Jazz piano recommendations?
cfr...@motown.ge.com
Hi all!
I've got a question. I've really gotten into Thelonius Monk recently.
His style is really unique and his tunes are nice. (ie. Ruby My Dear on
Solo Monk)
My question is...I'd like to aquire more recordings featuring great jazz piano
playing and/or pianists. My problem is, I don't know any good jazz
pianists by name.
Could someone recommend an artist, band or album that I might be interested
in. The style doen't nessesarily have to be like Monk's, but
any unique, fresh and enjoyable recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Chris Frahme
cfr...@motown.ge.com
Alan B Saul
: I've got a question. I've really gotten into Thelonius Monk recently.
: Chris Frahme
Pretty understated appraisal of Monk. Let's see...
Bud Powell, Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Earl Hines, Nat Cole, Duke Ellington,
Cecil Taylor, Don Pullen, Geri Allen, Mal Waldron, Abdullah Ibrahim,
Kenny Kirkland, Jaki Byard, John Hicks, Kenny Drew, Tommy Flanagan,
Red Garland, Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Sun Ra, Paul Bley, Carla Bley,
Ray Charles, Amina Claudine Myers, John Lewis, Teddy Wilson, Johnny
Guarneri, Dodo Marmarosa, Keith Jarrett, Bobo Stenson, Oscar Peterson,
Jimmie Rowles, Hampton Hawes, Michel Petrucciani, Dave Brubeck,
Wynton Kelly, Walter Bishop Jr, Herbie Nichols, Eddie Heywood, Fats Waller,
Ran Blake, Phineas Newborn Jr, Duke Jordan, Kirt Lightsey, Billy Taylor,
Ahmad Jamal, oh well hundreds and hundreds of great musicians.
Have fun.
M N Nelson
If you like Monk you should try British pianist Stan Tracey. Monk is a
big influence on Tracey but he isn't a Monk copy. There is one record
of piano-bass out, called something likes Stan Tracey plays Ellington,
and a few records with his Hexad (the drive of Art Blakey Jazz Messengers
combined with Monk style piano. Brilliant). I don't know how
easy it is to get the records in the States but I could post a list
if you're interested. As far as I know Stan's records are only available
on a UK label.
mark
William Hsu
>
> Could someone recommend an artist, band or album that I might be
> interested
> in. The style doen't nessesarily have to be like Monk's, but
> any unique, fresh and enjoyable recommendations would be appreciated.
For a Monk-ish followup, I'd recommend the Carla Bley/Steve
Swallow duets on ECM (I've heard the first set which I love,
but not the second).
Mischa Mengelberg does great Monk impersonations (among other
things), but I can't really think of an appropriate recommendation
right now.
Bill
Nik Subotic
Chris Frahme writes,
==========
Some of many possible suggestions are:
Geri Allen (especially her trio recordings with C. Haden and
P. Motian (sp?)) - she's relatively new to the scene.
Herbie Nichols - the Mosaic set is wonderful, especially if
you liked Monk
Duke Ellington - Duke, Nichols, and Monk have some stylistic
similarities. A real nice recording is Money Jungle with C. Mingus,
and M. Roach.
Bill Evans - lots of stuff there others can make more concrete
suggestions
Many of the "old" masters: Fats Waller, Earl Tatum, Earl
Hines, James P. Johnson,......
Gonsalo Rubalcaba (sp?) - the "hot" new Cuban pianist, has
released some trios with C. Haden, and J. DeJohnette (or was that
P. Motian too)
Cecil Taylor - especially his Hat Hut releases if your feeling
adventerous
There are lots, lots more examples. Almost to the point of it becoming
intimidating if your just starting out. I would suggest taking these
(and no doubt the many other suggestions that you will receive) and
going to a local library and checking them out. Come to think of it,
the place you should start is the Smithsonian Collection of Jazz
Piano. This is a boxed set which reviews the highlights of Jazz piano.
I personally don't have it but some freinds rave about it. I hope
this helps get you started.
Nik
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Nikola S. Subotic
Signal and Image Processing Dept.
Optical and IR Science Laboratory
Environmental Research Institute of Michigan
P.O. Box 134001
Ann Arbor, MI 48113-4001
(313)-994-1200 x-2711
sub...@erim.org
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Mariner Padwa
: Hi all!
: Thanks!
: Chris Frahme
: cfr...@motown.ge.com
Just today I went out and bought Red Garland's _Solar_, with Les Spann on
guitar and flute, Sam Jones on bass, and Frank Gant on drums. A very cool
album and very mellow...the guitar really swings and Red... well, Red is
Red. Also Bill Evans... Both of these guys also played with Miles.
