(…) Only weeks before, he had recorded this concert in Köln, West Germany, which emerges as the pinnacle of his solo art.
Jarrett not only distilled and refined the broad concept and specialized technique of his earlier Solo-Concerts; he had also broken through the potential limitations of the solo idiom – and of his own choices in length and form – to erect magnifying mirrors of his clear vision. The fingers are often startling, the melodies infectious, the piano arranging richly diverse, the self-propulsive rhythmic stomp sections glorious in their vibrancy; and still, the most enduring quality of these performances is their breathtaking intimacy.
In Part II, Jarrett seems to be shouting his most private exultations to the world, and the quiet fragility of his language is the most effective amplification. Using broad strokes and voicings of the Russian Romantics – Rimsky-Korsakov leaps to mind – Jarrett´s structure moves firmly, inexorably to its pianissimo conclusion. As fulls impressive as the actual notes and phrases is the pianist´s ability to improvise and balance the vast forms he works in. (…)
His solo art remains a unique entity in music, and The Köln Concert is its most moving, most telling exposition.
Down Beat, 1976
The classical, baroque , gospel, boogie and impressionistic strains that crowded upon one another in some of the pianist´s previous solo recordings have been synthesized here into a seamless whole of undeniable brilliance, with rolling ostinato rhythms.
For the first time on record the music penetrates deeply into the trance-inducing areas pioneered by Terry Riley and La Monte Young. Almost anyone should be immediately attracted to it, and that´s the really amazing thing about Jarrett. No matter what he writes or plays, he projects clarity, order and respect for tradition. He makes the most familiar melodic and harmonic vocabulary yield new, unexpected combinations. He never sounds avant-garde or alien but he always sounds fresh – and he seems to be well on his way toward transcending category entirely and becoming a popular performer in the truest and broadest sense.
Robert Palmer, Rolling Stone, 1975
As much rich, intensely melodic solo improvisation as you can handle.
Steve Lake, Melody Maker, 1975
In der Kölner Oper hat er im Januar 1975 musiziert, und das ist mitgeschnitten worden wie die preisgekrönten Konzerte in Bremen und Lausanne. Das Wunder ereignet sich: Man kann doch zweimal in denselben Strom springen. Kein Abglanz langweilt das Ohr. Der zweite große Wurf ist so frisch wie der erste. (..) Ein hinreißender, absolut gefangennehmender großer Wurf ist es eben doch geworden.
Werner Burkhardt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 1975
The great popularity of this solo album, which put pianist Keith Jarrett and label ECM on the map, did not prevent The Köln Concert from being one of the least understood albums of its and our times. Rockers and New Agers thought it was jazz, which it isn´t, except sometimes; jazzers thought it was New Age or sentimental pop, which it never is; while classical listeners, if exposed to it at all, were blown away by Jarrett´s breadth of association and awesome technique. With this single concert, wholly improvised by a consummate pianist equally at home in the classical, folk, jazz, pop, and standards idiom, Jarrett brought a whole new genre to full flower.
Richard Lehnert, Stereophile (2002)
One of the most hypnotically lyrical improvised performances in jazz, mixing Jarrett´s broad classical-music resources with a folksy, country-dance affability, and the real-time invention of new tunes that fulltime composers might not equal in months of trying.
John Fordham, The Guardian, 2008
