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With its Biblical connotations, the title Creation could come off as grandiose. But if you think of the Bible as epic storytelling, then the latest live album by pianist Keith Jarrett assuredly earns its name. It may be a grafted suite of nine different pieces—performed during the spring and summer of 2014 at six concerts in five different venues in Toronto, Tokyo, Paris, and Rome—but Jarrett, acting as his own producer, has programmed the tracks into a single magnificent narrative, undeniably and exhilaratingly epic in its scope. Having endured some challenging physical afflictions, Jarrett, now 70, may not have the youthful stamina that powered the legendary improvisations of his Bremen/Lausanne, Köln, and Sun Bear concerts. But his nimble hands and mind continue to tap raw materials stored deep in his consciousness, making music that sounds uncannily fresh, as if emerging from emptiness itself. Each piece (titled “I” through “IX”) has its own architecture (dense chords stacked like marble stairways, sparse melodies spread like bare tree limbs) and emotional tone (classical drama, pop or folk romanticism, lullaby tenderness). In the post-concert assemblage, a different kind of creation, Jarrett makes them flow into one stream, holding you spellbound for 73 minutes.
By Derk Richardson
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