After more than three decades languishing in the ECM vaults, a hitherto unheard album by the hugely influential Keith Jarrett European Quartet – the Belonging band – is to be released for the first time, the great pianist’s label ECM has confirmed.

To be released in the UK through Proper Note distribution on 16 July Sleeper was recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo on 16 April 1979 by Jarrett with his fabled quartet of Jan Garbarek, tenor and soprano saxophones, flute, and percussion; Palle Danielsson double bass; and Jon Christensen drums and percussion. It’s the band that laid down Belonging in 1974, the wondrous My Song in 1977, and Personal Mountains and Nude Ants two years later in 1979.

Personal Mountains was recorded in Tokyo around the same time as Sleeper but over two days, on 16 April when the Sleeper tracks were recorded, and the next day, with Nude Ants then taped in New York at the Village Vanguard the following month. While it took a mere decade for Personal Mountains to be released Sleeper has had to wait considerably longer for its emergence. Spread over two CDs all the songs are by Jarrett, who last performed in the UK in the summer of 2011. With a new Oslo mix tracks on the first CD of Sleeper are ‘Personal Mountains’, ‘Innocence’ and ‘So Tender’ and on the second disc ‘Oasis’, ‘Chant Of The Soil’, ‘Prism’ and ‘New Dance’.

– Stephen Graham 

Pictured: Keith Jarrett (above, left) with Jan Garbarek

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