpiscitelli Yes, I don’t consider it ranking system either. But, you don’t usually hear people talking about Ray Manzarek, and I think he deserves some attention. But I knew you would appreciate him. ❤️ You should do a video on Ray! How does he make that rain-like sound on Riders on the Storm, for those of us keyboard beginners. That’s probably an easy one for you guys.
The keyboard players I performed with in the past, typically had a small repertoire of 1 or 2-bar ostenatos but could use them in multiple keys. Nothing like Jarrett. Great video
Thanks Pierre, this ostinato is beautiful and really very hard to improvise on it, I worked also on it. I usually go even one step back with my students and even when I practice something so hard. Before I play different notes in the right hand, I play just whole-, half-, quarter-, eightnotes etc. Then I play for ex. One quarternote two eightnotes until I can mix different rhythms on just one note, then I proceed as you do..
I couldn't agree with you more Pierre! That clip is an encore that he does from time to time, and he's incredible. According to Keith he doesn't practice improvisation... but he's Keith. In the recording that you mentioned (the Köln Concert) you'll hear some laughing at the beginning (and a small microphone issue) that is as Keith took the signal that the concert hall had to tell the audience that the concert was about to start which he turned into the opening theme of Part I. Bravissimo Pierre!
I have the same number of Down Beat and Contemporary Keyboard with Lyle Mays, in my studio. Lyle,Jarrett and Bill Evans my most loved pianist. Another monster of ostinato style, it's the the french jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani. Great video!!
@@pierrejpiscitelli I have an Oberheim 8 voice in my studio, Lyle when he came on tour to Bologna(Italy) in 1993 ,he wrote down all his sounds from As Fals Wichita, in my original manual with the patches. I still have all his sounds in the Oberheim memory and I still use his wonderful timbres in my productions.
@@pierrejpiscitelli I then met Lyle several times here in Italy, he always remembered my Oberheim and one evening we went out with Armando Marcal to drink some wine in the most famous wine shop in the city of Bologna, where they were playing the next day. If you want we can do an episode on your wonderful channel about these stories and Oberheim and I can also play something and let you hear it, there is no channel with something like this. I would be proud to do it in your interesting channel full of musical culture.
@@tommyskeys Amazing story. Yes, I would love to talk about Lyle on the channel someday soon. I have a special history with him as well, as you probably know. He deserves the attention and recognition.
The technique is obviously unmatchable, but it's the feels that do it for me. Arbour Zena and Personal Mountains are just completely unbelievable. I challenge even the most talented music writers to adequately review them.
really great lesson! but did you mention boogie woogie piano from the 20's, 30's was one precedent for intricate, rhythmic LH ostinatos. as to how KJ could do this, there is space in his musical brain for understanding much more complex counterpoint than there is in my brain. what was easy for him is hard for me. but with a crippled LH, it's not easy for him to execute anymore sadly.
Yes, definitely boogie boogie as well as Alberti bass in 18th and 19th century music etc... lots of examples! What you're saying about the brain is interesting, but I suspect that he really had to practice this stuff a lot.
I was thinking twice if I should write an honest comment… but when I found a score of that encore some years ago I just played it within an afternoon while improvising upon it. As child I did similar things "by accident" (bc I didn't knew what I was doing), e.g. mastering Chopin Military Polonaise within a week when I was 10yo or the Phantasie Impromptu in the same time. You make me really asking myself the question if I should have become a pianist as everyone proposed... 😢
For me, it was not Keith's left hand rhythmic accompaniment. It was his left hand harmony. The amazing chords of his left hand, created a huge variety of emotions, from dark mysterious and foreboding intrigue, to heartbreaking and touching love and sentiment. Often, Keith would only play only two or three notes in his left hand, yet they were just the right notes to evoke profound emotion. As a jazz pianist, I am still trying to figure out and find those magical notes Keith played, which evoked so many deep and profound emotions in me..
Part of the magic was that Keith created beauty with and without harmonic complexity. Some of his best moments are lush meanderings of giant, gorgeous triads! Always amazed me.
