JAN GARBAREK, KEITH JARRETT, PALLE DANIELSSON & JON CHRISTENSEN: BELONGING

It's interesting to hear Jan Garbarek playing with Keith Jarrett but for me that's all it is. Piano and sax dominate this album along with double-bass and drums. It's the sax and piano though that often take turns leading or lead together.This album is very laid back and mellow.

"Spiral Dance" opens with piano before the sax joins in before a minute. Bass and drums follow. Good tune and my favourite. "Blossom" opens with sparse piano as relaxing sax melodies join in. Bass and light drums before 3 minutes. A very mellow and laid back song.

"Long As You Know Yopur Living Yours" opens with piano, bass and drums. Sax a minute in.The sax is better before 4 minutes as Jan gets passionate. Piano leads a minute later. "Belonging" opens with sparse piano and sax.This is a painful and long listen. "The Windup" is uptempo with piano out front. Sax before a minute. This is almost catchy. Piano only after 2 minutes. Drums and bass join in at 2 1/2 minutes. Sax only 5 minutes in. Everyone then returns. "Solstice" opens with lazy piano melodies as bass then sax join in. Sax leads around 5 1/2 minutes until before 9 minutes, then it's the piano's turn.

If your into light Jazz with lots of piano and sax you'll probably love this album.

First Keith Jarrett recordings on ECM with Jan Garbarek and his rhythm section (often known as Jarrett's European quartet).Comparing with Garrett American quartet, music there is less experimental and adventurous, and whole sound is influenced by Garbarek's Nordic folk.

Obvious project's leader is Jarrtett for sure. His playful piano improvs are central sound of album's music and most attractive its element. Garbarek's sax sounds far from his experimental works of early 70s and shows his growing trend to melodic simplified tunes, influenced by folklore, and with only occasional interesting improvs.He has enough space on this album, but comparing with Jarrett piano, sounding if not risky,but very jazzy on American manner, Garbarek's musicianship adds more simplified feeling to all sound.

Rhythm section is competent, but as in cases with previous Garbarek's releases with them are great supporting team and hardly more.Musically album varies from post-bop with serious Jarrett's classical influences to more polished mix of third stream and Nordic folk, but in all cases sound is well rounded, emotionally cool and only Jarrett great piano playing makes it alive.

Borderline album in many senses: after its release Jarrett will continue working for ECM recording few more albums with European quartet, Garbarek will develop similar musical direction on his later albums, but without Jarrett's jazz roots Garbarek's music very soon will be transformed to cold background world fusion,close to new age. The sound, presented on this album (as well as many similar releases of mid-late 70s) will evolute to post-bop rooted, but comfortably-polished melodic contemporary jazz of 90s.