PLAYLIST NEW ALBUM RELEASES IT'S RAINING JAZZ.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

KEITH JARRETT, GARY PEACOCK AND JACK DEJOHNETTE: ``Up for It: Live in Juan-les-Pins'' (ECM/Universal)

In the liner notes to his latest trio effort, outspoken pianist Keith Jarrett bemoans the quest for money and fame he believes has overtaken the ambition of many young musicians who might otherwise strive to express themselves to a higher degree.

``Aspiring to greatness seems a thing of the past,'' Jarrett writes. ``Imitation is all we know. Marketing is all we see.''

That's never been an issue for Jarrett, who's credited for lifting solo piano improvisations to new heights on such early 1970s classics as ``Solo Concerts'' and ``The Koln Concert,'' albums that helped define the ethereal place that, in its most mundane form, became known as New Age.

Through dozens of albums, Jarrett has crossed musical borders in both jazz, chamber music and orchestral settings. But for the past 20 years, Jarrett has focused on the trio format with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette in records that explore the American songbook of the '30s, '40s and '50s. His shimmering 1999 standards set, ``The Melody at Night, With You,'' earned an ocean of new fans three decades after Jarrett joined his first band, the internationally known Charles Lloyd Quartet.

The Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette trio's new disc, ``Up for It: Live in Juan-les-Pins,'' recorded on a rainy evening last summer at the 42nd annual Antibes Festival in the south of France, offers free-spirited interpretations of chestnuts ``My Funny Valentine,'' ``Someday My Prince Will Come,'' ``Autumn Leaves,'' Charlie Parker's ``Scrapple From the Apple'' and other tunes.

We caught up with the Zen-like Peacock, 68, just after the adventurous trio returned from a string of European dates. The band appears Nov. 12 at downtown's new Disney Hall.

Q: What does playing in Keith's trio allow that other ensembles do not?

With Keith and Jack there's an ineffable space that's really a place of not knowing. And in that not knowing, the possibilities are incredibly rich and full. Every time we play together, it's there. There's an unbelievable trust which has to do with trusting ourselves, each other and the potential of that space.

Q: There's a mystique about you and the others. What's your life like?

Well, I moved out of New York to the country after I had spinal surgery last year. I find myself listening to the silence and the birds more than anything. And I practice. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I reach for is my bass.

Q: OK, so how bad were the conditions the night you played at Antibes for this record?

We didn't even think we'd get on stage. It'd been pouring all day and there was this tarp over our equipment. Backstage, Keith looked at me and asked if I felt like playing, and I said no, which was a shock because I never say no. But somehow all the elements came together and we just went out and played. You have to see what works and doesn't work in that situation. When I heard the tracks they recorded, I could see why ECM wanted it released. In spite of all the obstacles, it's a real toe-tapper. It turned out to be a very special recording. And the title, ``Up for It,'' is absolutely perfect.

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Keith Jarrett, left, Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock.