Your favourite jazz pianist

I know it's not a drum topic, but let's face it, what's drums without great music to accompany. And what better instrument to accompany than piano. I love piano. Anyway, I'm not an avid jazz listener, but I do love George shearing's playing. I have one album of his,( I'm inspired to buy more), and I can't remember the drummer's name. Something like Vernon I think. And I love oscar peterson's playing as well.
If you don't know shearing, check a bunch of his tunes here:

http://www.tuxjunction.net/56kjukepages/bshearing.htm

Actually, this tune below swings like the clappers! And the drummer plays some very tasty in the pocket brushes and kick drum hits. And a few bars solo.

http://www.tuxjunction.net/media/whiteliesGS.mp3

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 05, 2004 01:54 AM: Message edited by: Rudy_Ment ]</font>

Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Oscar Peterson, Gonzalo Rubalcaba are some of my favourites.

There are so many.....

Art Tatum, Phineas Newborn Jr., Erroll Garner, McCoy Tyner....

Basie and Ellington were great pianists (Basie often underrated) also.

These days I like George Duke's stuff and I have most of Tom Coster's material (mainly fusion). Plus of course Randy Waldman (with Vinnie..)

Iiro Rantala

Keith Jarret!!

Click HERE for a wicked vid of him playing All The Things You Are live in Japan. Beautiful playing by Jack as usual. (38mb)

Enjoy!!

Hiromi, love her style....

Great point!

..."I know it's not a drum topic, but let's face it, what's drums without great music to accompany. And what better instrument to accompany than piano"...
- It's ALL good [& inter-related]; it's all music. [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

You guys nailed some heavyweights, of course. All of those are incredible, some are downright FRIGHTENING [Chick, Herbie, Gonzalo, Jarrett, etc...]

Along with all the guys everyone already mentioned, I would also add Alan Pasqua, Walter Afanassief & Alan Zavod [both played with J L Ponty], Steve Hunt & Jim Beard [Holdsworth & Scofield], & Kei Akagi [DiMeola, etc]...of course, I've gone into fusionland, AOT strictly the more SA jazz...I just KNOW I'm missing a bunch, but it'd take too long [like a list of fave drummers...been there, done that...]

For some reason I don't get the video on "Dazz's" Jarrett file, just the audio; something about 'error DLd'g codec' [which I'm not complaining about that! - but I'd still like to SEE it! ;c)]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 06, 2004 04:33 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>

Chick-ola and the Herb-meister!!

I dig and MISS Barry Miles too!

Let me honorably mention the HAMMER!

[img]cool.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 05, 2004 04:27 PM: Message edited by: peter c ]</font>

a heartfelt YES!! to the above mentioned masters and of course Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck and Michel Petrucciani ..also one Joe Chindamo (featured on the upcoming "Loose Change live at the grainstore" rerelease with a young and vigorous Virg) some great moments on that gig.

..just grabbing the Keith Jarrett now cheers Dazzler

earlier my son convinced me to superimpose the George Shearing track on the Brodequin clip and to my surprise it worked quite well [img]smile.gif[/img]

No worries guys, hope you enjoy the vid... Fuse mate, I don't know why you're having difficulty with the picture. You could try going to www.divx.com and getting a codec bundle.
Is anyone else having problems viewing this vid? It should be ok!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 05, 2004 08:56 PM: Message edited by: Dazzler ]</font>

Well piano is a percussive instrument in a way. Many great pianists are also great drummers (Corea, Jan Hammer, ...) Some of my favorites are:

Bill Evans: Sweet as honey, don't think he's ever played a meaningless chord [img]wink.gif[/img] . The CD "You Must Believe in Spring" being one of my all around favorite CD.

Chick Corea: Percussive, original, seasoned with a latin-zest. The CD's "Friends", "Three Quartet" and the Electric Band stuff amongst my favorites.

Lyle Mays: Beautiful on all counts... Pat Metheny Group would not be what it is without him.

Otmaro Ruiz: Great energized soloist on both acoustic and synths, looove his synth sounds, great composer. Interprets ALL genres outstandingly. I love his first solo CD "Distant Friends", his work with Dianne Reeves, Alain Caron and John Mclaughlin are also significant in my book.

