Favourite Pianists

AsphodelBound · July-31st-2004, 12:45 AM

Miles says McCoy 'bangs on the piano'???!!! Would anyone choose Tommy Flanagan over him? Seems to be one of Mcoy's litter at best.

kenny weir · July-31st-2004, 12:54 AM

Hmmm, interesting list. How about Earl Hines, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans?

AsphodelBound · July-31st-2004, 12:58 AM

Kenny, you had me! Thelonius and Earl were in my original list, but I forgot about them after wrestling with my teething troubles. Well, I suppose Bill should be there too.

Squaredancecalling Steve · July-31st-2004, 04:13 AM

Cecil Taylor
Paul Bley
Sergey Kuryokhin
Keith Tippett
Don Pullen
and the up-and-coming Livio Minafra

de Selby · July-31st-2004, 04:53 AM

Wynton Kelly

frankiepop · July-31st-2004, 08:35 AM

looks like a landslide above -- exit polls pretty much wrap it up for sonny.

i mite include:
gaslini
rzewski
dave mckenna
micheal jefry stevens
gyorgy szabados

glenn horiuchi
gael mevel
milo fine
matthew goodheart
misha mengelberg

stonemonkts · July-31st-2004, 09:32 AM

This type of thread won't work with a poll, unless you include at least 50 choices. So many of my current favorites aren't on the list.

Paul Bley
Alex von Schlippenbach
Irene Schweizer
Ran Blake
Monk!
Bill Evans
Don Pullen
Randy Weston
Dave Burrell
Fred Hersch
Marilyn Crispell
Mal Waldron
Cecil Taylor

and on and on.

AsphodelBound · July-31st-2004, 09:38 AM

Since I'm not in the habit of reading reviews, can you guys tell me if there is a cachet to free jazz as opposed to hard bop and even bop? If so, to what extent? And why would free jazz be considered more esoteric than hard bop, besides its being less hooky?

frankiepop · July-31st-2004, 10:50 AM

i have no idea what you are asking or why you would ask that...

Lucian Ban

stonemonkts · July-31st-2004, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AsphodelBound

Since I'm not in the habit of reading reviews, can you guys tell me if there is a cachet to free jazz as opposed to hard bop and even bop? If so, to what extent? And why would free jazz be considered more esoteric than hard bop, besides its being less hooky?

No, and it is no less esoteric than bop or hard bop to people who don't enjoy those styles. It's all music to me.

crawjo · July-31st-2004, 11:57 AM

Where's Cecil Taylor, or Thelonious Monk, for that matter?

stonemonkts · July-31st-2004, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crawjo

Where's Cecil Taylor?

Out there somewhere, producing some self-indulgent bullshit.

JazzAt52ndStreet · July-31st-2004, 03:01 PM

Monk and Michel Camilo....in that list though...ummm, Art Tatum.

-52nd

frankiepop · July-31st-2004, 06:50 PM

whoa! it looks like a surprise turnaround here and maybe tatum is leading by a vote...although i believe sonny fans have called for a hand recount...charges of corruption are flying in both directions while hanging sharps are the order of the day...no certain key has been established....we may have an annointed favorite pianist b4 this is over..

.

hornplayer · August-1st-2004, 11:51 PM

all those cats are amazing, but most of them are dead. When I think of "Favorite Pianists," I think of Norman Simmons, John Young, Benny Green, Renee Rosnes.

plus, you missed James Williams!!!!.

drumultima · August-2nd-2004, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hornplayer

all those cats are amazing, but most of them are dead. When I think of "Favorite Pianists," I think of Norman Simmons, John Young, Benny Green, Renee Rosnes.

plus, you missed James Williams!!!!.

Renee Rosnes, eh? I had her as a teacher at jazz band camp-- she was quite good.

Anyway, I'd have to pick McCoy from what's given on the list. Where's Chick?

GodSpeliZed · August-2nd-2004, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonemonkts

Out there somewhere, producing some self-indulgent bullshit.

