Keith Jarrett - Invocations / The Moth And The Flame (1981)

Two completely distinct albums in one package from Keith Jarrett today, with the first disc being a November 1980 recording and the second from a year earlier.  On the seven-part Invocations, Jarrett takes the droning pipe organ sound of Hymns/Spheres and refines it, also adding saxophone.  In fact, the first part is a saxophone solo (as is the finale), before the organ is introduced in the second, playing in Riley-esque arpeggios that gradually slow and become more indistinct.

The two instruments are first heard together, in overdub, on part four.  ECM record buyers had been given this combination not long before, in Jan Garbarek/Kjell Johnsen's Aftenland (wonder if it was an influence on Jarrett here?), but the sound of Invocations is both heavier and warmer - although to be honest, achieving a warmer sax sound than Garbarek isn't that hard...

The Moth And The Flame brings Jarrett back on to home turf, with 40 minutes of piano improvisations in five sections.  The gently rippling first section gives way to a meditative second, and so on with Jarrett running through the expected modes of expression on piano that he could produce in his sleep by this point.  In short, there's nothing stunning or outstanding here if you're familiar with the Jarrett essentials, but neither is it forgettable.  And paired with one of his most experimental records, The Moth And The Flame acts as a very nice palate cleanser.

Disc 1 link
Disc 2 link
pw: sgtg