Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
In Memoriam: James Blood Ulmer, 1940–2026
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
Pianist Keith Jarrett is set to release the archival Budapest Concert on Oct. 30 through the ECM imprint.
(Photo: Rose Anne Colavito)Renowned pianist Keith Jarrett, whose 1975 ECM album The Köln Concert remains one of the most recognizable jazz albums ever released, discussed previously unreported health issues in a story published early Wednesday on The New York Times website.
“I was paralyzed,” the pianist, who turned 75 in May, said about a pair of 2018 strokes. “My left side is still partially paralyzed. I’m able to try to walk with a cane, but it took a long time for that, took a year or more. And I’m not getting around this house at all, really.”
His most recent public performance reportedly was at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 15, 2017.
As the Nate Chinen piece—which is headlined “Keith Jarrett Confronts A Future Without The Piano”—indicates, Jarrett’s performing career at this point is uncertain. The pianist, though, has steadily been releasing archival live albums through ECM, including the 2018 disc La Fenice and the 2019 album Munich 2016. Budapest Concert, recorded two weeks prior to the Munich date, is set for release on Oct. 30. DB
To the world, James Blood Ulmer was a legend, a visionary and a musical force whose sound was distinctive and unique. To his family, he was their teacher, their storyteller and a source of strength.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
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