Keith Jarrett

Jarrett is one of the most influential pianists of the last five decades. With an expressive chordal style and deft stylistic versatility, Jarrett's early stint with Charles Lloyd put his name in the jazz spotlight. His awe-inspiring solos -- including shimmering Post Bop work -- and textural mastery ranged in sound from bellowed grunts to percussive solos where Jarrett struck the inside of the piano. His move to Miles Davis' band in the late 1960s (following Herbie Hancock's departure) took him into the electric age, with notably remarkable results on Live/Evil (1970) and other recordings opposite Chick Corea. After swearing off the electric piano and organ, Jarrett proceeded to set the jazz world on its ear with his melodically masterful straight-ahead jazz dates and solo performances. In the legendary The Koln Concert (1975), he set the stage for a new breed of jazz that organically developed outside the realm of Bop -- though unfortunately a great number of new age pianists have butchered Jarrett's entrancing, rhythmic style. These days he tours sporadically, performing both classical and jazz music when not suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.