See Hear Episode 130 - Interview with Ido Fluk, director of Koln 75

See Hear Episode 130 - Interview with Ido Fluk, director of Koln 75

From See Hear by Kerry Fristoe, Tim Merrill, Maurice Bursztynski

October 17, 2025 · 1h 20m · Episode 130

About this episode

This episode features an interview with director Ido Fluk about the story behind the iconic Koln concert and its promoter Vera Brandes.

History is full of famous tales that are told from one perspective. As we all know, everyone has their own version of how something went down....even if it doesn't contradict the popular narrative, there's always something that happened in the background whose importance is diluted or not told at all. Welcome to episode 130 of See Hear Podcast. In 1974, a German teenage jazz fan named Vera Brandes was inspired to book jazz pianist Keith Jarrett to perform at the Koln Opera House. This seemed like a gigantic task however you look at it. Vera had gained a little experience in helping touring musicians perform around Germany (already a big task) but getting one of the then new leading lights in jazz to perform a large venue like the Koln Opera House at the age of 18???? Adding to the degree of difficulty, Jarrett arrived in Koln to discover that there was only an out of tune, broken pedal baby grand with stuck keys. Things happened, the concert was recorded, and the resulting album sold more than any other solo piano jazz album in history. The thing is....everyone talks about Jarrett's ability to improvise on a (partly repaired) piano for an hour and create wonderful art. The part…

People in this episode

Hosts: Kerry Fristoe, Tim Merrill, Maurice Bursztynski

Guest: Ido Fluk

Topics covered

  • jazz
  • music history
  • concert promotion
  • improvisation
  • film adaptation

Keywords

  • Koln concert
  • jazz history
  • Keith Jarrett
  • Vera Brandes
  • Ido Fluk
  • improvisation
  • music documentary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Koln Opera House

More episodes of See Hear

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the See Hear podcast page.