On January 24, 1975, pianist/composer Keith Jarrett created the best-selling solo jazz album of all time and the best-selling solo piano album of any genre of all time, but an incredible series of snafus and set-backs blocked every step of his way to get there! To celebrate this amazing musical milestone, ECM has reissued the live concert recording as a set that includes the original two-LP album in tip-on gatefold packaging that includes an eight-page booklet with original and new photos, and new liner notes in English and German.

I have to admit that when this concert happened, I was still very much in my rock’n’roll years, and although I have been very aware of the recording all these years, I had never actually listened to it from start to finish the way I have the past couple of weeks. As I learned more and more about the concert and all the things that happened around it, the more amazed I have become. This recording is truly an incredible piece of music history!

The concert was held at Cologne, Germany’s Opera House, and was organized by Vera Brandes, who was seventeen at the time. Because an opera was already scheduled for that evening, Jarrett’s concert didn’t begin until 11:30 PM. Jarrett performed a concert in Zurich, Switzerland the night before, so he was sent a plane ticket for his travel to Germany, about 500 miles away. Instead of flying, Jarrett cashed in the ticket and hitched a ride with his producer, resulting in no sleep for two nights for either of them. Jarrett had requested a Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano for the concert, but that didn’t happen. The only piano in the opera house at the time was a Bösendorfer, but it was a baby grand practice piano that was in terrible condition and completely out of tune. The pedals didn’t work properly, some of the black keys in the middle of the piano keyboard didn’t play, etc. They were able to get the piano tuned, but when Jarrett arrived that afternoon, he was not happy and refused to do the concert. At that point, tickets couldn’t be refunded, and the opera house was sold out. They were able to convince Jarrett to do the concert, but after the 500-mile car ride, he had so much back pain that he needed a brace. In the meantime, Vera Brandes ordered dinner for Jarrett and his producer, but even that got messed up and they weren’t served until it was time to leave. Could anything else go wrong?

Somehow, Keith Jarrett was able to pull all of these mishaps together and improvised the entire concert, which was in two parts. Part 1 is side 1 of the first LP, and Part 2 is divided into three sections. None of the piano’s flaws are obvious in the recording, and Jarrett actually improvised music that could only be played on that piano. He even used the broken pedals to create percussive effects! It’s an astonishing work of art!

This special-edition set is available directly from ECM Records and Amazon. Other editions of the original album are also available, and it can also be streamed on various platforms including Spotify and Pandora. There is also a film called Köln 75 being released in early January 2026 that tells the backstory of the concert. What a fascinating event this was!