I think he does this ostinato on the Bremen-Lausanne disc. And he shreds like crazy on top of it. Also, I've done that ostinato practice method but I never really figured out a proper routine for it since the combinations are, like you say, endless.
That's exactly right! He did it a number of times, but that's one of the best examples. It takes a long time to master. Clearly, I am far from having mastered it.
I had (and have, somewhere!), a KJ album back in the late 70s. I played the piano a lot but it was a second instrument to the guitar so I wasn't very good. This album knocked my socks off! I didn't understand a lick of jazz theory then but the timing and every note were utterly perfect. In 1981, I had my one and only LSD experience, with the plan of sitting at the piano and freeforming it. Once the drug had taken effect, I sat on the bench and as I started to play, it felt like I was channeling Keith. I probably sounded like crap but it was the most freeing and incredible experience I've ever had on the piano. My only regret was that I hadn't set up my tape recorder...but that's probably a good thing! Thanks for the link to the Tokyo Oncore...his playing is just as I remembered! Now, to find that album!
Beautiful chat 🐱 indeed!❤ Unfortunately, Keith lost his abilities having a stroke 😢poor him and poor us as well. Want to adress whoever didn't watch yet the fabulous interview of Rick beato with Keith. Check it out ❤... Poor us, indeed... I mean it❤
This is a great explanation! But I think you’re missing the G and A that anticipates the first beat. For me, that’s the biggest difficultly with this particular ostinato.
You're absolutely right. I did it in some takes, and forgot to do it in others for that reason precisely! If you look closely at the thumbnail, I notated it, so should've been playing it!
What amazing improvisation! However, if we're talking about a perfect ostinato, at 3:23 Keith played the ostinato imprecisely. This shows that Keith is human after all :)
I always loved jazz, especially piano, and even own and listened to a fair amount of Keith Jarrett records. However, as time went by, something changed in me. Perhaps I somehow got detached from his approach, but sometimes it feels like it's just too much music. I know it sounds ridiculous, and I'm usually into more complex harmonies, but after watching his performance, your improvisation felt like a breath of fresh air. Now that I think about it, that's probably the key to it. Letting music breathe is something that I really look for in artists. A sort of less is more approach, like Bill Evans. Edit: oh and great video btw. I've never heard of ostinatos but looks like a really powerful technique. Keith mastered it for sure.
Keith is fantastic or more accurately was fantastic cause he suffered two strokes in 2018 and can barely play the piano these days - check out his recent interview with Rick Beato and you will see that he can't play with his left hand anymore. - I've always been amazed by his left hand ostinatos it's like he has an independent left hand.
I highly recommend acquiring the Koln Concert sheet music book. I've used it for many years. Lots of great ostinato lines in there. And I've probably spent way more time just using them to do my own thing over them rather than trying to learn the pieces note for note. Because that is, y'know, damn near impossible..haha
![TREASURE - 'KING KONG' COMEBACK SPECIAL [THE TREASURE SHOW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Jx1wyMaQzf0/mqdefault.jpg)
Fantastic explanation and demonstration Pierre! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Rick said it for me! Thanks, Rick! ❤
praise from Rick Beato!
@aerialcombat Yup… I would feel better about myself just because I’ve watched a video that Rick has.
But this IS a really good demonstration/explanation.
Rick made interview with Keith❤.
Someone once told me that Keith Jarrett had the rare and unusual ability to split his brain and access/utilize both sides simultaneously and equally.
Great video! I'm excited to stumble across this because I watched that very Keith Jarrett video about 2 years ago and commented on how amazing it is. Another commenter asked me to describe what was so unusual and this is what I posted:
"Well, first of all, his ability to establish such a rhythmically dynamic ostinato and maintain it throughout the piece is incredible. Then he begins a simple harmonic riff that basically just oscillates between the tonic and dominant. Then he begins the melodic invention, at first diatonic - exploring the whole scale - then venturing into borrowed harmony, and then finally into a full use of chromaticism. Around the middle of the piece, his left hand and right hand completely diverge, as though two different pianists were playing together. That little harmonic refrain from the beginning returns periodically throughout the piece, as if to give the listener something to grab onto. And under all of this, that ostinato never wavers.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, he brings the train into the station (so to speak) with a wonderful decrescendo of tempo, rhythm, and harmony, bringing it all to a perfectly satisfying conclusion.
