As part of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, pianist Keith Jarrett, drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Gary Peacock gave an amazing concert at the new Four Seasons Centre on Friday, June 29th. And what an excellent venue it was. This jazz trio is a sophisticated, upscale group, who belong in a beautiful concert hall with great acoustics. The acoustics were just a little bit off in the first set – the drums were a smidgeon too loud – but by the second set all was fixed and the sound was impeccable.
The jazz trio received extremely well-deserved standing ovations at every opportunity: before intermission, after the 2nd set, and after both encores. Some audience members gave standing applause after each piece, which was equally deserved.
Never have I seen a concert that was entirely engaging the whole way through. When the first set was over, I looked at my watch with disbelief that an hour had passed. To say that these three musicians were good would be a huge understatement; they are phenomenal. Although Keith Jarrett is the star of the group, I often didn’t know which of them I wanted to be focusing on at any given moment, because they were all that good. Even when Jarrett was doing something particularly impressive on the piano, I would often turn my attention to the equally compelling Jack DeJohnette, the most musical drummer I’ve ever seen in concert.
The first set they played consisted of lesser known songs, but nicely alternating between fast-paced jives and mellower slower tunes. In the second set, the trio played some old classics including a very moving rendition of Tonight from West Side Story, as well as Somewhere from West Side Story and Rhythm-a-Ning.
If I had to list the great jazz pianists of today, Keith Jarrett would be right at the top of the list. The complexity and beauty of his compositions, his solos, and his playing in general, is just spectacular. And Jack DeJohnette certainly holds his own next to Jarrett, with his calm, musical, and melodic, even, drum beats and sounds. You almost forget that he’s beating drums and cymbals during his solos because it’s so melodious. Gary Peacock is the weakest link in the trio – he’s not a true great by world standards – but he’s still darn good.
After the first of two encores, someone in the audience cried out “we have all night”, which sums up the general sentiments of all in attendance: none of us wanted to leave, the music was just so very spectacular. Every note played was delightful, every piece a joy, and there was never a moment of boredom. Usually when you go to concerts by big name jazz musicians, you go for the big name, but get stuck also listening to their mediocre band, and the big name leader giving the band members opportunities for solos. That usually leads to slow and boring parts as you wait for them to finish playing so you can hear a few minutes of brilliance by the musician you’re there to see. There was none of that at this concert; all three of the members of the trio were fantastic and never once did I hope that it would end. If I weren’t against calling things out at concerts, I’d have been prepared to call out, with complete sincerity “we have all weekend”. This was one of the very best concerts I’ve ever attended, and I’ve seen most of the living greats perform.
