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.
Intro
Keith Jarrett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The song talks about a man who fell in love at first sight with a woman who reciprocated his feelings. As the relationship deepens, he finds it hard to believe that she loves him too. He is overwhelmed by her love and affection, and he feels undeserving of it. He describes how she lights up his life and how everything seems too good to be true. The song talks about the disbelief that comes with finding someone who loves you deeply and the joy and pride that comes with it.
The lyrics also capture the doubts and insecurities that can come with falling in love. The man never thought that someone like her would love him, which shows his lack of self-esteem. The song also highlights the joy that comes with finding true love and the feeling of being lucky to have found it.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way
The singer met their lover for the first time the day before
And when you smiled at me
The lover smiled at the singer, creating a sense of excitement in their heart
In my heart I felt a thrill you see
The singer experienced an intense feeling of excitement and joy
That it was love at sight and
The singer fell in love with the lover as soon as they met
I was right to love you as I do.
The singer knows that their love for their lover is justified
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
The singer is surprised that their lover feels the same way about them
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
The singer is enchanted by their lover's blue eyes and kisses
I never knew what they could do.
The singer had no idea the effect their lover's eyes and kisses would have on them
You're telling ev'ry one I know
The lover is sharing their love for the singer with others
I'm on your mind each place we go
The singer is always on their lover's mind no matter where they are
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Others are surprised that the lover is in love with the singer
I have always placed you far above me.
The singer has always felt that their lover was better than them
I just can't imagine that you love me.
The singer can't believe that their lover loves them
And after all is said and done,
Despite everything that has happened
To think that I'm the lucky one.
The singer feels lucky to have their lover
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The singer still can't believe that their lover loves them
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
The singer is sad and down when their lover is not around
When you are not around.
The singer feels better when their lover is with them
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
When the singer's lover is not around, everything seems to go wrong
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
The singer feels proud when their lover is with them
For I'm so proud of you
The singer is proud of their lover
It all seems too good to me to all be true
The singer finds it hard to believe that their happiness with their lover is real
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jack Bussy
I hesitate between calling it an act of genius (for your clarity) and an act of love (for all you give). For anyone who can read music, you are among the best on YT !! Your annotations are do clear. I wish I were 30 and had this knowledge transmitted to me. I’m 66, it’s too late, but Hey ! I do enjoy it as much as I can. Like a baby in an ice-cream shop….
Stijn Wauters
Thank you so much for this unbelievable kind and supportive comment!
Jack Bussy
You’re welcome. I left a message on your site but O ask it again here : do you intend to edit that in all 12 keys or at least the most used ones ? I am sure many people would love it. Really. This is so useful to understand the founding rules.
Sheila MacDougal
You mean transcribe, and you need to get to the level where you can do that yourself in all 12 keys, otherwise you won't be in a position to benefit much from the instruction in any case.
Femi Adebayo
You are the most excellent teacher and I mean it.❤️
Stijn Wauters
Thank you so much!
Marcos Cruz
I go along with that!
H S
This is absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for posting. You do sound like Keith Jarrett!
Ray Brown
Stijn, your channel is by far the best for me. Thank so much for this insight into Keith’s approach. All the best
Ray
Stijn Wauters
Thank you! You're very welcome!