In the liner notes of 2001's Inside Out, Keith Jarrett told us that he and his long-running standards trio would be doing more unscripted free music in the future. Recorded live in Japan, this double-CD is everything this ... more »world-class trio is capable of when they are mining pure inspiration to improvise. While in the past this group has taken standards and radically reworked them, here Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette begin with the leap of improvisation: short cells of tuneful melody pop up and fade; a soloist pulls the music in new directions; ideas and interplay reach epic proportions (with two tunes passing the half-hour mark). All in all, this is a fine representation of the band, working at each member's highest creative level. Whereas many groups travel the same old paths after years of working together, this trio rightly chooses new branches, using that long-running trust and familiarity to set off in search of the new and revel in its vibrancy. Bravo. --Tad Hendrickson« less
In the liner notes of 2001's Inside Out, Keith Jarrett told us that he and his long-running standards trio would be doing more unscripted free music in the future. Recorded live in Japan, this double-CD is everything this world-class trio is capable of when they are mining pure inspiration to improvise. While in the past this group has taken standards and radically reworked them, here Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette begin with the leap of improvisation: short cells of tuneful melody pop up and fade; a soloist pulls the music in new directions; ideas and interplay reach epic proportions (with two tunes passing the half-hour mark). All in all, this is a fine representation of the band, working at each member's highest creative level. Whereas many groups travel the same old paths after years of working together, this trio rightly chooses new branches, using that long-running trust and familiarity to set off in search of the new and revel in its vibrancy. Bravo. --Tad Hendrickson
CD Reviews
Absolutely a Trio effort
o dubhthaigh | north rustico, pei, canada | 10/22/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's slightly misrepresentative to title this as a Keith Jarrett release when so much of what happens here displays the uncompromising finesse and creativity of all three members. So, dispel any notions of Keith playing accompanied by 2 extraordinary sidemen. In fact, this is a disc where more often than not it is De Johnette and Peacock who propel the music forward. This is no slight toward Jarrett, but instead an affirmation that in spite of writing credits, what you hear shows just how telepathically these men work. It is a document of an extraordinary effort.
As with any effort, there are moments in the extended pieces, "Hearts in Space" and "Waves", where the music seems to hang, waiting for something to either resolve the position they are in, or push on to the next idea. In both cases, it is DeJohnette who steps up and takes charge and it is a wonder to hear him so forcefully drive the trio. This is particularly true in "Waves," which really seems to dangle nowhere until he seizes control, and that is the wrong anaology, but there is no mistaking the dynamic he brings in 2/3 of the way through. It changes everything. So much so that through "Facing East", an absolutely brilliant three part improvisation, and "Tsunami", a powerhouse display from Peacock and DeJohnette, that it can accurately be said that DeJohnette's eruption changes everything on the second disc. On the first disc, "Hearts" is one of those wonderful Jarrett excursions from the abstract to the sublimely and rhythmically delightful. "The River" is a tone poem poem of breathtaking beauty.
My only reservation about this disc is that it is getting tiresome hearing Jarrett moan as much as he does. Robert Fripp commented once in reference to Jon Anderson that he had no problem with a singer banging about on a tambourine, so long as it was in time with the music. Much can be said in this regard about the groans and grunts. It has certainly worn out a bit of its welcome, and seems at times as though it might be expected more than motivated. It is not a pretty instrument. Not that prettiness should rule. However, when you listen to the track, "Tributaries", underneath the surface noise of sighs and moans, De Johnette is creating a remarkable sound palette with his exquisitely tuned percussion. Perhaps a little Linda McCartney-style editing is in order. Certainly Miles would have had an answer.
Enough carping on that, and I'm sure Jarrett hears it enough anyway. This document presents this trio as a formidable improvisational unit, completely unafraid to leap and free fall at times. It is an extraordinary departure from the Standards reperoire and well worth a lot of listening and scrutiny"
Jazz As It Should Be!!!