Joe Zawinul: The co-leader of one of the most influantial Jazz band EVER, Weather Report. IMO, it's his innovative flare that sets him apart, what a sound!!!
"Heavy Weather" is pretty much my favorite WR CD.

Michel Camilo: Acoustic Latin playing at its very best... His first solo album has one of my all time favorite ballads. Dave Weckl plays great on that one too...

Etc...

Richard Tee: I don't know if you could call him a Jazz-Pianist, but man, he knew how to solo so every heart in the hall could feel it - So Honest, So joyfull, So communicative - Blasted all arrogant barriers and just spread sheer joy and hope into the people that experienced it.

Greg Mathieson: Probably a Fusion keyboardplayer, but again, his solo's are very hard to explain but let me be as precise as possible in my interpretations: He's one of the few muscicians that listens to his comrades while soloing - thinking "How's Vinnie Reacting to this, and how do we proceed further with this idea" and he keeps the simple and very percussive angle of soloing in to some musical tranquility where everything just seem blending together so beatifull.

I Think the greatest Pianists, are those who can look further than their sheet holder at their piano - Challenging, Inspiring and Collaborating with their fellow musicians, bringing the whole session into one single organism living through sheer ideas, musicality and creativity.

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I Think the greatest Pianists, are those who can look further than their sheet holder at their piano - Challenging, Inspiring and Collaborating with their fellow musicians, bringing the whole session into one single organism living through sheer ideas, musicality and creativity.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">[img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] Well said there... I'd say the same thing about drummers, guitarists, etc. The challenge of the organism is in its unity, it could be compared to a huge saxophone where each key is an instrumentist. First heard that one from Tom Brechlein at one of his Clinic, stayed with me ever since.

Best piano player I've seen in person is a guy called Chip Stephens...he teaches at the University of Colorado in Bolder...I saw him play a gig here in calgary and I must say it was the most the most impressive display of jazz piano playing I have ever witnessed...I've heard and listenned to some amazing players, but Chip is the best that I've seen in person.

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Originally posted by beat Hit:
Well piano is a percussive instrument in a way.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually, someone once told me that piano is technically a percussion instrument. Well, a tuned percussion instrument. Because it relies on hammers to produce the notes. In the same way as gloc, xylophone, marimba, etc. I guess?

True Rudy, the piano is part of the percussion family for that exact reason!! [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

Some great, great players mentioned in this thread. The pianists that I enjoy the most are McCoy, Herbie, Chick, Keith Jarrett, Camilo, Bill Evans.

It's a great topic !!!

My favorite are :
- Kenny Kirkland (peace to his soul)
- Herbie Hancock
- Chick Corea
- Marcus Roberts
- John Beasley
- McCoy Tyner
- Joe Zawinul
- Russel Ferrante

And many many other great...

the Keith Jarrett vid is working fine here to say the least!! (prolly a codec needed if no pic)

what a display of depth ..they seem to have time and dynamics by the nuts!(and they ain't letting go) i think that bass player deserves a medal for bravery [img]smile.gif[/img]

it's weird i was watching an old jazz casual gig with Keith and Jack in the charles lloyd quartet just earlier before grabbing the things vid and WOW age has not wearied them it seems ..the fine wine just gets finer.

needless to say ..Thanks for the vid Dazzler!

i think Keith may actually take off one day and be found later floating around the theatre roof.

Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock. PT.

Holy fast fingers batman! Dazzler, that keith jarrett clip is great! I've never heard his playing before, known about him for years. See that's what I like, tunes. Jarrett has amazing chops but keeps it melodic throughout. He's like shearing on speed. What albums of jarrett do you recommend? Is there one playing all the classic standards like 'all the things you are'?

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 06, 2004 03:20 PM: Message edited by: Rudy_Ment ]</font>

You guys mentioned all the players I "missed" [img]wink.gif[/img]

BTW - i sorted it all out; can see it now Dazz, thanks [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

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Well piano is a percussive instrument in a way. Many great pianists are also great drummers (Corea, Jan Hammer

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, that's why i need to mention DeJohnette, who is both a great jazz drummer AND jazz/classical/blues influenced pianist...also Gary Husband plays piano AW, & I understand that Chick, Zappa, & DiMeola are/were apparently "closet drummers"... [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 06, 2004 04:57 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>