Cologne 75: The unforgettable night of Keith Jarrett's jazz miracle!

Cologne 75: The unforgettable night of Keith Jarrett's jazz miracle!

On March 11, 2025, the film “Cologne 75” by Ido Fluk celebrates its premiere. He highlighted the legendary concert by Keith Jarrett, which took place on January 24, 1975 in the Cologne Opera. The focus is on 18-year-old Vera Brandes, who is considered Germany's youngest concert organizer. The challenge could hardly be greater because she borrowed DM 10,000 from her mother to organize the concert. Brandes fights to convince a radio station presenter who considers jazz uninteresting. She emphasizes that Jarrett's music is an extraordinary adventure.

The concert itself becomes a legend and results in "The Cologne Concert", the best-selling solo album in the history of jazz. However, Keith Jarrett has decided not to make the music rights available for the film, so Hubert Walkowski records the music in the film. This decision means that jazz is only integrated into the action sporadically and due to motivation. This staging captures the pursuit of Brandes after self -determination and the challenges in the implementation of this pioneering concert.

The difficulties of the concert organization

In the film, the tedious concert organization becomes clear, including a defective wing and the decisive lack of support. It is shown how Jarrett appears as a lonely musician under difficult conditions. Despite his back and the sleepless nights he had before the performance, he didn't want to play at first when he was confronted with the problems of the instrument made available. Instead of the requested Bösendorfer 290 Imperial concert wing, a smaller, defective wing was presented to him that required extensive moods.

Jarrett's improvisation style that should shape the concert can be characterized by the use of ostinati and rhythmic figures. The structure of the concert extended over several parts, including a 26-minute first part and various shorter pieces. "Cologne 75" not only addresses music, but also the improvisation in the life of both Jarrett and Brandes, which gives the film its cultural depth.

cultural relevance and aftermath

The cultural importance of the concert is undeniable. With around 4 million copies sold, "The Köln Concert" became the best -selling piano album and can be found in numerous viewed collections such as "1001 albums that you have to hear before you die". The film is seen as part of the existing appreciation, including a French documentary and a graphic novel that is in the MAKE.

The audience is also addressed directly, which represents a break of the fourth wall and establishes a connection between the spectators and the characters shown. However, critics also criticize this technique as a tactic for the standardization of conflicts in the narrative style.

So "Cologne 75" is not only a look back at an influential musical event, but also a cinematic game about the challenges with which artists are faced with external pressure and inner conflicts. The film is published on the same date as the premiere, March 11, 2025.

Overall, "Cologne 75" will not only shed light on the challenges of the concert organization, but also present the importance of the improvised art form of jazz in a context that is both biographically and culturally. Critics and spectators are equally excited to experience this extraordinary chapter in music history.