John Magaro portrays Keith Jarrett in the film Köln 75, which explores the legendary jazz improvisation show that almost didn't happen. This niche drama centers on a pivotal chapter in experimental jazz history, delivering a watchable and well-acted narrative that sidesteps typical music-movie cliches. However, the fourth-wall-breaking lectures on jazz improvisation, reminiscent of Adam McKay's The Big Short, feel heavy-handed and condescending.
The Story Behind the Concert
Magaro plays Jarrett, the great jazz pianist and former Miles Davis collaborator. In the mid-1970s, Jarrett was on a grueling European solo tour, improvising nightly for devoted European audiences while battling depression and back pain. Mala Emde stars as the remarkably precocious 18-year-old Vera Brandes, a Cologne teenager who became a jazz promoter after an encounter with Ronnie Scott. She rebels against her conservative dentist father, played by Ulrich Tukur.
With extraordinary chutzpah, Vera books Jarrett for the Köln Opera House, securing a DM10,000 deposit from her mother. At the last moment, she must arrange a desperate repair and tuning for the rickety, insulting rehearsal piano placed on stage. She then pleads with a moody Jarrett not to cancel the performance in a Glenn Gould-style tantrum. The feisty teen must jolt the genius out of his catatonic disillusionment to deliver the iconic live jazz album.
Supporting Characters and Narrative Choices
Michael Chernus plays jazz critic Mick Watts, who witnesses the event and delivers the Big Short-style lessons. Oddly, the film barely features the concert itself, possibly due to copyright restrictions; the final euphoric montage uses different music. Throughout the pre-show chaos, it seems Vera will fail, but her exasperated brother tells her to "Improvise!"—a symbolic moment that may be fictional.
Emde delivers a likable, fizzy performance, and the film avoids sentimental reconciliation with her disagreeable father. Köln 75 is in UK and Irish cinemas from 5 June.
