Up to 37% in savings when you subscribe to hi-fi+

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Sleeper

Sleeper

This release has been ‘resting’ in the ECM vaults ever since it was recorded live in 1979 in Tokyo by Jarrett and his European quartet. This group recorded four albums between ’74 and ’79 but only three of them were released at the time. Sleeper finds Jarrett in the company of sax and flute player Jan Garbarek, double bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer/force of nature Jon Christensen. A group that sounds very different to the American quartet he worked with at the same time. The first disc opens with ‘Personal Mountains’, a high energy maelstrom where the rhythm section sweeps the soloists along with verve and gusto, Jarrett is clearly infected by this and plays his socks off. Garbarek does his level best to stay in the running but takes a few breaks to play percussion and “listen in awe” as he put it. 

The rest of the performance takes in all manner of moods and includes flute and bowed double bass, as well as lots of shakers, maracas etc – three of the four musicians are credited as percussionists. This was a highly articulate and dynamic band that was positively vibrating with ideas, it’s surprising that this performance has taken so long to emerge. JK

Read Next From Music

See all
Music Interview: The House of Love
MUSIC

Music Interview: The House of Love

If you were around in the Indie scene of the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s, you couldn't have missed The House of Love. We spoke to legendary front-man, Guy Chadwick.

Music Interview: Bringing Jack McDuff back to life
MUSIC

Music Interview: Bringing Jack McDuff back to life

Influential US organist Jack McDuff's 'Live at Parnell's' was a lost classic, until Claudio Passavanti of Doctor Mix and Christoph Härtwig of iZotope could bring the cassette masters back to life. They talk to Sean Hannam.

Max Cooper
MUSIC

Music Interview: Max Cooper

Sean Hannam speaks to the Belfast-born visionary artist and producer Max Cooper, who teamed up with the French spatial audio experts L-Acoustics to help create his latest album, Unspoken Words.

Music Interview: Michael Head
MUSIC

Music Interview: Michael Head

Michael Head (Pale Fountains, The Strands) is perhaps Liverpool’s great lost songwriter, but Sean Hannam found him and talked about The Red Elastic Band and their latest album, Dear Scott...

Sign Up To Our Newsletter