To think that this is all improvised, on the spot, is simply jaw-dropping to a classically trained musician like me. I don't particularly like jazz music and I certainly don't listen to it regularly. But some performers rise so high in their accomplishments that even those who don't follow that field can recognize and appreciate it. I place Keith Jarrett in that group, along with people like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Yo-Yo Ma, and perhaps Martha Argerich."
Very well said. Yes!
I like how calm and relaxing this video is.
That's the goal-- life is stressful enough!
Greatest living musician.
💯
In his interview, in 00s I guess, Keith said he even wanted to let his left hand play free. It's the time when he started to play shorter improvisations than an hour long ones. At the same time, Shostakovich influences were detected in his later solo piano concerts.
To me it’s his use of legato and non legato in bebop lines that gives him a very unique sound. Most jazz pianists only use non legato for bop lines.
I did an interview with Keith for Jazz Times and asked him about the "impossible" things he did...he had coherent answer: he said that if your hearing (inner ear) was strong enough that your fingers wouldn't have to be searching and scuffling. That made sense because when my own hearing was really good on a given night, my fingers weren't "worried" about "how" to play. On bad nights, I was "trying" to play and "trying" and "succeeding" are mutually exclusive concepts. Ha!
That’s very insightful. Sounds like the flow from his brain to the fingers was really unrestricted.
COMPLETELY agree. I listen to that encore AT LEAST once a week. Absolute bliss. 😊
Keith Jarrett is transcendent. I cannot say that of any other jazz pianist.
I spent hours and hours many years ago trying to learn to improvise over that exact ostinato. A wonderful piece by Jarrett!
Same! ❤
'very difficult' ostinato - very well said - he blows my mind 👍🏼
I heard Keith in Vancouver in June 1974 improvise solo piano, it was mind blowing (Vancouver Sun Jazz critic Bob Smith wrote the same thing then), a religious experience, extremely high energy with thick gospel chords. Another Piano teacher on youtube went further, he said that KJ was the greatest pianist of the recorded era. That particular piece you demonstrated from the Bremen Lausanne album was a more refined version of an earlier improvisation from 1972 in Europe as someone posted below though. Back in the 70's Keith admitted to his brother Scott (guitar player and singer that made an album with Keith) according to my friend Nels Guloien who was his drummer that there were other pianists that were better than him, but Keith did get more and more technical as the years went by although his most creative time may have been the 70's. Rick Beato posted this as the most beautiful 2 minutes of music (the energy is comparable with the Vancouver concert of 1974)... th-cam.com/video/0BgXCDuqZvM/w-d-xo.html
One could create a left-hand ostinato and with the right hand work through Syncopation for the Modern Drummer, by Ted Reed. There are many rhythms and phrases there, all presented in a logical manner. I still use it for building independence as a drummer and I’ve been playing for over 30 years.
Totally!
I love that ostinato by Keith and have been practicing it for a while, thank you for the analysis!
I've been aware of this ostinato for years, and this is really well explained. It's worth mentioning that the first version of it is on the Bremen and Lausanne concert album from 1973, and that version is more mind boggling than the "Last Solo" one by quite a large degree - it's a superhuman performance. Keith is a stunning musician.
I agree with you. I first heard it on the Bremen double album as well!
@@pierrejpiscitelli Great :) FYI in this bootleg, there's a small excerpt of it somewhere as well, so it seems maybe it evolved out of an improvisation. It wouldn't surprise me though, in a documentary he said the My Song was originally an improvisation....th-cam.com/video/bje4ptrorTk/w-d-xo.html
The first version of it was on a solo concert from 1972 in Europe as someone posted on here, the 73 version is more refined and he did it as an encore, so he must have practiced the 72 version which came about from improvising in his reverie, his altered state of consciousness, like a trance. He was doing live composing back then, playing something from nothing in front of an audience, Miles Davis asked how he did that. There has not been any other musician that did that as far as I know.
