I'm doing it.

It was a cold January day more than forty years ago in Koln (Cologne) Germany. The pianist Keith Jarrett was scheduled to play a solo concert to a sold out crowd at the town Opera House. Jarrett had selected a Bosendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand for the performance. However, due to confusion among the opera house staff, instead of Jarrett’s preferred piano, the instrument they had ready for him was a “rehearsal piano” used by the opera - in poor condition, wildly out of tune, and virtually unplayable. To make matters worse, Jarrett was exhausted from the long drive from Zurich and had been suffering from excruciating back pain. Understandably, Jarrett considered cancelling the concert but, in his own words, he said:

“I have to do this. I’m doing it. I don’t care what the f*** the piano sounds like. I’m doing it.”  

What followed, of course, is legendary. Jarrett literally coaxed notes out of the piano - making the best he could out of the improper bass register and somehow used what would otherwise be the jarring and jangly high notes to his benefit. The Koln Concert is still the best selling piano album of all time.

Martin Moll

Founder + Advisor

Given the hardship and anxiety the world is facing, a 48-year-old recording of a piano concert seems trivial at best. But I’ve found myself listening to it repeatedly. Jarrett could have gone back to his hotel, put the covers over his head and simply gone to bed. No one would have blamed him. But instead he took the worst and adapted. What followed was likely better than anything that would have arisen from perfect conditions. Each of us has the same choice Jarrett faced - walk away or say “I’m doing it.” There’s no question that the adversity is real. There are no guarantees that the results will be favorable. But we’ll only know if, like Jarrett, we try.