What's the best piano for jazz?

[Giacomo Aula]

Hi everybody !

In your opinion what is the best piano for playing jazz ?
Bosendorfer, Steinway, Bluthner, Yamaha, or which other ?

I'Giacomo, jazz piano player in Torino, Italy.
I play in Orchestra Nazionale Giovanile di Jazz.

Please visit Siena Jazz Web Site:
http://sienajazz.si.it

[Gil G Silberman]

In article <330CCE...@mbox.vol.it>,
Giacomo Aula <tut...@mbox.vol.it> wrote:

>In your opinion what is the best piano for playing jazz ?
>Bosendorfer, Steinway, Bluthner, Yamaha, or which other ?

No question, Boesendorfer. If I had an imperial grand,
I would play great jazz. I would sell it for $100,000,
buy a Yamaha for $25,000, and use the remaining $75,000
for lessons, and to buy a drummer and a bassist.

-- gil http://www.hooked.net/~bigbug

That's just for jazz. If I wanted to play classical I would
buy a Steinway for $65,000, and use the remaining $35,000
to buy a lifetime orchestra seat at the symphony.

With country, I would buy a $600 honky tonk, and spend the
rest on booze and rehabilitation.

[Les Smith]

Giacomo Aula (tut...@mbox.vol.it) wrote:
: Hi everybody !

: In your opinion what is the best piano for playing jazz ?

: Bosendorfer, Steinway, Bluthner, Yamaha, or which other ?

: I'Giacomo, jazz piano player in Torino, Italy.

: I play in Orchestra Nazionale Giovanile di Jazz.

: Please visit Siena Jazz Web Site:
: http://sienajazz.si.it

Keeping it simple. the answer is Yanaha, by a wide margin. However
choosing a piano is such a personal thing, no matter that type of
music you play, that you should really try them all out, and decide
for yourself. Remember however, that each piano is a individual, and
even the same models of the same brand can differ from one another
considerably, So try out, A LOT of pianos, before deciding on the one
that's right for you. You'll know it, when you find it.

Les Smith
less...@buffnet.net

[Reuel Lubag]

In article <5f4a3m$53g$1...@buffnet2.buffnet.net>,
less...@buffnet.net (Les Smith) wrote:

Piano sound is a personal choice. Also, an individual players touch often can influence the
sound more than just the instrument. My choice is Steinway. A lot of heavies like Ahmad Jamal,
Roland Hanna, Benny Green, et. al prefer it too. There must be a reason that 90% of the world's
performing pianists prefer it other than marketing. BTW, the best two pianos I remember playing
have been Steinway - D at the Melbourne Performing Arts Center - Melbourne, Florida, USA and an
old straight strung 11' Chickering circa 1905 at a now defunct piano store in Seattle, WA, USA.

Reuel Lubag
http://members.tripod.com/~seajazz/

[Frank Weston]

> Giacomo Aula (tut...@mbox.vol.it) wrote:
> : Hi everybody !
>
> : In your opinion what is the best piano for playing jazz ?
> : Bosendorfer, Steinway, Bluthner, Yamaha, or which other ?
>

One point everyone seems to overlook is the difference that the
attention of a skilled technician can make in the sound and touch of
a piano.

Any good piano can be voiced to be brilliant, and regulated to
a feather touch, or voiced to be mellow and given a smooth but
firm touch. The range and options are almost infinite. The
difference between a Steinway at one end of the spectrum, and a
Steinway at the other is greater than the generic difference
between Steinway and Yamaha or Bosendorfer. This is not to say
that certain brands do not have family traits. It's hard to
match a Steinway for raw power, and each scale design will tend
to emphasize different harmonics. My advice: Play a lot of pianos,
pick a good one that is close to what you like in terms of
performance qualities. Then spend the time and money to have it
made into an instrument that precisely reflects your style and
taste.

I own two Steinway "A"s. One has a light touch and a very
brilliant and aggressive sound. The other a medium touch and
a mellow sound. When I swap the actions, guess what? Touch and
tone characteristics swap too!

Frank Weston

[Kent Bray]

In article <330CCE...@mbox.vol.it>, tut...@mbox.vol.it says...

>
>Hi everybody !
>
>In your opinion what is the best piano for playing jazz ?
>Bosendorfer, Steinway, Bluthner, Yamaha, or which other ?
>

>I'Giacomo, jazz piano player in Torino, Italy.
>I play in Orchestra Nazionale Giovanile di Jazz.

Chick Corea's first choice is a Yamaha CF3, but also loves his Bosendorfer
Imperial.

Best, Kent Bray
Chick Corea Productions

[Corey Sims]

For any kind of boogie-woogie type stuff, I prefer the oldest,
out of tune, light actioned, hard-hammered upright that I can find.
The out-of-tune notes can really add some nice color when you let them.

I also enjoy slow classical music on an old piano like that. Lots of nice
beats and odd sounds give it an organic quality for my taste.
Corey

[Dean L. Surkin]

I'd say, the piano that gives you the widest range of expression. Music is
music, whether rock, jazz or classical. I use my Steinway for everything.

--Dean

Kent Bray <kent...@earthlink.net> wrote in article
<5k01h7$b...@ecuador.earthlink.net>...

[Wood Isle]

Bosendorfers and Yamahas both have a glassy, bright sound which rises
above the noise of ice clinking and the other players on the stand if
that's a concern. The upper registers of a Bosendorfer are reminiscent of
the sound of Nat Cole's piano, no, I don't know what kind of piano he
had.

[Mark Mandell]

Yamahas and Kawais are pretty standard fare so you find them in
plentiful supply in clubs. Steinways and B=F8sendorfers will work just
fine as well(the latter was the piano of choice for Oscar Peterson).