La Fenice

This recording of Keith Jarrett's extraordinary 2006 solo performance at Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice finds Jarrett entering one of Italy s most famous classical venues and channeling the flow of inspiration to shape something new. In this case, a suite of eight spontaneously created pieces referencing everything from the blues to atonality to heart-rending ballads. From the first flurry of notes, it is a consistently captivating journey. Release of La Fenice is timely: The 62nd International Festival of Contemporary Music of the Biennale di Venezia has honored Keith Jarrett with its Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. It's the first time that a jazz musician has received this award, which has previously been given to contemporary composers including, in recent decades, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, György Kurtág, Helmut Lachenmann, Sofia Gubaidulina and Steve Reich.