Thomas Ford Brown
some of his small-group recordings.
Some major pianists--Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock
(Herbie played jazz in the 1960's, then moved towards pop),
McCoy Tyner...
Alan McKay
>cfr...@motown.ge.com wrote:
>: My question is...I'd like to aquire more recordings featuring great jazz piano
>: playing and/or pianists. My problem is, I don't know any good jazz
>: pianists by name.
>Pretty understated appraisal of Monk. Let's see...
>Bud Powell, Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Earl Hines, Nat Cole, Duke Ellington,
>Cecil Taylor, Don Pullen, Geri Allen, Mal Waldron, Abdullah Ibrahim,
>Kenny Kirkland, Jaki Byard, John Hicks, Kenny Drew, Tommy Flanagan,
>Red Garland, Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Sun Ra, Paul Bley, Carla Bley,
>Ray Charles, Amina Claudine Myers, John Lewis, Teddy Wilson, Johnny
>Guarneri, Dodo Marmarosa, Keith Jarrett, Bobo Stenson, Oscar Peterson,
>Jimmie Rowles, Hampton Hawes, Michel Petrucciani, Dave Brubeck,
>Wynton Kelly, Walter Bishop Jr, Herbie Nichols, Eddie Heywood, Fats Waller,
>Ran Blake, Phineas Newborn Jr, Duke Jordan, Kirt Lightsey, Billy Taylor,
>Ahmad Jamal, oh well hundreds and hundreds of great musicians.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Good list, made better by the inclusion of Randy Weston. Which reminds me, our
station just got a copy of Randy's newest, _Volcano Blues_. I've gotten a chance
to preview only a couple of cuts, but it sounds promising. Man, that Talib Kibwe
is a ~ferocious~ tenor player......[and for you Johnny Copeland fans out there,
Randy is joined by Clyde, playin' & singin' on the opening cut.]
....al
w.a. mckay
desert research institute
reno, nevada
Bassam Madi, exu/xt/der, 6537
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William Hsu
>
> Good list, made better by the inclusion of Randy Weston.
Someone else was reminding me to mention Weston as well.
I love Weston's Portrait of Thelonius Monk CD.
I'm kinda surprised by some of the names posted. I mean
I have some ungodly number of hours of Cecil Taylor myself,
but I certainly wouldn't recommend Taylor to somebody who's
just discovered Monk and jazz. (Not the mature stuff anyway.)
Bill
Alan B Saul
: Alan McKay:
: Bill
Why not? Ok, I do understand why you said this. However, I
would argue that Cecil isn't NECESSARILY inaccessible.
For one, many people are not entrained in a certain model
of listening and would not find Cecil to be any less familiar
than many other people. This almost applies to all the people
(and I believe there are many) who listen carefully and openly.
Secondly, one could approach Cecil in a way that permits one
to overcome the lack of familiarity and get into his genius.
For instance, start with This Nearly Was Mine. Sneak in lots
of exposure. It obviously makes sense once you listen for awhile.
Third, how can you not include Cecil when thinking about pianists?
On the other hand, there are so many other wonderful pianists who
don't come to mind immediately, such as Randy Weston.
Alan Saul
Alan Mills
>In article <930830124...@unilab.motown.ge.com> cfr...@motown.ge.com writes:
>>
>>I've got a question. I've really gotten into Thelonius Monk recently.
>>playing and/or pianists. My problem is, I don't know any good jazz
>>pianists by name.
>>Could someone recommend an artist, band or album that I might be interested
>>in. The style doen't nessesarily have to be like Monk's, but
>>any unique, fresh and enjoyable recommendations would be appreciated.
>
>If you like Monk you should try British pianist Stan Tracey. Monk is a
>big influence on Tracey but he isn't a Monk copy. There is one record
>of piano-bass out, called something likes Stan Tracey plays Ellington,
>and a few records with his Hexad (the drive of Art Blakey Jazz Messengers
>combined with Monk style piano. Brilliant). I don't know how
>easy it is to get the records in the States but I could post a list
>if you're interested. As far as I know Stan's records are only available
>on a UK label.
>
>mark
I strongly support Mark's suggestion. Stan Tracey is a world-class jazz
musician who deserves to be known outside of Britain. He's not only a
fine pianist but also an excellent composer and arranger. As a big-band
leader he has made some CDs as a tribute to Duke Ellington: "We love you
madly" and "We still love you madly". I've got the second of these
which features some fine British musicians - Stan's son, Clark on drums,
Peter King on alto, Alan Skidmore and Art Themen on tenors to name just
a few. This is on Mole jazz, produced by the record shop of that name.
