I am curious because of the age spread in this forum. The jazz piano we really enjoy listening too is what motivates to practice and is the perfect place to pick apart tunes. My personal favorites are,
1.Art Tatum
2.Phineas Newborn Jr.
3.Bud Powell
4.Thelonious Monk
5.Bill Evans
6.Horace Silver
7.McCoy Tyner
8.Keith Jarret
9.Herbie Handcock
10.Chick Corea
Who are your favorites? dpvjazz

I like the guys in your list, dvpjazz. I have trouble ordering them, but I'll give a try....

1. Vladimir Horowitz
2. Bill Evans
3. Barry Harris
4. Herbie Hancock
5. Bud Powell
6. Gene Harris
7. Mal Waldron
8. Mulgrew Miller
9. Hampton Hawes
10. Lenny Tristano

Hell, ran out of slots. There's still Ruben Gonzales, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Hank Jones, Tommy Flannagan, Jimmy Rowles, Kenny Barron, Kenny Drew, George Shearing, Vince Guaraldi, Oscar Peterson, Eric Gunnison, Joe Bonner, Eddie Palmieri, Roland Hanna, ....

Each do their own little things that are so enjoyable and profound. Very hard to pick only 10!

(Glad you found your caps lock!)

regards,

1)Art Tatum
2)Art Tatum
3)Art Tatum
4)Fats Waller
5)Earl "Fatha" Hines
6)Lee Sims
7)Donald Lambert
8)Willie The Lion Smith
9)Oscar Peterson
10)Dick Hyman

Herbie Nichols or Red Garland anyone?
Perhaps Brad Mehldau or Fred Hersch for a more contemporary flavor?

Too many giants to select 10.

fingers

Hey Great Idea for a thread!

I've only been into Jazz for a couple of years so I am discovering "new" artists all the time.

I don't know about the 10 best but here are my 10 favorite(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER):

1. Bill Evans
2. McCoy Tyner
3. Oscar Peterson
4. Keith Jarrett
5. Phineas Newborn Jr.
6. Makoto Ozone
7. Jessica Williams
8. Thelonious Monk
9. Ahmad Jamal
10. Bud Powell

IPGrunt

I don't recognize some of the names in your post. I will definitely be looking into them and their music, but can you suggest some recordings?

Vladimir Horowitz
Barry Harris
Gene Harris
Mal Waldron
Mulgrew Miller
Hampton Hawes
Lenny Tristano

Thanks,

Ryan

I needed 11 slots.

In no particular order:

Peterson
Garland
Hancock
Evans
Monk
Mehldau
Flanagan
Tatum
Pasqua
Kelly
Jarrett

Peterson
Evans
Tatum
Monk
Jarrett
Hancock
Gulda
The Duke
Brubeck
Basie

Btw, has anyone heard the Corea/Gulda album 'the meeting'. A VERY interesting recording.

No particular order

1. Bill Evans
2. McCoy Tyner
3. Jason Moran
4. Lynne Arial
5. Michel Camilo
6. Gene Harris
7. Eddie Higgins
8. Thelonious Monk
9. Ahmad Jamal
10. Hank Jones

in no particular order:

Evans
Chick
Herbie
Monk
Basie
Jarret
Tyner
Oscar Peterson
Michel Petrucciani
Michel Camilo
Russ Ferrante
Lyle Mays
Alan Pasqua
John Beasley


how many is that...??? I'm just getting started...

This is like one of my secret vices: looking through people's recording collections to look for artists who have played shows I have tuned at!

Two that I found especially awesome were Dorothy Donegan and Bobby Enriques. (I have to mention them to keep an unbroken string here.)

Lo and behold names i have never heard of Makto Ozone,Eric Gunnison,Lee Sims,Donald Lambert,Gulda,Jason Moran,Lynne Arial,Eddie Higgins,and John Beasley. Nine new jazz players waiting for me learn about and hear. How about Geri Allen
Kenny Barron
Ray Bryant
Jaki Byard
Nat King Cole
Cedar Walton
Horace Parlan
Junior Mance
Andrew Hill
Gonzalo Rubalcaba

And don't forget Rob Mullins (who is probably lurking here)!!! For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, you really need to hear this guy.

