5 Facts About the Teen Promoter Behind Keith Jarrett's Köln Concert

Vera Brandes was 17 years old when she organized Keith Jarrett’s historic Köln Concert. She was the youngest concert promoter in Germany at the time.

Brandes booked the Cologne Opera House for the concert. She had to negotiate with the venue and handle all logistics on her own.

The concert almost didn’t happen because of a broken piano. The opera house provided a substandard Bösendorfer piano that was out of tune and had weak keys.

Jarrett initially refused to play, but Brandes convinced him to go on. She found a piano tuner and made the instrument playable enough for the performance.

The resulting album became the best-selling solo piano album in history. Brandes’s persistence led to one of the most iconic jazz recordings of all time.