"Staircase" is a solo piano record, the Keith Jarrett has recorded in May 1976 in a studio in Paris, half a year before his legendary "Sun Bear Concerts" in Japan. "Staircase" consists of 11 pieces from one to 14 minutes, from the atmosphere produces a concentrated anticipation of the "Sun Bear Concerts". The music is certainly far from the Cologne concert. Keith Jarrett plays usually quite introverted, the music is supported by beautiful melodies. In "Staircase Part 2" he creates a sounding soundscape. In "Sundial Part 2" he improvised on the other hand with an annoying Freejazz posturing and playful jazzy in "Sand Part 1". Total would "Staircase" a really recommendable CD when it would finally provide ECM as in America, "Staircase" to publish with its 74 minutes of runtime on a single CD.
