Album review: Keith Jarrett No End (ECM)

Given his legendary allegiance to acoustic piano, it's astonishing to hear these 1986 home recordings of Keith Jarrett overdubbing himself on drums, electric bass, percussion, recorder, voice, piano and, mostly, electric guitar. Across two CDs, they resemble Jerry Garcia on one of the Grateful Dead's more reflective days, with individual tracks offering other echoes – there's a lyrical, African soukous flavour to his guitar on "V", for instance, while the jazzy tone and elegant phrasing of "I" recalls John McLaughlin's early Extrapolation work. It gets a bit noodly-doodly at times, but with some stand-out moments, notably the lovely, meditative grace of the bass and guitar alliance in "XII" which supports Jarrett's sleevenote query, "How could I have left it in a drawer all these years?"

Download: XII; V; I; II