The funny thing is, if you just listen to KJ w/ his trio you might get the impression that his left hand isn't that monstrous. It's really in the solo recordings where you realise what an anomaly he is.
Great point! His left hand is insane.
Yes! Jarrett is the worlds greatest musician!! INCREDIBLE!!
Thanks for this clear explanation of the Ostinato technique. I do definitely share the same view on the artist!
You are a talent as a speaker, teacher and musician. I loved this video!
Made my day. Thanks for the kind comments 🙏🏻
I saw him live at Carnegie years ago. Wonderful, and I hope he recovers from his stroke symptoms.
Lucky you! I wish I had gone to see him...
Great point Peter! I loved your explanation as well.
Bravo! Very inspiring - thanksI
very good thanks
Great video! Thanks!!!
Amazing video -- thanks for the great work. I love Keith Jarrett. This video helps me to better understand the complexity of his compositions.
Thanks for watching!! 🙏🏻
You're great Pierre! I'm happy to run across your channel today. I share your love of the piano and of master Keith Jarrett. Thank You!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Such a easy going pace to explain this. What you know and how you bring light to is so refreshing. Clear and so well spoken... you have a true gift for teaching. Do you? Thanks very much for this. One of the most enjoyable Vids I've seen yet. And I'm Picky! all the best.
That’s very kind of you. Thanks for watching! 🙏🏻
Wonderful stuff. No doubt.
For me personally, I’ve seen both Hiromi and Chucho Valdes do equally or more mind blowing things… just speaking to what resonates with my soul. Not here to be “competition” guy.
Both amazing and inspiring artists in their own right!
Best video I’ve seen in a long while. Thanks! 🙏
Wow, thanks!! 🙏🏻
Love this. Fantastic demonstration.
Thanks for watching!
More Keith Jarrett content please!
Keith Emerson, Hermeto Paschoal , vieram a minha cabeca como grandes músicos
Terrific video! Thank you Pierre!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Well presented, your respect for Keith is heartfelt.
I really appreciate that 🙏🏻
Great example, well said !Agreed
Thanks for watching!
thanks mate! great to hear about this
🙏🏻🙏🏻
Yes indeed!
I would've thought you were going to say Keith's ability to improvise counterpoint. While not on the same level of harmonic complexity, I would say that despite people looking down their noses, George Winston (self-proclaimed as not a jazz musician) was pretty amazing in the category of ostinato left hand while improvising in the right hand. His versions of Holly and the Ivy and his original pieces, Hummingbird, Colors/Dance, February Sea and others by their machine-like and unrelenting character would probably be a good stepping stone towards Jarrett's use of the technique. Then on the classical side you have the Passacaglia of Leopold Godowsky.
Congratulations from Rio de Janeiro, Pierre!! I will follow you!!
Awesome! Thank you!
Great stuff very inspiring! Love the tone on your keyboard too.
Thanks!!
aaahhh I love this ostinato by Keith Jarrett as well! So great that you picked this up, very well done 👍
Thanks for watching!! 🙏🏻
Love it. KJ is indeed a legend and I hadn’t seen that performance of his before. Now that we’ve got the left hand down, I’m already looking forward to your next video where you will take us through how to play Keith’s RIGHT hand…
Ok maybe I’ll do that!
@@pierrejpiscitelliI wouldn't, it would just be copying which while hard is doable. better to come up with your own music
@@spiritwanderer777 That is eventually the goal. But, it's important to realize that we need to build up a "vocabulary" of things to say. Transcription of existing phrases is an amazing learning tool, and that "imitation" will eventually lead to "emulation." In other words, when learning a language, we have to read and understand existing works and vocabulary in order to eventually use language in our own original way. But yes, just sitting around and copying Keith's phrases all day without an end goal, wouldn't be the best idea!
Great 😊 thank you🎉
You're welcome!
Nicely done
Thanks for watching!
❤ also the intro of The Song is You from Still Live ❤
I love "The Cure" always been my favorite KJ song, the second you brought up ostinato I was like yea good point, must be why i dig that tune so much
Very instructive and useful video! You have very nice approach and motivating way of presentation, moved by your personal love for good sounding music. Congrats!