.....Actually, I think it's quite impossible seeing Thelonious Monk producing anything, right now in 2004..............

Piano list (in no particular order):
Dave Burrel
Uri Caine
Gil Evans
Cedar Walton
Cecil Taylor
Matthew Shipp
McCoy Tyner
Von Schlippenbach
Misha Mengelberg
Bud Powell
Thelonious Monk
Charles Mingus (listen to 'Mingus Oh Yeah'...)
'Muhal' Richard Abrams

(just the 1sts that came in my mind......)

stonemonkts · August-2nd-2004, 03:40 PM

[QUOTE=GodSpeliZed].....Actually, I think it's quite impossible seeing Thelonious Monk producing anything[QUOTE]

True, but crafty Crawjo only had Taylor in his original post, by the time I quoted him, he had added Monk, I was too lazy to edit my post.

groover · August-2nd-2004, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drumultima

Renee Rosnes, eh? I had her as a teacher at jazz band camp-- she was quite good.

Anyway, I'd have to pick McCoy from what's given on the list. Where's Chick?

Yeah, there are no chick's on the list. Kinda sexist!

No hispanics or Cape Verdeans, either!

Around Tazief · August-3rd-2004, 04:27 AM

Thelonious Monk : his music lives and he's a big influence in today's jazz !!!!

tristano's ghost · August-5th-2004, 05:20 PM

Still Bud for me, but where the ef is Andrew Hill?

Lastonein · August-6th-2004, 07:18 AM

Liberace......oh sorry ....wrong list

Two guys who always make my jaw drop
Geoff Keezer & Dave Kikoski

AtlantaDave · August-6th-2004, 07:44 AM

No Chick, no Joanne Brackeen, no Lyle Mays, no Michel Petrucciani, no Keith Jarrett. What kind of list is this anyway??

Just kidding, but perhaps with so many talented jazz pianists out there it would have been better to have left the question open rather than provide what is almost guaranteed to be an incomplete list. Or, at least provide an "other" category for additional choices.

Piano and keyboards (yes, the dreaded synth/Fender Rhodes/Wurlitzer/Organ freak) are my favorite instruments, so truthfully I have a lot of favorites. To my ears, though, Herbie and Chick (individually and together) represent the epitome of what can be done with a piano. Technically virtuosos, stylistically as varied as you can possibly get within jazz, creative geniuses, these two are the best of the best IMHO.

Richardo Caerleoni · August-6th-2004, 11:08 AM

- Elmo Hope ?

- Herbie Nichols

- Ahmad Jamal?

- Jackie Byard?

- Hamp Hawes? and on and...on...

jazzy mary · August-6th-2004, 11:35 AM

4 brilliant younger pianaists gigging around today are Anthony Wonsey, Xavier Davis, Geoff Keezer and George Colligan.

Pete C · August-6th-2004, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzy mary

4 brilliant younger pianaists gigging around today are Anthony Wonsey, Xavier Davis, Geoff Keezer and George Colligan.

Very good, perhaps, but brilliant? Superlatives, if overused, are meaningless.

Sand · August-6th-2004, 04:56 PM

You should take into consideration that todays' pianists often have to play on keyboards with plastic surface. The problem is that these do not absorb humidity like ivory (in particular) and ebony did.
The solution is hairspray! Use a no-smell type and don't tell those who arrange the concert about this.
Looking forward to sprayed recordings. Let's have a fair competition with the past.

jazzy mary · August-6th-2004, 05:07 PM

It depends on your definition of brilliant. I didn't say genius. And yes, these 4 are brilliant. I've listened and heard them all live over 10 times in various configurations, except for Geoff whom I've only had the pleasure of hearing live maybe 5 times. Sometimes, I *do* know what I'm talking about, Pete.

Jesse · August-6th-2004, 05:29 PM

Bobby Few

piazolla · August-7th-2004, 11:33 AM

and no Richie Birach?