On 'Inside Out', the "Standards Trio" throws away the tunes and embarks on daring improvisations in a performance from the Royal Festival Hall, London. Keith Jarrett: "Those of us who experimented a lot with so-called 'free' playing in the 60s have years of experience to bring to it again". "Inside Out" is a timely reminder that jazz is also about taking risks.
After 18 years together and 13 recordings, several of them multiple-disc sets, it might seem difficult to pinpoint a career highlight, but for Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio, this could be it. Recorded at London's Royal Festival Hall over two nights in July 2000, Inside Out captures the trio departing from ist regular format to improvise freely without the framework of the American popular songbook or bop standards for all but seven minutes. The result is spell-inducing, covering the gamut from the minimalist elegance of "When I Fall In Love" to the blazing clatter of "Riot". ... If last year's bop-drenched live set Whisper Not signaled that Jarrett was back at full torce, Inside Out gives notice that the band has stepped it up another notch. At this point in its existence, the name the Standards Trio has ceased to signify the band's repertoire: rather, it stands for the level they set for other improvisers. - James Hale, Down Beat |