Jazz piano poll

[torut]

And I can't believe I'm the only one here who has mentioned Horace Tapscott (now dead, RIP). His extended solo improvisations remind me of Keith Jarrett, but I actually find them more compelling, and they seem to have a more potent emotional punch.

I am interested in Tapscott. I have not heard any of his music. Can you recommend one album?

[escher]

my favorites are:
1. Andrew Hill
2. Herbie Nichols (still a neglected genius it seems)
3. Thelonious Monk
4. Mary Lou Williams
5. Denny Zeitlin - I respect a lot Bill Evans, but I like Zeitlin even more: more extroverted than Evans, harmonically daring and he's always experimenting. A very underrated player.

And by the way it's impossible a poll like that where there's Brubeck and not names like those I've mentioned or Bud Powell, Tristano, McCoy Tyner, Twardzik, Umberto Cesari, Bernard Peiffer, Phineas Newborn, Jaki Byard, Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Chick Corea, Horace Silver, Dave McKenna...

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I am interested in Tapscott. I have not heard any of his music. Can you recommend one album?

I have only the LPs--The Tapscott Sessions on the Nimbus label. I have and recommend Vols. 1, 2, 3, 5 (each a separate LP). From what I remember, there were seven volumes, but now on Amazon.de I see that these are available as MP3 downloads. I think they were never issued on CD. In any case, my favorite piece is Struggle X, an Afro-American Dream (this piece is 20-30 minuten in length). Haunted was another good one.

[torut]

I have only the LPs--The Tapscott Sessions on the Nimbus label. I have and recommend Vols. 1, 2, 3, 5 (each a separate LP). From what I remember, there were seven volumes, but now on Amazon.de I see that these are available as MP3 downloads. I think they were never issued on CD. In any case, my favorite piece is Struggle X, an Afro-American Dream (this piece is 20-30 minuten in length). Haunted was another good one.

Thank you. At amazon.com (and also amazon.de), only vol. 8-11 of The Tapscott Sessions are available. It seems vol. 1-7 were released on LP, and vol. 8-11 were released on CD (now OOP) & mp3. I will try some of them. Unfortunately, Struggle X, an Afro-American Dream or Haunted does not seem available.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

5. Denny Zeitlin - I respect a lot Bill Evans, but I like Zeitlin even more: more extroverted than Evans, harmonically daring and he's always experimenting. A very underrated player.

My jazz-obsessed friend is a big fan of Zeitlin, and goes to see him whenever he's in town. Any recordings you want to recommend?

[escher]

My jazz-obsessed friend is a big fan of Zeitlin, and goes to see him whenever he's in town. Any recordings you want to recommend?

Sure! The Columbia studio trio sessions are a perfect introduction to his work. Basically three of his first albums, recorded between 1964 (the first two) and 1967.




I don't know why but to me the least interesting track is the first one, called "Repeat", even if someone said that was an example of jazz-minimalism.
Anyway in my opinion it's difficult to find music recorded in the sixties that sounds so fresh even today.

[Mookalafalas]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Lennie Tristano: amongst my top five, anyway.

  I just recently started listening to his stuff--the best is stunning and completely original.

[torut]

I listened to The Tapscott Sessions Vol. 8. I expected an aggressive performance for Waldron's Fire Waltz, but Tapscott's playing was rather contemplative. Very nice. Weston's Little Niles and Tapscott's As A Child are quite beautiful. Sometimes I felt similarities to Mal Waldron, not only because his composition was played, but I am not sure. It was very satisfying. Thank you again, XB-70 Valkyrie.

[Purusha]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Lennie Tristano: amongst my top five, anyway.

Tristano is one of my favorites as well.

I'd probably place Bud Powell as number one, if only his recordings had been more consistent.

Art Tatum is spellbinding at his best, but at his worst, you can hear the same 3-4 ornamentative mannerisms being repeated constantly.

