Keith Jarrett-Sun Bear Concerts box set

[jazzkrow]

I've seen a used copy of Jarrett's Japan tour solo concerts box set for $50 used. Wondering if anyone has this set and can make some comments. I have the Koln concert LPs. Liked some of the directions Keith took-but his audible grunting onstage can wreck the mood he sets. Do the Sun Bear concerts feature more of the same? Imagine the six CDs are best heard a little at a time to fully digest/appreciate?

Most interested in opinions of casual Jarrett fans rather than the hard core as for them I'd imagine this is a must purchase?

Thanks!

[porcy62]

I am not a hard core fan. Frankly I don't know, I bought a used vinyl copy for 60 euros several years ago, because I found it at a nice price.

I think that its mammouth size had obscured its merit. There are other KJ solos more highly regarded like Munich and Bregenz (1981), a part Koln. I found the japanese concerts interesting, some more then others.

About the grunting, it's in jarrett's average.

[jazzbo]

If you're not gung ho on Koln I don't think you'll be too crazy about Sun Bear.

I'm in the opposite camp: When the Bremen-Lausanne set came out on lp it blew my mind, Koln did me further in, and I'm a huge fan of Jarrett's solo piano concerts. Sun Bear is among the best of the concerts, but if you're bothered by the "singing" or just not that into Koln, skip it.

[jazzkrow]

I did like Koln and Bremen-but don't know if 6 more solo CDs would be overkill especially at this used price...

[mjzee]

I liked Sun Bear. What I found interesting are the changes in mood and feeling from one concert to the next - as if they were really different "compositions." Even though this was a tour, and the concerts were just a few days apart.

[David Ayers]

I'm not a Jarrett fan, by a long chalk, but I find this a nice set, and there is something to be said for listening to a series of five related concerts instead of one concert five (or fifty) times over.

Edited January 11, 2010 by David Ayers

[WorldB3]

Agree with Jazzbo. Get Bremen-Lausanne first.

Thats his best imo and its only 2 cds.

The 3 lp vinyl sounds warmer to my ears but they get broken up due to the length of the pieces. Must own in any format.

[Dave Garrett]

Someone on the Hoffman board (I think) posted a week or so ago that FYE.com had the Sun Bear box for around $50, but it seems to be back up to the regular price now. I was tempted, as I've never heard any of it despite having long been a fan of the Bremen-Lausanne and Koeln sets, but I ultimately passed on it as I've spent too much money on other things in the past couple of months. Maybe another time.

[mjzee]

Sun Bear is being described as a 6-CD set. Please keep in mind that the box contains 5 concerts, each on its own disc. The sixth disc contains the encores only for 3 of the concerts, and is about 22 minutes total.