Vera Brandes on Köln 75

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The Köln Concert (ECM) by Keith Jarrett is one of the most iconic recordings in jazz history—a completely improvised solo piano performance, recorded in 1975, that became both the best-selling solo album and the best-selling piano album of all time. And yet, the concert almost didn't happen.

The new film Köln 75, directed by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Ido Fluk, tells the remarkable true story behind that night through the eyes of Vera Brandes, the 18-year-old German concert promoter whose persistence and intuition made it possible. Against all odds—and with only a broken, nearly unplayable piano to work with—Brandes helped turn what could have been a disaster into a historic moment that continues to resonate fifty years later.

Here Vera shares her memories of that night and her reflections on the making of Köln 75, which captures not only a pivotal event in jazz but also a coming-of-age story set in a post-war Germany rebuilding its identity. The conversation explores how art, community, and chance intersect—how the myths, friendships, and behind-the-scenes stories give life to the music itself.

Narrative films about jazz are notoriously difficult to make, but Köln 75 manages to do the almost unthinkable: it's funny, urgent, and even sexy—a movie about a concert promoter trying to put on a show that somehow feels thrilling and alive.

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