Music of overwhelming beauty continues to flow from pianist Keith Jarrett's fingers in an undiminished torrent. His recent concerts (including a near sellout at New York's Avery Fisher Hall) have been the best of his career and his two record companies, ABC/ Impulse and the German ECM label, are both getting excellent albums from him. Death and Belonging are small group efforts with similar instrumentation. The former includes only three tunes and is a much deeper and more satisfying statement than Treasure Island. Belonging features Norwegian saxophonist Garbarek's trio with Jarrett playing the pianist's compositions. The contrast between the two LPs is instructive, for the American band with which Jarrett performs is as individual, quirky and spontaneous as the Norwegian group is homogeneous, deliberate and polished. Dewey Redman, the American band's saxophonist, combines the cry of the blues and the meaty Texas tenor sound with an approach which is often laid back, while Garbarek blows diamond-hard solo lines that stand out in bold relief and at times achieve an almost overbearing intensity. The American rhythm section spreads out in ripples while the European bassist and drummer provide a small, mobile center. Jarrett sounds equally at home in both contexts. His solo playing has attracted the most attention, but give and take with other musicians may eventually prove to be his true calling. Bassist Charlie Haden, on Death, and saxophonist Garbarek respond to him with some of their best recorded playing, and the grit that's sometimes missed in the bravura of the solo performances is present in abundance on both LPs. (RS 189)

BOB PALMER