Standards: Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette

Since jazz is essentially an improvisational art form, every performance is a somewhat risky undertaking for musician and listener alike. On a typical night there are bound to be moments that are great, some that aren't so great (even in the hands of world-class players like pianist Keith Jarrett) and, if you're lucky, some that are genuinely magnificent. And so it is with this Dolby Digital 5.1 recorded 1985 Tokyo concert featuring Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Just ten tunes (including a bonus track) occupy these 105 minutes, but as it happens, the two longest are also the two best: “Rider” and the Billie Holiday classic “God Bless the Child,” both of which are reminiscent of the music Jarrett made with his so-called “Nordic quartet” on the brilliant ‘70s albums Belonging and My Song; gospel-based, powerful, funky even, with wonderful solos by all three musicians (especially DeJohnette, surely one of the best drummers in jazz over the last three decades), these tunes have an element rarely found in Jarrett's music: i.e., fun. Not that the other stuff isn't good; it is, even with the usual distractions of Jarrett's physical conniptions and his annoying tendency to hum or sing along with his playing. A solid gig by a great band, with “Rider” and “God Bless the Child” satisfying the search for the sublime, this is highly recommended. [Note: a follow-up disc, Standards II, is also available at the same price.] Aud: P. (S. Graham)