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Keith Jarrett Celebrates 80th Birthday as Tributes Highlight His Transformative Legacy

The jazz icon, unable to perform since 2018 due to health challenges, is honored with a new archival release and a film revisiting his legendary 1975 Köln Concert.

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Overview

  • Keith Jarrett, celebrated as one of the most influential pianists in jazz history, marks his 80th birthday while living with partial paralysis from two strokes suffered in 2018.
  • His landmark 1975 Köln Concert remains the best-selling solo jazz album, with over 3.5 million copies sold, and is credited with popularizing free-form solo improvisation globally.
  • A new recording, 'New Vienna,' from his 2016 European tour, has been released to commemorate his artistic contributions.
  • The film 'Köln 75,' which revisits the story of his iconic concert, premiered recently, though Jarrett chose not to participate in its creation.
  • Jarrett's final public performance was at Carnegie Hall in 2017, where he captivated audiences and voiced criticism of then-President Donald Trump.