Personal Mountains

In the late 1970s, Keith Jarrett was leading both an American quartet and a European one, though the designations referred strictly to the makeup of the groups, not to the venues they played. These 1979 recordings by the European band were made during a tour of Japan. On five of the pianist's tunes, there's exceptional group interaction between Jarrett and Scandinavians Jan Garbarek, on tenor and soprano sax, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums. That interplay shows to best advantage in the extended performances here, the turbulent title tune and the moody, dissonant "Oasis," the group's individual voices coming together in tense, vibrant dialogue. The funky "Late Night Willie" takes full advantage of Garbarek's R&B sound, while Jarrett shines on the luminous ballad "Prism" and the hymnlike simplicity of "Innocence." Personal Mountains is as well sustained as the group's studio set, My Song, or the contemporaneous Nude Ants from the Village Vanguard. --Stuart Broomer