Thanks so much! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Great vid, thanks,
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Technique is one tool to express yourself and many pianists are gifted, Yuja Wang, Martha Argerich,Lang Lang, Keith Jarrett,Brad Meldhau,Chick Corea,Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson and others. In the case of Keith Jarrett is forte is the lyrical playing using ears only and no preconceived pattern except from melodic phrases took from romantic era ,( he did played all the bebop languages at early age and with is trio Jazz standard). Jarrett was also the only pianist being able to play like Ornette Coleman.
Try the exercise: On a Cmin chord play only C D Eb F G B ( avoid A or Ab) and do anything and it will by ear reach a pendulum of melodic Cm G7 Cm G7. Try it on reverse cycle of fiths ( Cmin Gmin Dmin Amin etc…)
My point is you can’t only explain is genius by his only ability to play ostinato ( Meldhau is far way out now )
Jarrett improvisation is a mixture of Rachmaninov-Ornette Coleman- Bud Powell for the diatonic playing.
Jarrett is the Glen Gould of jazz. Lyrical voice to a musical phrase.
Corea was the Picasso cubist pianist
Meldhau is the Jackson Pollock of the piano with a pop rhythm like a drummer in 16th 32th rythmes.
You had me until you compared Mehldau to Jackson Pollock. I don’t understand that comparison.
@@mattpiet239 I am talking about the outside playing ( bebop Powell Triton sub, Coltrane’s changes, Brecker post Coltrane outside playing , Steve Grossman modalism outside playing,Corea diminished scales outside playing, Marsalis triads outside playing,Mike stern bebop outside playing, Hancock -Davis outside playing ,Garbarek chromatic outside playing and at last in the spectrum you have Meldhau with a very stretchy outside playing using something descending runs made of 3 augmented scales divided by a chromatic connector.
As Jarrett and mostly in this ostinato in F he is playing with mostly modal interchange to be able to play outside
F major to F locrian F mixo to F aeolian etc …
As the early Corea with holland and atschul is free jazz is still mathematically constructed as opposed to Paul Bley, Cecil Taylor or Anthony Braxton .
From Kandinsky to pollock in painting.
@@lucbeaugrandJackson Pollock loved jazz,he used to listen to it while he painted, but interestingly enough,he was mainly into dixieland and swing era big bands. I would have thought that he would be all about bebop considering where he was coming from artistically.
Lovely playing!
❤Keith❤
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@@pierrejpiscitelli 🙏
The video you're referring to was probably one of my first K Jarret introductions... most probably my first conscious introduction to ostinatos.
Never thought about that but it makes perfect sense. when I play transcriptions of his work the remarkable thing is it feels often like playing Bach. The left hand is independent and both hands have near constant inner part counterpoint .
I wonder if he practiced a lot of organ to get these skills to where he had it.
Great question, I wonder if he ever developed organ chops!
Good points... the way I once heard it explained was "The left and right hand are not independent, they are INTERdependent."
This is the most profound thing any music teacher ever said to me and I never forgot it.
Amazing. Great way to think of it!!
Agradeço a aula. O cérebro tendo movimentos repetidos responde mais rápido aos mesmos.
I agree with you, one of the greatest musicians of our time. Thanks for the very interesting video. I bought the Köln Concert on LP twice in a row because I heard it so often. I can't believe he improvised it all, it's great. Good music will survive any time... I'm very happy to subscribe to your channel... thank you
Thank you for watching!
Congratulations, Pierre - you nailed it. It's funny, I thought about making a video about this issue years ago, too - but never did, so you took the burden from me 😂. Fact is that Keith usually is performing one or two ostinato based improvisations per concert - a huge reservoir! I use many of them just to noodle around in the morning or when teaching improvisation, and it's always a lot of fun!
Ha! Thanks for watching.
Agreed!
