Köln, January 24, 1975, Pt.

II C (Live)

The first thing that hit me really hard is the simplicity. Unlike the “traditional” jazz
harmony from bebop to modal and free jazz, he used a lot of triads with sus and add
9 harmony, showing the beauty of simplicity. Also, the progression has a lot of gospel
sounds. Even though most chords are diatonic, there are some notes that are from
the scale of the chords, which add a different color to the original triads. For
example, he adds F# in E minor chord, which the note does not belong to C major. It
almost has the same effect as IV chord with a flat four in country music. The five
chord is usually a sus chord, which makes the resolution indirect then the regular
one. The texture of the left hand accompaniment is pretty much the same
throughout the whole piece. He keeps using the syncopation to make the music
actively going, with his right hand supporting some voices of the harmony as well.
Another thing I really love is when he goes to rubato at the second half of the piece.
The music is able to express more without time, almost like a cadenza, which totally
conveys Keith’s musical thoughts through the free improvisation. Overall it is a really
different piece than what the jazz world was going on in the 70s. It combines a
variety of features from pop music, showing simplicity can still deliver the passion of
Keith.

Desafinado