1973 · Album
Ruta and Daitya
Recorded May 1971 · ECM Records · Produced by Manfred Eicher
Electric Keys at the Crossroads
A rare glimpse of Jarrett on electric keyboard, just before he turned decisively away from it.
This is a transitional record in Keith Jarrett's catalogue, and it is valuable mostly for what it shows about where he was heading. Recorded in May 1971 and released on ECM in 1973, Ruta and Daitya captures Jarrett working with electric keyboards, a sound he rarely returned to. Paired with drummer Jack DeJohnette, he plays with a loose, searching energy that feels closer to a rehearsal room than a finished statement.
The music is more of a sketch than a monument. The interplay between Jarrett and DeJohnette is alert and restless, and there are moments where the textures are genuinely interesting, especially in how the electric sounds sit against DeJohnette's percussion. Some passages wander, and not every idea is pursued to its end. That looseness is part of the appeal for listeners who enjoy hearing an artist in motion.
AllMusic reviewer Richard S. Ginell called it a valuable, underrated transition album, and that seems right. It is not where to start with Jarrett, but for committed fans it offers a clear view of his shift away from electric instruments and toward the acoustic work that defined his later reputation.
Who's playing
Keith Jarrettflute, organ, piano
Jack DeJohnettepercussion
Where next?
More by Keith Jarrett
All 29 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