Such high quality and refreshing topic
Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Thank you so much for talking about Keith Jarrett and analysis his work (I hope there will be other videos). I work on a lot of transcriptions with audio as a support. This is invaluable musical material. I read in an interview with Keith Jarrett that he considered himself a workaholic. I think that in addition to his innate talent, there is a huge amount of work behind it, which few people imagine (to reach this level). Just subscribed to your channel ✓
Yes, I think that both are often true in the case of artists such as Keith. Absurd natural talent PLUS a great work ethic. Thanks for watching!!
Clear congrats❤
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I have to shout out Keith's ostinato + improv introduction to "What Is This Thing Called Love", on the Whisper Not album. It's my favorite jazz solo and was a rich subject for months of study and practice---which just made it seem even more amazing.
Oh yeah! I actually learned it back in college with one of my teachers! So good.
I listen to Keith almost every day .
I should start doing that!
Loved this video - you’re good at this TH-cam stuff.
Thanks for watching!!
Nice video! When you said Jarrett + ostinato I immediatly thought of this concert you linked ❤ I think when you're the one coming with your own ostinato ideas / improv it's always easier to play and sync both hands at speed than when trying to reproduce one from another pianist, but I guess that's kind of obvious!
I think it's difficult no matter what as you are learning that interdependence wether or not you composed the obstinato 🤣
@@pierrejpiscitelli Obstinacy makes for a good obstinato hehe
Kieth Jarrett said he never practiced improvisation, so who knows how he approached that particular skill.
So play by ear.
I love keith, but your coments and ideas love it too
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Very nice video Pierre! Thank you.I have a request-Could you please do a video on how a beginner improvisor on the piano could use voice leading to improvise! Thank you
Great suggestion! I plan on doing some improvisation videos in the future :)
Very interesting video!
Thanks!
I have recently started playing and have been following your Van Halen jump tutorial and was struggling to get the left hand moving at an independent rhythm to the right. Nicely timed video for me, will definitely look at this as practice and take a break from Jump!
Great to hear and hope it's helpful!
Appreciate it a lot. I think some people are born with easier independence between left and right hand. But you gave us some idea to improve with the exercises you mentioned 👍🏻
I'm sure that's a factor. Thanks for watching!
Pierre, given that this is an ostinato, do you think that he automatised it at a level that he doesn’t think anymore about it and it’s like playing only the right hand? Or is he aware every single moment of the two hands? I played for long time in a Doors tribute and my way was to automatize the bass line. Not very proud of that, but if you think of both more mistakes popped up. Some exercises/tips to improve?
It's hard to say. I think that multiple things are true-- likely a mix of tremendous natural talent as well as tons of practice of all different combinations and permutations so that anything he wants to play in the moment, is manageable when juxtaposed against the left hand.
This is indeed the thing I find so fascinating about Keith's playing, not only as a listener, but also a player. I agree that your technique for teaching this can help, as our brains need to literally learn how to execute those physical actions. I have an alternative method for approaching this challenge that I'd be happy to share with you sometime. Maybe a chat if you ever get a minute. Regardless, learning from and being inspired by Keith... Absolutely yes!
I'd love to hear more. Send me an email anytime: pierrejpiscitelli@gmail.com
What about Ray Manzarek of the Doors? Playing the Doors Bass lines with his left hand? I don’t know if Ray was playing ostinatos. But this made me think of Ray. Although he may not be way up there in the jazz/keyboard pantheon. He was pretty amazing, and made some enjoyable music.
He was great! I don't see any of this as a "ranking" system. Ray was amazing, Keith was amazing, and Chick Corea was amazing too! Keith and Ray are very different musicians, but both wonderful in their own ways.
@@pierrejpiscitelli
Yes, I don’t consider it ranking system either. But, you don’t usually hear people talking about Ray Manzarek, and I think he deserves some attention. But I knew you would appreciate him. ❤️
You should do a video on Ray! How does he make that rain-like sound on Riders on the Storm, for those of us keyboard beginners. That’s probably an easy one for you guys.
Very subjective. Thanks for sharing.
The keyboard players I performed with in the past, typically had a small repertoire of 1 or 2-bar ostenatos but could use them in multiple keys. Nothing like Jarrett. Great video
It’s really hard and takes practice! Thanks for watching.
