大象传媒

Fifty years after Keith Jarrett performed the Koln Concert to a sellout crowd, Kevin le Gendre explores the enduring appeal of the biggest selling solo piano record of all time, and unpicks a new musical language born out of adversity.

That night in January 1975 is full of stories - of Keith Jarrett's long journey, no food, poor sleep and arriving at the Cologne Opera House to find a broken piano. The concert was almost cancelled and the legendary recording beloved by millions nearly never happened. Yet could these problems be at the heart of the album's bewitching new sound world?

Multi Grammy award winner, Jacob Collier, sits at the piano to unpick Jarrett's evocative harmonies that have captured millions of hearts far beyond the jazz world.

Writer Geoff Dyer applauds Jarrett's gorgeous lyricism and discusses the momentous achievement of improvising live for over an hour, not knowing what the first note would be. Also, British jazz pianists Nikki Yeoh and Django Bates reflect on Jarrett's influence and tell stories of gigs where limitations lead to magic

And in testament to the album's blockbuster success, we hear from a few of the many guests who have picked the Koln Concert on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

Presenter: Kevin le Gendre
Producer: Erika Wright
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
A TellTale Industries production for 大象传媒 Radio 4