I take issue with this criticism. I never heard any "worst" from Tatum, at least on his solo recordings. His virtuoso ornamentation does get boring after a while, but that stuff is only at the surface of what he is actually doing (by definition, really) and in a certain sense its just his way of counterbalancing his extremely complex and brainy harmonic explorations. You are simply not supposed to pay attention to his ornamentation and after a while you can just tune that stuff out.

[Karl Henning]

Had to vote Tatum and Monk.  Had to.

[San Antone]

Had to vote Tatum and Monk.  Had to.

Looks like I voted "Someone else" - but looking at the list, and although Monk is hard to pass up - I could choose Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans.

[escher]

Tristano is one of my favorites as well.

I'd probably place Bud Powell as number one, if only his recordings had been more consistent.

I take issue with this criticism. I never heard any "worst" from Tatum, at least on his solo recordings. His virtuoso ornamentation does get boring after a while, but that stuff is only at the surface of what he is actually doing (by definition, really) and in a certain sense its just his way of counterbalancing his extremely complex and brainy harmonic explorations. You are simply not supposed to pay attention to his ornamentation and after a while you can just tune that stuff out.

yes, I'd probably appreciate Tatum more if someone would have cut his right hand!
Seriously, I really admire his sense of harmony but those mannerisms are annoying. That's why I like to hear more the (sadly few) recordings of his friend Clarence Profit who had a similar harmonic deepness but without those clichès.

[James]

For me .. Joe Zawinul, Jan Hammer and Chick Corea. Electric, acoustic, improvising, composing, imagination, diversity .. they have it all.

[Henk]

Bad poll. Not any younger and living pianist in the list. Shame on you, Brian. Hancock might be in his 60s already.

[North Star]

Bad poll. Not any younger and living pianist in the list. Shame on you, Brian. Hancock might be in his 60s already.

Considering that Takin' Off is from 1962, it would be rather amazing if he was still in his 60s.  He was born in 1942.

And you can always start your own poll/topic about younger pianists, Henk.

[king ubu]

guess from the ones that are/should be in the list:

Art Tatum
Bud Powell

followed by Monk and Cecil Taylor


other favorites, in roughly chronological order:

Jelly Roll Morton
Willie "The Lion" Smith
Duke Ellington
Count Basie
James P. Johnson
Teddy Wilson
Al Haig
Duke Jordan
John Lewis
Dodo Marmarosa
Tadd Dameron
Lennie Tristano
Ahmad Jamal
Herbie Nichols
Elmo Hope
Horace Silver
Red Garland
Wynton Kelly
Richard Wyands
Horace Parlan
Mal Waldron
Eddie Costa
Hamptown Hawes
Carl Perkins
Sonny Clark
Martial Solal
Randy Weston
Jaki Byard
Steve Kuhn
Don Friedman
Herbie Hancock
McCoy Tyner
Andrew Hill
Paul Bley
Horace Tapscott
Irène Schweizer
Colin Vallon
Alexander Hawkins

[Florestan]

Someone else: Johnny Răducanu.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7F994336EB92BC08

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-cdJ3q5U_w-kVVGu4lsUd22yGfBzO23z

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_R%C4%83ducanu

[king ubu]

Not really familiar with Raducanu, but Ianci Körössy need be added to my list - hell of an amazing player!

Other Europeansof interest:

René Urtreger
Giorgio Gaslini
Bernard Peiffer

[San Antone]

Speaking of European pianists: Bobo Stenson and Enrico Pieranunzi

Stenson recorded mostly for ECM and I've always thought of as the Euro Keith Jarrett, but in many ways better.  Pieranunzi will recall Bill Evans, in fact his trio often includes Marc Johnson Evan's last bassist and Joey Baron - an excellent rhythm section.

https://www.youtube.com/v/3YgwTxRjk4g

https://www.youtube.com/v/3XUOwT1DgvU

[Karl Henning]

He would not displace either of my two choices, but it was Marcus Roberts who got me to re-attune my ears to the Rhapsody in Blue

http://www.youtube.com/v/Xrs135MAvJc