More albums that sound like this, please.

[MN Dave]

You know, sexy and cool, jazzy things.

[KevinP]

THat's with a trio, isn't it? I don't think Duke ever recorded a whole album of solo material, which is kind of a pity.

If you want Duke in that kind of setting, there are several other albums. Piano in the Foreground comes to mind (not to be confused with Piano in the Background). Money Jungle might be more explosive for what you're asking.

If you want jazz albums by other artists, let me know and let me think on it.

[Josquin des Prez]

His Piano Duets album with Billy Strayhorn is extremely good.

[karlhenning]

You can get this Used - Like New for 98¢

[MN Dave]

THat's with a trio, isn't it? I don't think Duke ever recorded a whole album of solo material, which is kind of a pity.

If you want Duke in that kind of setting, there are several other albums. Piano in the Foreground comes to mind (not to be confused with Piano in the Background). Money Jungle might be more explosive for what you're asking.

If you want jazz albums by other artists, let me know and let me think on it.

Thanks, yeah. Other artists are fine--in this Duke trio vein.

[MN Dave]

His Piano Duets album with Billy Strayhorn is extremely good.

You have a title? Thanks.

[Josquin des Prez]

You have a title? Thanks.

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Duets-Great-Duke-Ellington/dp/B00005YG0K

Heh

[karlhenning]

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Duets-Great-Duke-Ellington/dp/B00005YG0K

Heh

2 new from $49.98

Ouch!

[MN Dave]

Ouch!

Download $9.49 

[karlhenning]

Download $9.49 

Good on you!

Didn't like my Monk suggestion? Not that you’re obliged, of course . . . .

[MN Dave]

Good on you!

Didn't like my Monk suggestion? Not that you're obliged, of course . . . .

I have some Monk and he doesn't sound at all like what I want. Too boppy, I guess.

[karlhenning]

I have some Monk and he doesn't sound at all like what I want. Too boppy, I guess.

Check.

[jowcol]

You know, sexy and cool, jazzy things.

I'm a huge fan of McCoy Tyner, who played with Coltrane.   His stuff may be a bit more demanding than Duke (whom I also love), but he did have a certain elegance and introspection.    He also did a few solo albums, the early 70s Echoes of a Friend has a great version of the Promise (which was a great Trane tune) and My Favorite Things.


He did more solo albums in the late 80s and early 90s,  and the album Revelations has more standards (which may sound more like Duke) as well as a great version of the song Contemplation, which (for me) is one of the most haunting jazz works out there.




And yes, if you haven't heard the original version of Contemplation from the Real McCoy album, you should check it out.  I can't say it will affect you like it does me, but I've been known to put this on repeat and listen for hours.  The dialog between the piano and drums just kills me.  (Although the sax is pretty tame... I think it was just there for color.

http://www.youtube.com/v/xafJW_VtA8w

[MN Dave]

THat's with a trio, isn't it? I don't think Duke ever recorded a whole album of solo material, which is kind of a pity.

Check this out.

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Player-Duke-Ellington/dp/B0009WPLZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293492973&sr=8-1

[KevinP]

That's a quartet album, isn't it?

[Josquin des Prez]

http://www.amazon.com/Lennie-Tristano-New/dp/B00000337V/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1293504663&sr=8-6

Another artist that doesn't get mentioned a lot, though he was very popular in his day. Some of the tracks here are overdubbed, which stirred some controversy, but in the end, all he did was play piano duet with himself.

Bud Powell recorded some solo tracks, which can be found in this 1950 collection:

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Giant-Bud-Powell/dp/B000058A19/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293504831&sr=8-1

Powell's playing begun to deteriorate after 1951, so everything before then is a must have.

[Josquin des Prez]

Money Jungle[/i] might be more explosive for what you're asking.

Money Jungle is freaking awesome, one of my favored albums of all time. What's really cool about it is that its not a standard trio setup, with alternate soloing in between standard support, its more of tercet between three soloists.

[jowcol]

For solo Piano, Art Tatum is definitely one to look into-- he was  scary good, and supposedly no Jazz pianists of his era would play when he was around. 

If you want something more recent, there are one or two albums from a Chick Corea/Herbie Hancock tour in the 70s with either piano duets or solo stuff.

There is a nice piano solo on the Ad Lib on Nippon, on Duke's Far East Suite, which is one of his more interesting (and later) big band offerings, where he stretches out for a bit, but that is still a big band album.

(For his later big band albums, I really love the Far East Suite, Afro-Eurasian Eclipse, and New Orleans Suite)

There is a good story on the history of the The Far East Suite-- it was based on a world tour Duke's band had, which brought them into Iraq during the time of a coup.  Of course, this was before CNN, and the world wanted to know what was going on. Reporters gathered around Duke after the band made their way out of the country and asked him what was the situation in Baghdad.  His reply:
"Baghdad? That place was swinging!"

[KevinP]

Art Tatum is definitely one to look into-- he was  scary good

No lie. When I was a teenaged, I-can-do-anything piano player, I caught my first listen of Tatum on the radio and it indeed scared me. I couldn't even pretend I could do that, so I avoided his records. It was only when I approached middle age that I could listen to him.

[jowcol]

No lie. When I was a teenaged, I-can-do-anything piano player, I caught my first listen of Tatum on the radio and it indeed scared me. I couldn't even pretend I could do that, so I avoided his records. It was only when I approached middle age that I could listen to him.

There are a lot of stories of other musicians who were outright humiliated by him-- Count Basie had the misfortune of dropping by some club and playing on the piano when nobody told him that it was Tatum's place.  Somebody ran and got Tatum, and Basie turned around and his jaw dropped when he saw Tatum standing there, waiting for his turn to take what Basie had played and completely twist it into something far more amazing.  Basie was mad at his band for the longest time for not warning him after that.