And no, I don't get a cut of his CD sales...
(unfortunately)

Darn, I don't think I've ever tuned for Rob Mullins! That's the first post without one!

I heard/saw Gonzalo Rubalcaba on his tribute to Jobim and he is one awesome piano player! Unfortunately I haven't heard enough of him to put him in all-time top ten.

Here is list:
O.PETERSON
B.EVANS
H.HANCOCK
E.GARNER (no one exudes 'fun' like GARNER)
C.COREA
W.KELLY
M.TYNER (once saw him at the Kennedy Center)
A.TATUM
T.MONK
V.GUARALDI

This is extremely hard. There is so much wonderful talent past and present.

No particular order.

Les McCann
Chick Corea
Herbie Hancock
Oscar Peterson
Dave Brubeck
Earl Garner
Thelonious Monk
Kenny Barron
Ahmad Jamal
Geri Allen

Here are my 10, but rather in order. I have personally met Erroll Garner and Oscar Peterson and the delightful pianist Teddy Wilson. Teddy was resident pianist for Benny Goodman for many years and highly rated by BG which is saying something.

Erroll probably gave me most pleasure and still does. A unique style with every time a different presentation of the song. In mid 1960,s to 1977 when he tragically died of angina he was at the top of his form.

Never copied by any professional that I can think of.

My following of jazz piano pretty well stops at the period of the late 1970's.

Don Lambert by the way I have got on tape and was mightily impressed with him.

I like stride and add Ralph Sutton for that style.

Sorry, but cannot get my head round the present day jazz piano. OK! some is understandable but I think current jazz piano is more technically advanced with sounds that do not relate to my foundation. You may see what I mean by my short list of 10. Art Tatum deserves the highest commendation due to his blindness in one eye and his unbelievable and unbeaten style. Oscar comes close though in my view.

Erroll was not taught music and played through natural talent and a unique gift.

All in my own opinion.

Alan

PS. I had to re-register as my previous username became unusable, hope never again.


Art Tatum
Oscar Peterson
Erroll Garner
Fats Waller
Teddy Wilson
Jess Stacy
Makoto Ozone
Ralph Sutton
James P Johnson
Earl Hines

Anyone here listening to Eldar Djangirov? I've been listening to him on Sirius. At time it seems like he's playing with 4 hands.

I met Eldar at the Catalina jazz club in Los Angeles this past year and heard him play two nights. I also met his father who travels with him. Really nice people and Eldar will be one of the next greats as he matures.

Never saw Horowitz on a jazz list before
Here's my list:

1)Bill Evans
2)Chick Corea
3)Keith Jarrett
4)Herbie Hancock
5)Josef Zawinul
6)Harry Connick Jr
7)Hampton Hawes
8)Lyle Mays
9)Brad Mehldau
10)Kenny Kirkland

Let me add a vote for Errol Garner. It's a mystery to me that he is not on everyone's list. I loved the energy in his music; and the way he used the whole piano; and the way he seemed to be improvising with both hands at the same time.

I see several votes for Keith Jarrett. I tend to be turned off by his grunting, to the extent that I never listen to him. Lots of other pianists do it too, but, to me, his seems to be the most irritating. Perhaps I ought to find a way to discipline myself to ignore it, because I know I am missing out on something good there.

And I see a lone vote for Michel Petrucciani. I have only heard him once, on the radio, and I have no recordings of him. However, that one experience was quite memorable!

Ed

Kenny Kirkland! Man could he play!!!

I'm hereby expanding my top-10 to include less legendary, more recent pianists (including Mr. Kirkland):

Don Grolnick
Danilo Perez
Ed Simon
John Beasley
Marcus Roberts

It's hard to list just 10. There are (and were) so many great players out there.

Riddler.

