5 Facts About Keith Jarrett’s ‘The Köln Concert’

ECM Records released the album in 1975. It became the best-selling solo jazz album of all time.

It is also the best-selling piano album of all time. No other solo piano jazz record has sold more copies.

The concert was recorded live in Cologne, Germany. Jarrett performed it on a poorly conditioned piano that he initially refused to play.

The album consists of a single, uninterrupted improvisation. There were no pre-written compositions or rehearsed sections.

Despite the piano’s flaws, Jarrett created a landmark performance. The result is widely considered one of the greatest live jazz recordings ever made.