Jarrett began piano lessons at the age of two and played for the first time on stage at the age of seven. In 1962 he played a self-composed two-hour concert, without the benefit of any prior formal instruction in orchestration or composition. After working with a wide variety of musicians, beginning in 1966, including Chet Baker, Lee Konitz and Art Blakey, he founded his own band in 1968 with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian. In 1971-76 Dewey Redman (saxophone) joined the group and they played under the name of the "American Quartet". His work with Miles Davis between 1969 and 1971 gave his career an additional boost, as well as the opportunity to play solo concerts such as the "Köln Concert" (1975, Cologne, Germany), honoured by Time Magazine as album of the year.
Since the early 1970s, he has enjoyed a great deal of success, both artistic and commercial, in both classical and jazz music as a group leader and a solo performer. His improvisation technique combines jazz, classical, gospel, blues, and various ethnic-folk musics. He is considered by some, to be the "Bach" of jazz music; this title may have come from his recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which, although it received many awards, was not entirely approved by critics.
In the 1990s he suffered chronic fatigue syndrome only to take up the piano again in 1998. He worked in a trio form with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette until 2014.
Jarrett stated in a 2005 TV interview that his music is influenced by the teachings and philosophy of Georges I. Gurdjieff, whom he honoured in "Sacred Hymns" (ECM, 1980). This philosophy informs many of his non-musical beliefs as well.
In 2008, he was inducted into the Down Beat Hall of Fame in the magazine's 73rd annual readers' poll.
In 2010, to coincide with his 65th birthday he released his first studio album in 12 years - Jasmine. It reunited Jarrett with his old bassist colleague Charlie Haden; the two had not recorded together for over 30 years.
Everything Happens To Me
Keith Jarrett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until I'm almost mad
I must have 'roused the devil's wrath
Cause all my luck is bad
I make a date for golf and you can bet your life it rains
I try to give a party and the guy upstairs complains
I guess I'll go through life
Just catchin' colds and missin' trains
Everything happens to me
I never miss a thing
I've had the measles and the mumps
And every time I play an ace
My partner always trumps
Guess I'm just a fool who never looks before he jumps
Everything happens to me
At first my heart thought you could break this jinx for me
That love would turn the trick to end despair
But know I just can't fool this head that thinks for me
I've mortgaged all my castles in the air
I've telegraphed and phoned
I send an "Airmail Special" too
Your answer was "Goodbye"
And there was even postage due
I fell in love just once
And then it had to be with you
Everything happens to me
The song "Everything Happens to Me," composed by Matt Dennis and Tom Adair, expresses the feeling of an individual who believes that their luck is constantly against them. For instance, the opening verses, "Black cats creep across my path, Until I'm almost mad. I must have 'roused the devil's wrath, Cause all my luck is bad," create a feeling of despair and misfortune. The artist reminisces about how everything seems to go wrong and that they never have good luck. The song's tone is melancholic, and it speaks to the listener's personal experiences of life's inevitable ups and downs, making it relatable.
In the third verse, the artist confesses that they once believed that love could turn the trick to end despair, but now, they have come to terms with their reality. The lyrics "But know I just can't fool this head that thinks for me, I've mortgaged all my castles in the air," implies that they have come to accept that they are unlucky and are no longer naive about the idea that love could change their fortunes. The line "I fell in love just once, And then it had to be with you" demonstrates how significant the person is/was in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Black cats creep across my path
I always seem to experience bad luck.
Until I'm almost mad
The string of bad luck is so constant and severe that it has taken a toll on my mental well-being.
I must have 'roused the devil's wrath
It feels like I have displeased the powers that be, resulting in my run of bad luck.
Cause all my luck is bad
No matter what I do, it seems like something negative will happen to me.
I make a date for golf and you can bet your life it rains
Whenever I plan for something, the opposite seems to happen.
I try to give a party and the guy upstairs complains
Even when I try to make things happen, there's always something that goes wrong.
I guess I'll go through life
It looks like my future is destined to be full of disappointment and letdowns.
Just catchin' colds and missin' trains
No matter how hard I try, things never seem to go my way.
Everything happens to me
This is a constant reminder that bad things always seem to happen to me, no matter how hard I try to avoid them.
I never miss a thing
I always seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I've had the measles and the mumps
I've experienced a string of unfortunate events that is beyond my control.
And every time I play an ace
Even when I have something good going for me, things always find a way to turn out badly.
My partner always trumps
Somebody always has it worse than I do.
Guess I'm just a fool who never looks before he jumps
I need to learn to be more cautious, as sometimes things happen because of my own irrational or impulsive choices.
At first my heart thought you could break this jinx for me
When I first met you, I thought you could turn my luck around and bring me some happiness.
That love would turn the trick to end despair
I hoped that love could be the answer to all my problems and that you could be the one to end my string of bad luck.
But now I just can't fool this head that thinks for me
I've realized that my bad luck is here to stay and that my problems go beyond just finding love.
I've mortgaged all my castles in the air
I've invested all my hopes and dreams into this one idea, but it looks like it won't pan out.
I've telegraphed and phoned
I've tried everything I could to turn things around and find a solution to my bad luck.
I send an "Airmail Special" too
I've even gone to the lengths of sending special messages, hoping that someone would hear my plea and make things better.
Your answer was "Goodbye"
No matter what I do, things always seem to go wrong and my luck never seems to improve.
And there was even postage due
Even when I tried to make amends or fix things, I still have to pay the price.
I fell in love just once
Despite my history of bad experiences, I still hold onto the hope that I can find love and happiness one day.
And then it had to be with you
Out of all my bad experiences, I still believe that meeting you was worth it, and that someday, things will turn around for me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HOAGY CARMICHAEL, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaelchapman4955
'Thank you, Keith, Jack & Gary...... May 1st, 2023 1127pm PST
@asuccar
amazing.I just play this over and over again
@MrRickywallace
What a universal song, and he starts with a slow pace, reflecting perfectly the tone of the song!
@MrRickywallace
Have to add: I was in Lyon in the 1980s and visited this amphitheater-great restaurants abound here: Orsi. Go there!
@asuccar
amazing. Thanks for posting
@andrasherceg2475
I like Jarrett.He is the best pianist after O.P.He has made a very special jazz style.yeah
@peterwarshaw2352
Andras, I always find it confusing that people can like both Jarrett and Peterson. To me they are polar opposites, and never the twain shall meet. I think Jarrett is a genius. I think OP is a hack who, obviously, has amazing technique (but nothing else).
@MrRickywallace
Bill, Oscar, Erroll, Art, Keith—these are the greatest!
@peterwarshaw2352
@@MrRickywallace this is kind of humorous, but I know of folks other than you who put both Jarrett and Oscar Peterson on the list but, believe or not, I loathe Peterson. I think he is the most over-rated jazz pianist ever. Sure, he has AMAZING technique, but technique without soul means nothing to me. I would say that I have liked only about 1% of what I have heard Peterson play. Can't even find one whole song I like...just snippets from a couple, here and there. If there are specific things you think I should listen to, I am ALWAYS willing to change my opinion! LOL. But I've made that offer to others, and have yet to get a response! Be well, sir. And...long live music!
@barkofink
"at the blue note" 1994 disc two