The Deer Head Inn, in the unlikely locale of the Delaware Water Gap in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, is America’s oldest continuously running jazz club, presenting live music since 1950. It’s a relatively easy destination from New York City, straight out on Interstate 80. One can see national acts in the intimate room that holds about 100 comfortably. The famed venue has been “home” for those who live relatively close by, such as Dave Liebman, the late Phil Woods, and Keith Jarrett. Jarrett first played the club at age 16, leading a trio in 1961, and often played there in the early years as a drummer for Paul Coates’ house trio and a guitarist for visiting musicians. Only five years later, in 1966, he was the pianist in Charles Lloyd’s legendary quartet with bassist Ron McClure (and later Cecil McBee) and drummer Jack DeJohnette.
Yes, we are talking history here, as Jarrett often played the club under its new owners in the ‘90s, this time on September 16, 1992, for the only recordings of this famed trio of bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian. Issued as At the Deer Head Inn by ECM in 1994, it was subsequently hailed by major publications as one of Jarrett’s best. Now, with The Old Country, we hear more material from that historic performance.
Jarrett, who suffered a couple of strokes in 2018, has been unable to play since and has retired. Instigated by Bill Goodwin, longtime drummer for the Phil Woods Quartet, and drummer on Gary Burton and Keith Jarrett (Atlantic, 1970), Jarrett and ECM label head Manfred Eichner revisited the concert and decided to release these unreleased pieces in a second volume. Jarrett commented, “…I think you can hear on this tape what jazz is all about.”
The event was spontaneously organized and not advertised but drew the audience via rapidly spreading word-of-mouth. At the time, Peacock was a regular member of Jarrett’s Standards Trio with Jack DeJohnette. Motian was the drummer of Jarrett’s American Quartet with Dewey Redman and Charlie Haden in the early ‘70s but hadn’t played with Jarrett since. Jarrett recalls not having played piano at the Deer Head for 30 years and not playing with Motian for 16 years. So, this was both a reunion and a spontaneous jam session. Manfred Eichner points out in the liners that Peacock and Motian had considerable experience playing this repertoire with Paul Bley In the early ‘60s and with Bill Evans individually. Yet, he points out, “Countless musicians have played these tunes, but never like this.”
The trio stretches out most of these standards for eight or nine minutes, delivering Nat Adderly’s title track for almost 13 minutes, where you hear Jarrett’s innate feel for the blues. Two are from Cole Porter, the swinging opener “Everything I Love,” where you hear rollicking soloing from each member, and later, the oft-played “All of You.” With Porter, often comes Gershwin, and surely enough, we have a most expressive rendering of “How Long Has This Been Going On” as the closer. This trio also renders several very tender, including Julie Styne’s “I Fall in Love Too Easily” and Frank Churchill’s “Some Day My Prince Will Come.” While Jarrett is the only certified NEA Jazz Master of the three, Peacock and Motian are legendary figures deserving of that honor; the latter is also considered a great composer. We hear their talents throughout the recording to the applause of the appreciative audience through the widely recognizable Monk’s “Straight No Chaser,” Victor Young’s “Golden Earrings” (another blues), and those previously referenced. As with any ECM recording, the sound is pristine, with each musician coming through distinctly. To these ears, Peacock’s sturdy and creative bass lines stand out as does Motian’s special chemistry with Jarrett, able to anticipate his every move.
The Old Country is a more than worthy addition to Jarrett’s sterling catalog. Piano trio music doesn’t get any better than this.
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Correction: Keith played drums with John Coates Jr, not “Paul.”