I certainly support your views on Erroll Garner. I have probably all his recordings on Vinyl LPs and then CDs some doubled of course. Even a couple of DVD's I have seen him in person in England in the mid 1960's and met him once in the dressing room where he was having a quick Budweiser.I have a Biography of him too which was written just after his early death in 1977 with angina. He is always spoken of as a completely by ear pianist. They interview lots of his bass and drum backing for the trios and they all mention his complete lack of any technical music knowledge what so ever. His family also help out with the book and it was obvious that he was given every incouragement to play the piano at home and when he formed a small group whilst still a child called the Kandy Kats. The family home was Pittsburgh.

Yes Sir, the man was truly a genius. And a great human being. A really happy individual.

If you want his best time it's from the mid 60's until his demise 1977.IMHO

Alan

I believe that Errol Garner's Concert by the Sea is one of the most exciting jazz records out there plus his That's My Kick will show influences of other pianists. When Errol was starting out the mob actually controlled the music in a lot of clubs and unions and that when he was breaking in they took him to a club to get him started and at the time the piano player was Art Blakey,the mob guy says to Art, get up this is the new piano player Art gets up and mutters and what the hell do I play, the mob guy looks around the room and sees and empty drums set and says your the new drummer. Back in the days of Tatum they use to have piano cutting contests at the clubs so if you walk in you better be prepared. All the great players would work up pieces to dazzle and cut lessor pianists. The story goes Horowitz use to check it out and sometimes play at these sessions. Well Tea For TWO was one of those pieces that people were using so Horowitz takes about three or so weeks and works out and arrangement of Tea For Two comes in and plays it and blows everyone away. Well Tatum was sitting in the back he got up went to the piano and played Tea For Two the house went nuts Horowitz goes up to Tatum congratulates him and said nice arrangement how long did it take you to work that out? Tatum replied just now!

Alan, dpvjazz,

Fascinating stuff about Garner, Blakey, Horowitz, Tatum.

I wonder what it is about Tea for Two that draws classical musicians into jazz? Shostakovich wrote an arrangement for it, for full symphony orchestra. I guess he considered to be a jazz arrangement. I have read that he wrote it on a bet, in less than an hour, just to prove he could do it. I have heard it played a couple of times, as an encore. Can't say I really cared for it, but if I had known about the bet at the time, I would have gotten a chuckle out of it.

Ed

I started to do a little research on this question with Google. I was surprised to find quite a few Jazz Halls of Fame.

Is there a Pianist "Hall of Fame"?

I couldn't find one.

I know that this is really a matter of taste, Dave Brubeck should be near the top of anyone's list.

dpvjazz, I like the piece about Art Tatum as I have great love for his style and technique. I have one shortish video recording from somewhere of him and his fingering is a fantastic joy to behold.

I often wonder if other pianists always watch a pianists hands? I certainly do. I get great frustration when the camera-man does silly things like showing a close-up of the person's face or the inside of the piano, anything but the hands.

I almost always go to a concert, booking a seat that will show the keyboard.

So thanks for the post.

Alan

Bye the way. If you see any posts made by 'Alanjazz'member # 8931, in earlier dates, that was me. I had to re-register because my login name had gone haywire. Tried to email contact, but no reply.

Alan (swingal)

Nobody mentioned Sonny Clark, but he had about the most fluid touch of that Bud Powell group of pianists in the fifties and early sixties (which also included Kenny Drew, Walter Bishop, Tommy Flanagan, Cedar Walton, Wynton Kelly, and Red Garland). It was like water running downhill.

Horace Silver deserves special mention. The man was a quadruple threat: great as soloist, accompaniest, composer, and bandleader. It's hard to think of anyone who can match that, except maybe Duke Ellington (Duke wasn't up to Silver's level as a soloist though).

Riddler said:
I too was turned off for a long time by that. Don't let that keep you from superb music. I recently decided to give him another try and I have found some gems as a result. He a phenomenal talent and has a very unique and distinctive sound. Try his disk "Somewhere Before", and also his standards albums with Jack Dejohnette and Gary Peacock were excellent.

Ryan