Thanks Pierre, this ostinato is beautiful and really very hard to improvise on it, I worked also on it. I usually go even one step back with my students and even when I practice something so hard. Before I play different notes in the right hand, I play just whole-, half-, quarter-, eightnotes etc. Then I play for ex. One quarternote two eightnotes until I can mix different rhythms on just one note, then I proceed as you do..
Exactly! That's the way to do it.
Keith had always been my favorite until I started listening to Micah Thomas. He would probably hate me saying this but I think he’s the GOAT now 😊
I couldn't agree with you more Pierre! That clip is an encore that he does from time to time, and he's incredible. According to Keith he doesn't practice improvisation... but he's Keith. In the recording that you mentioned (the Köln Concert) you'll hear some laughing at the beginning (and a small microphone issue) that is as Keith took the signal that the concert hall had to tell the audience that the concert was about to start which he turned into the opening theme of Part I. Bravissimo Pierre!
So cool. And it was also the wrong piano! But the bright quality of that inferior instrument brought out a lot of great music.
I have the same number of Down Beat and Contemporary Keyboard with Lyle Mays, in my studio. Lyle,Jarrett and Bill Evans my most loved pianist. Another monster of ostinato style, it's the the french jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani. Great video!!
Lyle was my hero. The best.
@@pierrejpiscitelli I have an Oberheim 8 voice in my studio, Lyle when he came on tour to Bologna(Italy) in 1993 ,he wrote down all his sounds from As Fals Wichita, in my original manual with the patches. I still have all his sounds in the Oberheim memory and I still use his wonderful timbres in my productions.
@@tommyskeys That's an incredible story. I would love to hear those!
@@pierrejpiscitelli I then met Lyle several times here in Italy, he always remembered my Oberheim and one evening we went out with Armando Marcal to drink some wine in the most famous wine shop in the city of Bologna, where they were playing the next day. If you want we can do an episode on your wonderful channel about these stories and Oberheim and I can also play something and let you hear it, there is no channel with something like this. I would be proud to do it in your interesting channel full of musical culture.
@@tommyskeys Amazing story. Yes, I would love to talk about Lyle on the channel someday soon. I have a special history with him as well, as you probably know. He deserves the attention and recognition.
The technique is obviously unmatchable, but it's the feels that do it for me. Arbour Zena and Personal Mountains are just completely unbelievable. I challenge even the most talented music writers to adequately review them.
really great lesson! but did you mention boogie woogie piano from the 20's, 30's was one precedent for intricate, rhythmic LH ostinatos. as to how KJ could do this, there is space in his musical brain for understanding much more complex counterpoint than there is in my brain. what was easy for him is hard for me. but with a crippled LH, it's not easy for him to execute anymore sadly.
Yes, definitely boogie boogie as well as Alberti bass in 18th and 19th century music etc... lots of examples! What you're saying about the brain is interesting, but I suspect that he really had to practice this stuff a lot.
whoa cool process for shedding permutations, kinda like species counterpoint.
Exactly right!
I was thinking twice if I should write an honest comment… but when I found a score of that encore some years ago I just played it within an afternoon while improvising upon it. As child I did similar things "by accident" (bc I didn't knew what I was doing), e.g. mastering Chopin Military Polonaise within a week when I was 10yo or the Phantasie Impromptu in the same time. You make me really asking myself the question if I should have become a pianist as everyone proposed... 😢
For me, it was not Keith's left hand rhythmic accompaniment. It was his left hand harmony. The amazing chords of his left hand, created a huge variety of emotions, from dark mysterious and foreboding intrigue, to heartbreaking and touching love and sentiment. Often, Keith would only play only two or three notes in his left hand, yet they were just the right notes to evoke profound emotion. As a jazz pianist, I am still trying to figure out and find those magical notes Keith played, which evoked so many deep and profound emotions in me..
Part of the magic was that Keith created beauty with and without harmonic complexity. Some of his best moments are lush meanderings of giant, gorgeous triads! Always amazed me.
I think he does this ostinato on the Bremen-Lausanne disc. And he shreds like crazy on top of it.
Also, I've done that ostinato practice method but I never really figured out a proper routine for it since the combinations are, like you say, endless.