Another CD to look for is Stan's suite "Under Milk Wood", inspired by
the Dylan Thomas play which he recorded several years ago. It used to
be on the Steam label, which was Stan's own production but I see from a
mail-order list which I have that it now appears to be on Bluenote so it
may be more widely available.
Alan Mills (mil...@prl.philips.co.uk)
Philips Research Laboratories
Cross Oak Lane, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 5HA, U.K (tel: +44 293 785544)
Rob Smith
Some of my favourite examples are:
John Hicks on 'You've Got to Have Freedom' by Pharoah Saunders
from the album 'Journey to the One.'
Jorge Dalto (keyboards) on 'Samba de Flora' by Airto Moriera from
the album of the same name.
Duke Pearson on 'Chilli Peppers' and 'the Phantom.'
ke...@mhd.moorhead.msus.edu
>I'm kinda surprised by some of the names posted. I mean
>I have some ungodly number of hours of Cecil Taylor myself,
>but I certainly wouldn't recommend Taylor to somebody who's
>just discovered Monk and jazz. (Not the mature stuff anyway.)
>
>Bill
===================
I tend to disagree here, based on some recent experiences. One student
I met was taking the "jazz" class here at MSU. His idea of jazz was
Branford Marsalis. Since I could see he wasn't getting much out of the
class, I suggested taping some things for him to listen two. I taped
some CT, Ayler, Dexter Gordon, AEC, etc. Sure, at first he wondered what
the music was all about. But, after a couple years now, the guy has
a better collection of recent stuff than I do! It was amazing how he caught
on to what too many people think is difficult music. If someone can
get into Monk's music, I would encourage them to go head over heals into
CT or any of the others in that area. The student now lives in Minneapolis,
but I still get calls from him asking me about some aspect of the music.
And it all started with CT and Ayler.
Bill Kenz
Glenn W. Lea
: I've got a question. I've really gotten into Thelonius Monk recently.
I'll keep it to just a few -- no sense in overwhelming you.
First, buy more Monk :) You should get the Riverside solos (there are
2) and maybe the Thelonious Monk Trio set on Prestige. One can never
have enough Monk albums. One can spend a lifetime exploring his
music. Just ask Steve Lacy :)
As others have recommended, check out Herbie Nichols. Blue Note has a
1-CD "Artistry of" out at a reasonable price. If you find you love
it, get the Mosaic box set for all the alternate takes, the bio, the
beautiful photos.
Myra Melford is a young and exciting pianist with two fine trio discs
on Enemy. I think we'll be hearing a lot more from her.
Can it be no one has mentioned Don Pullen? His two trio discs on Blue
Note are excellent. I bet you would like his new band album "Ode to
Life" as well.
I'll third (or fourth) the Randy Weston mention. His Monk CD is
excellent, as are his Duke and Self Portraits. His brand new one
("Volcano Blues") is also very fine, being mostly The Blues with a
medium sized band.
--
Glenn Lea
g...@genrad.com
J R Evans
specifically mentioning Thelonius Monk; sa...@pitt.edu (Alan B Saul) responded
with an excellent list of jazz piano players, and I would not disagree in
the slightest with his recommendations. However, Chris might also like to seek
out the work of Stan Tracey, one of Britain's most original jazzmen, who
has plowed his own furrow, following the lines of Monk and Ellington for
many years. Those who like Monk are usually equally enthusiastic about
Tracey (and the reverse is also true!).
Russ
Marc Sabatella
> Can it be no one has mentioned Don Pullen?
No, he was in in Alan Saul's long list, one of the very first responses. But
it was indeed a shame to bury him so deep in the listing.
Here are my top 3 recommendations for jazz pianists, as a pianist myself and as
a fellow fan of Thelonious Monk. In no particular order:
1. Don Pullen. A very percussive player, famous for his rolling clusters.
What I like best about him is his ability to mix this with "inside" playing
(that is, playing the chord changes in the "normal" way) and his
willingness to explore elements of other types of music - from R&B to
African to Brazilian, while still being unmistakably Pullen.
2. Hassan Ibn Ali. As far as I know, there is only one album ever recorded
with this guy on it, and luckily, it is readily available on CD from
Atlantic: "The Max Roach Trio Featuring The Legendary Hassan". Hassan was
sort of a bridge from Monk to Pullen - you can hear aspects of both the
Monk-ian angularity and sparseness as well as the Pullen-esque
percussiveness.
