Perfect, awesome, as smooth as silk... These were adjectives for the last night's Keith Jarrett Trio Concert in İstanbul. However, there were also many distressing incidents which should be drawn attention. I will talk about them later, before that let us see the good in the night.
Especially considering Keith Jarrett`s performance I can easily say that it is much calmer than the records'. Fortunately, the touches and feeling of Keith Jarrett was unbelievable. Gary Peacock was on his main work holding the trio together, as usual. Jack DeJohnette gives us small pieces from his virtuosity during passages of solo performances between the musicians. This was expected, it was a slim chance that these musicians give a bad performance together. It almost never happened. However, developed in the first period by a smooth, clean and soft performance, our thoughts in our minds were waiting for a more energetic and extraordinary performance in the second half. Unfortunately, it was even calmer, having a slower tempo.
There were reasons for the second half to be like this. First of all there were too applause during the performance, even some improper applause... We applause, usually after solo or improvisational parts in jazz performances. However, we were experiencing such a trio which is always doing that. A sentence came in my mind that says "You, people...What is the difference between a concert with an acrobatic show in a circus then if you applause everything?" There were announcements just before the concert that says "Turn off your mobile phone and cameras. It is strictly forbidden to take any photographs of any instant that the musicians are on the stage." What did we do then? I suppose there were photograph takers especially in the front rows and in the gallery. More than that, the stable lights on the Keith Jarrett moved back and forth twice for no reason. He showed his restlessness by pointing out the lights by his head and hands in the following space between two pieces. The audience in the forefront did not stand up after the concert while applauding, making me to think that they didn't like it?! As far as I have seen from back seats, the same audience, by probably taking some photos, cause Keith Jarrett, kind of, to raise his hand a little bit to warn them. We called them for the encore and we have heard very important words from the musicians. These are a little bit paraphrased but the words were like these, Jack DeJohnette: "Listen with your ears, do not take any photographs." Keith Jarrett: "I have nothing to say, I agree and this is more than civilization. This is your own thing. Do not take snapshots of it. Take the whole world." These words are also applauded but not as much as the improper ones. Isn't it ironic? In other words, we have listened to the music of the musicians but we called them bad tempered by our ridiculous confident when we heard their opinions. Was it enough? Nope. The lights are moved once more this time in the encore performance. I am still not sure whether it was in the show or not!?
One sentence for the sound set up: It should be better for the legendary trio and the congress hall was sucking up all the energy of the sound. However later on I have learned that my experience might be resulted from my location which is not optimum.
I can understand their obsessions. Even the music is consumed in our modern world. It is not listened but it is watched instead. People do not talk while watching a movie but they talk while musicians are on the stage. These artists, the members of the trio, are trying to do something good, minimal and naive in this world and do not demand too much from us. They are, kind of, trying to teach that music is a branch of art and its performance is real-time. They want to share their life-long experience with the concerned ones. They want to build the music step by step. They know what an intense thing it is to listen and they have just one purpose: To create their artistic piece perfect. There is no difference between a painter tearing his/her own picture and a musician leaving a concert. The artist does not punish you, he does not like his piece because he is not there to entertain you, he is creating his piece that day.
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