That's exactly right! He did it a number of times, but that's one of the best examples. It takes a long time to master. Clearly, I am far from having mastered it.
Egberto Gismonti’s piano playing also relies on that!
Absolutely. Egberto is one of my all time favorites.
Great video Pierre! A new sub from me. Keep up the great work 👍🏼
Thank you for watching! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I had (and have, somewhere!), a KJ album back in the late 70s. I played the piano a lot but it was a second instrument to the guitar so I wasn't very good. This album knocked my socks off! I didn't understand a lick of jazz theory then but the timing and every note were utterly perfect. In 1981, I had my one and only LSD experience, with the plan of sitting at the piano and freeforming it. Once the drug had taken effect, I sat on the bench and as I started to play, it felt like I was channeling Keith. I probably sounded like crap but it was the most freeing and incredible experience I've ever had on the piano. My only regret was that I hadn't set up my tape recorder...but that's probably a good thing! Thanks for the link to the Tokyo Oncore...his playing is just as I remembered! Now, to find that album!
Great story, I love it!
Pierre, i hope you already know this, but you might one of the best at explaining topics such as this!
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Beautiful chat 🐱 indeed!❤ Unfortunately, Keith lost his abilities having a stroke 😢poor him and poor us as well. Want to adress whoever didn't watch yet the fabulous interview of Rick beato with Keith. Check it out ❤... Poor us, indeed... I mean it❤
Oh yes, I know it well. Great video!
Have a look at Jason Rebello playing pearl
Michel Petrucciani also made that sometimes.
He certainly did.
This is a great explanation! But I think you’re missing the G and A that anticipates the first beat. For me, that’s the biggest difficultly with this particular ostinato.
You're absolutely right. I did it in some takes, and forgot to do it in others for that reason precisely! If you look closely at the thumbnail, I notated it, so should've been playing it!
What amazing improvisation! However, if we're talking about a perfect ostinato, at 3:23 Keith played the ostinato imprecisely. This shows that Keith is human after all :)
Ha!
I always loved jazz, especially piano, and even own and listened to a fair amount of Keith Jarrett records. However, as time went by, something changed in me. Perhaps I somehow got detached from his approach, but sometimes it feels like it's just too much music. I know it sounds ridiculous, and I'm usually into more complex harmonies, but after watching his performance, your improvisation felt like a breath of fresh air. Now that I think about it, that's probably the key to it. Letting music breathe is something that I really look for in artists. A sort of less is more approach, like Bill Evans.
Edit: oh and great video btw. I've never heard of ostinatos but looks like a really powerful technique. Keith mastered it for sure.
The space in-between the notes is paramount. That's how you gain the audience's attention, rather than bombardment. Thanks for watching!
He can also do intricate chord/melody with just the right hand.
Yes, as seen in the Rick Beato interview. He is amazing with one hand.
Keith is fantastic or more accurately was fantastic cause he suffered two strokes in 2018 and can barely play the piano these days - check out his recent interview with Rick Beato and you will see that he can't play with his left hand anymore. - I've always been amazed by his left hand ostinatos it's like he has an independent left hand.
Right. I love Rick’s interview. Amazing how good he is with one hand.
Have a look at the left hand patterns from Saudados do Brazil from Darius Milhaud. And also have a look at Villa-Lobos'piano music.
I love that Milhaud piece, I know exactly what you’re talking about! Amazing.
@@pierrejpiscitelliSaudados do Brazil is not a piece but a suite of 12 dances.😊
Nice video! By the way what vst do you use? It's really nice
Thanks! I love Keyscape and the Garritan Abbey Rd. Yamaha CFX plugin. In my videos I use the Garritan. Absolutely worth the money!
@@pierrejpiscitelli Thx Piere! Yeah i know keyscape but not Garritan, shodul add it to the list!
I highly recommend acquiring the Koln Concert sheet music book. I've used it for many years. Lots of great ostinato lines in there. And I've probably spent way more time just using them to do my own thing over them rather than trying to learn the pieces note for note.
Because that is, y'know, damn near impossible..haha
I have it, it's wonderful.