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September 24, 2026
Explore the remarkable story of a concert made famous by the persistence of a young girl.
The story of a concert made famous by the persistence of a young girl,
18-year-old German, Vera Brandes, was a jazz enthusiast, especially free form jazz. One of its greatest exponents in 1975 was American, Keith Jarrett who at the time was on a European Tour.
Vera persuaded the Cologne Opera House to be a potential venue for a one-off Jarrett concert to take place after the main evening performance. She had form as a promoter, Aged 16, while still at school, she met the British saxophonist Ronnie Scott at a jazz festival, and he asked her to book him a two-week tour of Germany.
Perhaps her credentials persuaded a recalcitrant and temperamental, Jarrett to listen to her and eventually to agree as long as the piano was a 10ft-long, half-ton Bösendorfer Imperial. When he arrived, having performed a concert the night before in Switzerland, he discovered an out of tune, 6ft baby grand rehearsal piano.
Jarrett stormed out of the auditorium and refused to perform. 1,400 tickets had been sold. Vera chased him down the street and said, ‘Keith, if you don’t play this concert, I’ll be f****d. And you’ll be f****d too.’ Providing she could sort out the piano, he would reconsider.
In the time available, obtaining a concert grand was out of the question and the only option was to find a piano tuner to take the baby grand apart, fix it, reassemble it and tune it. This could only be done either side of the show that was happening before the concert.
There were also plans to record the concert. The sound engineers having witnessed Jarrett’s objections only stayed for a lack of anything else to do.
Jarrett played a one-hour concert and according to a member of the audience, he started by repeating the four-note jingle that was played on the Tannoy before concerts, instructing patrons to take their seats. He developed this jingle throughout his performance. The inferior nature of the piano can be detected in the recording especially when he has to thump some of the keys.
The live recording of that concert went on to become the bestselling solo jazz album – and the bestselling solo piano album – of all time.
The person who doesn’t rate the performance is Jarrett himself, describing the work as repetitive.
As for Vera Brandes, she became an influential figure in German music as a producer, promoter and record label boss. The concert has inspired a drama-documentary, Koln 75, and the chaotic event would never have happened without the determination and resilience of an 18-year-old.
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