Barbican and Serious announce Keith Jarrett 80th anniversary celebration, March and April 2026.
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
The Barbican and Serious have announced a celebration of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett in his 80th year and 50 years since The Köln Concert with two special performances and a supporting film screening.
We have received the following press release;
Barbican and Serious announce Keith Jarrett 80th anniversary celebration, fifty years since the iconic Köln Concert
The Barbican and Serious today announce a celebration of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett in his 80th year and fifty years since his iconic The Köln Concert. Across two special performances and a supporting film screening, the Barbican will play host to a showcase of key moments from the revolutionary pianist’s career.
American Quartet - The Bad Plus: Chris Potter and Craig Taborn (30 Mar 2026, 8pm)
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/the-bad-plus-chris-potter-and-craig-taborn
Film Screening: Keith Jarrett – The Art of Improvisation (15) (11 Apr 2026, 3.30pm)
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/keith-jarrett-the-art-of-improvisation
The Köln Concert - Maki Namekawa and Thomas Enhco (11 Apr 2026, 7.30pm)
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/the-koln-concert
Keith Jarrett, one of the most visionary improvisers in jazz history, turns 80 this year - a milestone that coincides with the 50th anniversary of his seminal The Köln Concert (ECM, 1975), an album that reshaped the landscape of solo jazz piano. Keith Jarrett’s ability to fuse lyricism, classical influences, and unbroken improvisational flow has inspired generations of jazz and experimental musicians worldwide. His boundless creativity and spiritual intensity, bridges jazz, classical music, free improvisation, and folk traditions.
Marking the occasion of these two landmark anniversaries, the Barbican and Serious are proud to announce this special focus programme in the Barbican Hall, inviting two new projects to respond, in sound and spirit, to The Köln Concert and the American Quartet era. Through reinterpretation and inspiration, the programme celebrates Jarrett’s immense influence on the evolution of modern jazz.
On Monday 30 March 2026, The Bad Plus with Chris Potter and Craig Taborn reinterpret and celebrate Jarrett’s repertoire from his American Quartet era. The project is not a casual homage, but a continuation of the spirit of Jarrett’s American Quartet - balancing swing, freedom, folk-like melody, structured improvisation, and deep musical dialogue - with fresh perspectives from the contemporary ensemble members, which features Reid Anderson, Dave King, Chris Potter, and Craig Taborn. (Find out more)
On Saturday 11 April 2026, two inspired pianists from very different musical spheres - Maki Namekawa and Thomas Enhco - will together tackle Keith Jarrett’s legendary album and performance: The Köln Concert (ECM Records, 1975). Produced and premiered originally by Philharmonie de Paris, the two artists will take two approaches: Maki Namekawa will play, note for note, the first and last sections, while Thomas Enhco will improvise through the central sections, together rendering the incredible luminance of this iconic music and freely oscillating between jazz and classical. (Find out more)
Alongside the performance on 11 April, Barbican Cinema will also screen Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation (15 - Mike Dibb, 2005) which offers an intimate portrait of the legendary pianist, exploring his groundbreaking career and diverse musical influences - from Bach and Mozart to ethnic music - as well as documenting his creative process through interviews and performances. With full cooperation from Jarrett, the film features rare insights from the man himself, alongside interviews with his collaborators, family, and close associates, offering a deep dive into the contrasting worlds of jazz and classical music. Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation is the first major documentary on the pianist, made in collaboration between director Mike Dibb and Jarrett’s biographer Ian Carr. (Find out more)
UPCOMING BARBICAN JAZZ PERFORMANCES:
Summer Jazz Series: Herbie Hancock (Thu 24 – Sat 26 Jul 2025, Barbican Hall, 8pm)
Quinteto Astor Piazzolla (Sun 27 Jul 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
Hand to Earth & Shabaka – Fragile Earth Series (Fri 12 Sep 2025, St Giles Cripplegate, 7.30pm)
Balimaya Project x Discos Pacífico All Stars (Sat 27 Sep 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
Ustad Noor Bakhsh + Jaubi + Amrit Kaur (Fri 3 Oct 2025, Barbican Hall 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: aja monet with guests (Fri 14 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: We Exist! The Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet (Sat 15 Nov, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo (Sun 16 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Dhamaal (Sun 16 Nov 2025, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Anthony Joseph: Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back (Mon 17 Nov 2025, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: The Evolution of UK Jazz – 20 Years On (Wed 19 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Hiromi’s Sonicwonder (Fri 21 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Tortoise (Sat 22 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Japanese Jazz (Sun 23 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
GoGo Penguin + special guest Daudi Matsiko (Wed 3 Dec 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
NEW - American Quartet - The Bad Plus: Chris Potter and Craig Taborn (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Barbican Hall, 8pm)
NEW - Film Screening: Keith Jarrett – The Art of Improvisation (15) (Sat 11 Apr 2026, Barbican Cinema 3, 3.30pm)
NEW - The Köln Concert - Maki Namekawa and Thomas Enhco (Sat 11 Apr 2026, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
About Serious
Serious is an Associate Producer at the Barbican, and one of the UK’s leading producers of live jazz, international and new music through concerts, festivals, tours, digital shows, talent development schemes, learning and participation programmes, and bespoke events for all.
Their mission is to curate and produce an original programme that engages a wide range of audiences and communities and nurtures both emerging artists and the next generation of the creative workforce. Through unique and ambitious projects, they aim to make meaningful music experiences and opportunities for everyone.
http://www.serious.org.uk
About the Barbican
The Barbican is a catalyst for creativity, sparking possibilities for artists, audiences, and communities. We showcase the most exciting art from around the world, pushing traditional artistic boundaries to entertain and inspire millions of people, create connections, provoke debate, and reflect the world we live in.
We are an international arts and events centre rooted firmly in our own neighbourhood, collaborating with local communities and putting the City of London on the map as a destination for everybody. Central to our purpose is supporting emerging talent and shaping opportunities that will accelerate the next generation of creatives.
As a not-for-profit, we rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations, including our principal funder the City of London Corporation. Every ticket purchased, donation made, and pound earned supports our arts and learning programme and enables the widest possible range of people to experience the joy of the arts.
Opened in 1982, the Barbican is a unique and audacious building, recognised globally as an architectural icon. As well as our theatres, galleries, concert halls and cinemas, we have a large conservatory with over 1,500 species of plants and trees, a library, conference facilities, public and community spaces, restaurants, bars, and a picturesque lakeside oasis.
We’re proud to be the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, our Resident Orchestra, and a London base for the Royal Shakespeare Company. We regularly co-commission, produce and showcase the work of our Artistic Associates the Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boy Blue, Darbar Arts, Cultural and Heritage Trust, and Serious, who produce the EFG London Jazz Festival, alongside other associates and partners including Doc’n Roll Film Festival, London Palestine Film Festival, and Trafalgar Theatre Productions.
http://www.barbican.org.uk