So,
I am a Classical piano type of person. And so far, thats the only kind of piano I do. Now, I am interested in picking up some Jazz Piano. I figure best place to start is by listening to Jazz piano. Okay, here is my question for you all, Who should I listen to? I am not here to start a debate about the best, just who is out there? Who do you like? Composers and players of Piano Jazz. Just some ideas so I am can buy some music to listen to, and get to know some Jazz piano. and in a few years maybe start playing some!

I know absolutely nothing about Jazz in any sort. So just get me started.

Thanks in advance.

Bill Evans
Art Tatum
Oscar Peterson
Bill Evans
Vince Guaraldi
Keith Jarrett (trio work)
Bill Evans

As a classical player how many pieces are
in your repertoire? What can you read at
sight? The situation is similar in jazz:
the field is vast, and one might expect to
have only a certain number of pieces in his
repertoire; and in jazz you usually play by ear
or improvise rather sight-read, and one
might be able to play by ear or improvise
at a certain proficiency level. So
the fields are quite similar, in my view.

I have a growing repertoire of about 5 classical songs, pounded away at some more. I can sight read most anything, of course some stuff is much easier than others, and some stuff is just a little to advanced.

When you say jazz, this is a very wide based term.
I have been listening to jazz for over 70 years!

That means since a child. My mother and father liked jazz which would have been in the 1920's they were both born around 1900. I was was 5 in 1933 and we had a piano then. My mother played Fats Waller and the type of jazz of that period.

So now in your case it is down to what you prefer. You have obviously heard some and I would say keep on listening and finding what style you like. The current renditions of Bill Evans are quite an intellectual style which in my view is unique to him. Listen to some of his and see if it grabs you.

Oscar Peterson was greatly talented and began his career with classical training. Listen and see his filmed music from the 1965 era up.

The piano jazz started around 1900 maybe a little earlier,in New Orleans.

So,I would just keep asking questions here as there is a lot of people of all genres that will be of great help.

Try and say what attracted you to jazz music in the first place.

All this will be helpful. Otherwise you may get led astray up the wrong road and miss out on what you may find a hugely exciting style of music.

Jazz does something to the senses that classical does not. In the art form only,not in a critical sense. They both have their charms and excitement.

Alan (swingal)

I suggest you to listen:

Bill Evans
Keith Jarrett
Herbie Hancock
Chick Corea
Ahmad Jamal
Oscar Peterson
Bud Powell
MaCoy Tyner
Michael Petrucciani
Art Tatum
Brad Meldhau
and many other great jazz pianists.

Add Gene Harris, Erroll Garner, George Shearing, and the Tony Bennett's pianist (Ralph Sharon) to the above lists. All are great choices. Oh yeah, don't forget Johnny Costa!

B

Hello again,

Yes, I agree with Brian above. We have forgotten Teddy Wilson he was Benny Goodman's right hand man for some years.A charming and modest man with impeccable beauty of piano swing music. I had the pleasure of meeting him some years ago at York University in England.

You will need to establish your jazz preferred piano style as there are many to choose from. Bill Evans is modern and very harmonic without being dissonant.He comes into the modern jazz picture. Some years ago he featured in a DVD giving a master class. I can give details of it if you wish.

Another who is a great scholar of piano jazz is Bill Dobbins you should get his DVD as it describes Piano Jazz from the start in New Orleans ,to the current styles.

Alan (swingal)

PS/ I completely agree with Brian above about Ralph Sharon and of course Erroll Garner, he was almost impossible to copy as he never played the same piece twice, he composed as he went. If you see his playing you will know what I mean. He knew no theory or could read music at all. Which unfortunately is my problem. He choose the most outrageous keys to play in too!

Troy--I had this very question answered nicely over in the AB Forum, so you might want to check out the suggestions, especially Guy's nicely detailed response to me. Jazz piano advice on Dave Brubeck thread

I am also strictly classical, and I think I'm going to have to start my jazz study by just learning some jazz pieces through sightreading while I'm in the listening phase. I don't think I have a good enough sense of the beat to really launch straight into improvisation, so I'll try this to get the sound in my head. I bought a book on how to improvise, but it includes jazz, blues and boogie-woogie, which I now realize are so different they I need to take each one on separately. Blues is more patterned, at least to me, so I might try that first when I try to improvise.

Nancy

Thanks for the plug, Nancy...

There are, and have been, so many wonderful jazz pianists. Any list shorter than a couple of hundred names would (arguably) be an incomplete list.

Some resonate with me more than others, but where to begin? It took me a few years to zero in on my favorite era (mid-50s to mid-60s), although I listen to plenty of pianists that fall outside that era too.

In some ways, Bill Evans was a turning point. His influence on modern jazz piano is unmistakable. If Bill Evans really resonates with you, then it might make sense to check out modern jazz pianists descended from his bag (Kenny Werner is a great example). If he doesn't resonate with you so much, then maybe it makes sense to first check out older swing-oriented players.

Let me put in a plug for public libraries...most have a modest collection of audio recordings that are (gasp!) free to borrow for a short while. It's a great place to start looking at connections and to start formulating preferences. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the Smithsonian had a jazz piano collection. I recall it being a fantastic survey of the history of jazz piano.