A. Davis | Greenville, SC | 11/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The term "Jazz" covers about as many different definitions as there are words in the dictionary. For some, Jazz is melodic instumental music that is easy on the ears and requires little thought in order to enjoy and appreciate. It can be great background music without being intrusive. For others, Jazz is music bursting at the seams of creativity with deep and thoughtful listening required to extract the beauty that lives beneath the sound. This kind of Jazz relies heavily on the musicians ability to challenge and explore each others ideas without stepping on the multi-colored textures created on the spur of the moment. "Always Let Me Go" is this kind of Jazz.Jarrett, Dejohnette and Peacock have the kind of history that breeds familiarity and trust. These musican built their chemistry on playing standards for the last 20 years. They have evolved into an almost completely telepathic trio. Each musician is capable of changing musical directions in mid-song without losing the group cohesion. This double disc is filled with exceptional moments with shimmering beauty. "Hearts in Space" starts out exploring a beautiful melody by Jarrett before Peacock and DeJohnette drive it into a tight swinging frenzy that soars. "Waves" uses each artists solo ability to shift between an almost gospel like vibe, to a child-like melody before exploding into a full swinging affair - with all musicians sounding like they are soloing at the same time, but still sounding like a tightly knitted trio - magical stuff indeed! Other great tracks include "Tributaries" and "Facing East". On both of these jewels, the musicians tease and jab at each other before Jack Dejohnette takes over and drives them home with exceptional drumming skills. Peacock is rock solid throughout this recording. He plays with such warmth and feeling on "Paradox" and "Tsunami" - a perfect anchor for this dynamic trio. Jarrett is at his creative best when stretching and bending melodies into simple structures that give Dejohnette and Peacock plenty of room to explore. The reflective beauty that he creates on "The River" is timeless. This is thoughtful creative music in its' purest form.These three musicians have taken their art to a stratospheric level - where creativity lives and breeds new and exciting ideas. This is Jazz as it should be - bold, daring, adventurous and beautiful. Welcome to "Always Let Me Go"!! The "Standards" train has left the station. This is the next level. Enjoy the ride!"
Beautiful, inspiring, musical
spiral_mind | 09/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Keith Jarrett Trio has reinvented itself on this 2-disc set as an adventurous and inspiring group that is never short on ideas.
"Inside-Out", the first step in this "free" direction, was only a warm-up for this album, and even took a bad step at the end by trying to "excuse" the album by tacking on "When I Fall In Love" as the last track. Here, there are no holds barred.
The interplay is sensitive and incredibly dynamic; from a whisper to full-blown swinging frenzy, from hymn-like hypnosis to cathartic exorcism, this album has it all. The group sounds freshly inspired, locked in, yet as loose and free as any great Ornette Coleman or Paul Bley album.
There are no standards, no expositions to get to the meat of the matter, there are no traded fours, no redundant II-V-I's; nothing but three seasoned pros, outguessing everyone including themselves and finding some magic telepathy in the process.
This is great music, and great music-making."
Extraordinary Free Play
Randy Blythe | Birmingham, Alabama USA | 11/02/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had thought the Jarrett trio would have trouble bettering the accomplishment of Inside Out, but Always Let Me Go has dispelled my doubts and then some. The players are consummately gifted at vibing together in a theme ("Hearts in Space," for example). Although equal weight is given to each player, the trio's decades of playing together have evolved them into a synchronous unit that shapes its music in an almost sculpturally unifed way. This time out, I'm especially stunned by their ability to play free, a la Cecil Taylor; then play what I can only describe as quasar bop, a kind of alternate-universe jazz that vaguely resembles traditional forms and phrasings but exists in its own milieu; then shift effortlessly into a burning groove that would make Gillespie or Parker perk up his ears. I'm so busy listening to this astonishing set that I don't even care whether Jarrett whines or not. If you're into free trio, get this."
Free, playful, spellbinding
spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 10/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Keith Jarrett (piano), Gary Peacock (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums): their collective resume is impeccable. Their usual method as a trio is to stick to common standards (inventive though the reworkings may be), but they've got some good experience in the more freeform jazz camp as well. On 2001's Inside Out they tried scrapping the framework and improvising from scratch, and liked the result so much that they delivered over two hours of similar explorations with Always Let Me Go. I'd recommend Inside Out to anyone, Jarrett fan or not, and if you like it enough to want more, you'll probably want to eat this one up. It's a jewel.
ALMG isn't free jazz in the sense of being tuneless or formless - well, most of the time - but in the sense that the forms & melodies emerge on the spot as a collective creation (and it remains beautifully listenable, which isn't always a given in the free-jazz camp). Throughout the whole course of the album they're constantly listening and responding to each other in a beautiful three-way dialogue. The water theme that runs through the titles is very appropriate, as everything they do is in a perpetual state of flowing and changing, never quite repeating itself.
"Waves," for example, begins with Keith starting a quiet little melody on his own. Gary picks it up and fleshes it out. Jack stays quiet, as any percussion at this point would be out of place, but begins adding a splash or two once things start picking up. All three finally hit the groove together at around eight minutes. Then Jack takes over, his relentless clattering pushing the others into a busier and busier jam. The others stop on a dime as Keith switches gears into a loose rambling line; then they start up again as a trio as fast as they stopped, this time staying in hyper mode for a couple minutes. Then, as if on cue, everything goes quiet again before Gary takes the lead into something slow and almost bluesy.
You get the picture. It's all like this. They don't really know where they're going, but the richness of the journey is how they get there together.
The fact that we get the proceedings without any fades (as there were on Inside Out) means that it can seem to drag in spots; two tracks alone run over half an hour each. So for those who don't care for the aimless-sounding stuff, ALMG will probably seem 20 or 25 minutes longer than it needs to be. But for those listeners who want to hear the whole process unfold at its own pace, beginning to end, here's everything presented as it happened. It's a wonderful and colorful ride.
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1