Before discussing the digital file, one must understand the source. My Song was recorded at Talent Studio in Oslo on October 17, 1977. Legendary ECM founder Manfred Eicher produced the session, with engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug at the boards. The studio was unique: a converted film soundstage with a wooden floor and high, vaulted ceilings. Eicher and Kongshaug famously eschewed separation booths; the quartet played live in a single room, relying on leakage and natural reverb.
What you hear on My Song is not four individual musicians, but a single acoustic organism. Jarrett’s lyrical title track, the haunting “Country,” and the sprawling “Mandala” depend entirely on the group’s ability to blend dynamics. The original vinyl and early CD transfers were excellent, but they carried the limitations of their formats—compressed dynamic range and, in the case of early CDs, a slightly brittle top end.
The specific format you mentioned (FLAC 24-192) refers to a High-Resolution Audio (Hi-Res) file. Keith Jarrett - My Song -2015- -FLAC 24-192-
Original pressings of My Song on ECM vinyl are sought after, but they wear. The high-resolution digital has several objective advantages:
As of this writing, the 2015 24-192 FLAC release of My Song is available from: Before discussing the digital file, one must understand
Avoid torrent sites claiming to have this file; many are upsampled fakes. A genuine 24-192 file of "My Song" will have a bitrate of approximately 4608 kbps and a file size of ~1.5 GB for the entire album.
In 2015, ECM—a label notoriously skeptical of gimmicky remasters—authorized a new high-resolution transfer from the original analog master tapes. This wasn’t a simple "loudness war" remaster. Instead, it was an archival-grade restoration, released simultaneously as a 180-gram vinyl and, crucially, as studio-quality digital files. Avoid torrent sites claiming to have this file;
The FLAC 24-192 edition (24-bit depth, 192 kHz sampling rate) is the digital crown jewel. Here is what that technical specification means for "My Song":
In the pantheon of modern jazz, few albums evoke the serene, rolling beauty of European impressionism quite like Keith Jarrett’s "My Song." Recorded in 1977 and released in 1978, the album represents the pinnacle of Jarrett’s ‘European Quartet’—featuring Jan Garbarek (soprano and tenor saxophones), Palle Danielsson (bass), and Jon Christensen (drums). For decades, fans have cherished its lyrical warmth and telepathic group improvisation. But in 2015, ECM Records and Jarrett’s estate undertook a meticulous reissue campaign that changed how we hear this classic. This article explores the treasure that is the Keith Jarrett – "My Song" (2015) – FLAC 24-192 release: why it matters, what it sounds like, and why you need it in your digital library.
Christensen’s drumming is famously spare and textural. On “Tabarka,” he uses mallets and brushes. In high resolution, cymbal decays last three to four times longer before disappearing into the room tone. The shimmer is not splashy; it is delicate, almost frozen. The 192kHz sample rate captures the non-linear harmonic distortion of the bronze alloy—something that aliases down into harshness at lower rates.