In 1971, Keith Jarrett added saxophonist Dewey Redman to an existing trio with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian. This so-called "American Quartet" was often supplemented by an extra percussionist, such as Danny Johnson, Guilherme Franco, or Airto Moreira, and occasionally by guitarist Sam Brown. The members would also play a variety of instruments, with Jarrett often being heard on soprano saxophone and percussion as well as piano, Redman on musette, a Chinese double-reed instrument, and Motian and Haden on a variety of percussion. Haden also produced a variety of unusual plucked and percussive sounds with his acoustic bass. The group recorded for Atlantic Records, Columbia Records, Impulse! Records, and ECM.

From 1974 Jarrett also led an "European Quartet", concurrently with the above discussed "American Quartet", which was recorded by ECM. This combo consisted of saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Palle Danielsson, and drummer Jon Christensen. This ensemble played music in a similar style to that of the "American Quartet", but with many of the avant-garde and Americana elements replaced by the European folk influences that characterized ECM artists of the time. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.