3. Herbie Hancock. A different type of player entirely, but incredibly
influential (more so than most people seem to realize). The albums "Maiden
Voyage" and "Empyrean Isles" on Blue Note, as well as his playing on Miles
Davis' "Miles Smiles" and VSOP's "The Quintet", are the main points of
reference here. As for recent albums, the best example is probably "The
Herbie Hancock Quartet" with a young, not-quite-really-famous-yet Wynton
Marsalis on trumpet. Herbie has played many different styles; it is the
style of these albums in particular I would recommend to a Monk fan.
--
Marc Sabatella
ma...@fc.sde.hp.com
--
All opinions expressed herein are my personal ones
and do not necessarily reflect those of HP or anyone else.
Paolo Valladolid
San Diego's Jazz 88 recently broadcast a recorded interview of Bill Evans by
a woman pianist whose name I forget. She asked him a question about piano
technique. He answered her by playing 3 or 4 minutes of incredible piano. The
improvisation was so beautiful and technically stunning that the interviewer
was left speechless for a minute or two :-).
Paolo
Marc Sabatella
> San Diego's Jazz 88 recently broadcast a recorded interview of Bill Evans by
> a woman pianist whose name I forget.
Marian McPartland, of "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" fame? This is a weekly
syndicated series featuring a different pianist (or other sufficiently famous
musician). Bill Evans was one of her first guests.
Jeff Beer
Marc Sabatella <ma...@sde.hp.com> wrote:
>Marian McPartland, of "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" fame? This is a weekly
>syndicated series featuring a different pianist (or other sufficiently famous
>musician). Bill Evans was one of her first guests.
She's had on Cecil Taylor too. They played a duet and it was nice.
Cecil was very gratious and complimentary to McPartland, although she
couldn't get him to play a standard.
Jeff
William Hsu
> : but I certainly wouldn't recommend Taylor to somebody who's
> : just discovered Monk and jazz. (Not the mature stuff anyway.)
Alan Saul:
>
> Why not? Ok, I do understand why you said this. However, I
> would argue that Cecil isn't NECESSARILY inaccessible.
It's not a question of accessibility. I listened to Cecil
for years before I figured out what Monk was all about.
A listener who takes to Monk immediately *probably* listens
to music in a different way from a listener who takes to
Cecil immediately. At least that's the experience I had
when I first listened to their music.
I usually try to figure out people's listening experience
when recommending music. There are people to whom I'll
recommend Cecil immediately. And there are people to whom
I'll recommend Monk. But they're probably not the same people,
with similar listening experiences...
Bill
Alan McKay
>San Diego's Jazz 88 recently broadcast a recorded interview of Bill Evans by
>a woman pianist whose name I forget. She asked him a question about piano
>technique. He answered her by playing 3 or 4 minutes of incredible piano. The
>improvisation was so beautiful and technically stunning that the interviewer
>was left speechless for a minute or two :-).
I imagine that you heard the now quite famous interview (at least pieces from it)
from Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz". I don't recall when Evans' birthday is
right now, but our station generally does a BE tribute on that day, and ~always~
re-broadcasts a recording of that interview. I'm sure many other stations do the
same. BTW, does anyone know if taped versions of selected Piano Jazz shows are
available from some NPR source? (for a cost, of course)
Paolo Valladolid
Yup! She's the one! Thanks Marc!
Paolo
Ned D Kavanagh
>in. The style doen't nessesarily have to be like Monk's, but
>any unique, fresh and enjoyable recommendations would be appreciated.
I recommend Oscar Peterson, John Lewis, McCoy Tyner, and Dave Brubeck.
Paul Roossin
in NYC. I think that one of them was the Bill Evans episode.
--
Paul Roossin roo...@watson.ibm.com 914-784-6524
Larry Lewicki
Frank Morgan, doing duets with Kenny Barron, Tommy Flannagan, Barry Harris,
Roland Hanna, and Hank Jones. The album is organized so that the pianist
plays a song solo and then the next track is a duet - so there are 5 solo
tracks (I especially like Kenny Barron playing "But Beautiful"). The cd
is called "You Must Remember Spring" - sorry I can't remember the label -
but it was recorded in 1992 and has some of the best piano playing I
have heard in a while. (I also recommend Kenny Barron playing with
Stan Getz - live at the Cafe MonMartre ).
L^2
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