Friday, October 24, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Laemmle Royal, Los Angeles
Keith Jarrett’s legendary performance at the opera house in Köln, West Germany in 1975 nearly didn’t happen. Based on a true story, Köln 75 follows how the concert was conceived and orchestrated by the efforts of an up-and-coming teen concert promoter, Vera Brandes, (played by German actress Mala Emde). Her enthusiasm set her to multitasking – from organizing the venue, promoting the event and selling the tickets, to convincing Jarrett to perform when he almost dropped out when the Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano he was promised was nowhere to be found. John Magaro plays Jarrett with his singular intensity, a sublime counterpoint to Mala Emde’s joyful portrayal of the enthusiastic and unstoppable Vera. Köln 75 captures the compelling, entertaining and, until now, unknown back story about Jarrett’s entirely improvised one-hour concert, which became the best-selling solo album in jazz history.