Keith Jarrett Quartet

Keith Jarrett's "American Quartet" grew from the first Keith Jarrett Trio (featuring Charlie Haden on bass and Paul Motian on drums), when saxophonist Dewey Redman joined the 1971 recording sessions for what eventually became the albums El Juicio (The Judgement) and Birth. By 1973 the metamorphosis from trio to quartet was complete with Dewey becoming a full member. The group lasted until October 1976 and recorded almost a dozen albums in this brief period, sometimes featuring extra musicians such such as guitarist Sam Brown (2) or percussionists Guilherme Franco and Airto Moreira. The American Quartet was given this moniker to distinguish it from Jarrett's "European" or "Scandinavian Quartet", featuring Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen. It should be noted that even though both groups formally existed, they were never credited as such on any of the albums they released, which generally only billed Keith Jarrett as main artist.