ARBOUR ZENA (VINYL)

Personnel: Keith Jarrett (piano); Martin Gutesha (conductor); Jan Garbarek (soprano & tenor saxophones); Charlie Haden (bass); Stuttgart Radio Symphony.
Recorded at Studio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, Germany in October 1975.
ARBOUR ZENA offers three Keith Jarrett compositions for orchestra, piano, bass, and saxophones. Jarrett had earlier shown his interest in contemporary classical composition, first with the ambitious IN THE LIGHT and then with LUMINESCENCE, the latter featuring strings rather than piano, laced with Jan Garbarek's saxophone improvisations.
The string section here is drawn from the ranks of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. The scoring is subtle, with an emotive shimmering quality--after an extended piano break by Jarrett on "Runes," the strings emerge seemingly out of the piano itself. The meditative mood is sustained throughout the set. Charlie Haden's rich bass tone offers a nice contrast to Garbarek's crystalline timbre.

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 3/03/2014