There is a consensus among critics, listeners and musicians alike that this, Keith Jarrett’s second solo piano concert recording (after Solo-Concerts Bremen/Lausanne), is a milestone not only of Keith Jarrett’s work, but of the entire history of jazz. Already in the year of its release, The Köln Concert was met with great enthusiasm: „The fingers are often startling, the melodies infectious, the piano arranging richly diverse, the self-propulsive rhythmic stomp sections glorious in their vibrancy“, wrote Down Beat in a five star review upon the concert’s release. Time Magazine included the album in its year’s best list claiming, “Long, intricate piano solos give a new dimension to the old art of improvisation”, while the Rolling Stone raved: “Köln is a complete solo piano concert. The classical, baroque, gospel, boogie and impressionistic strains […] have been synthesized here into a seamless whole of undeniable brilliance”, concluding, “Almost anyone should be immediately attracted to it, and that’s the really amazing thing about Jarrett.”