The Search for Ten Unique Jazz Pianists

There’s this important piece of advice that I received from someone when I first began developing an interest in jazz piano during my freshman year of high school — pick a jazz pianist whose sound you’re the most attracted to and study his/her music over the course of their recorded career. In that instance several years ago, I found that I was the most attracted to the sound of Bill Evans in the Miles Davis Kind of Blue album — an interest that eventually broadened out to what you’re reading now.

This piece of advice came to mind again when I started teaching my first jazz student several weeks ago, so I’ve decided to burn him a CD of ten classic and diverse group of jazz pianists hailing from all different aspects of the genre. In order to give him a grasp of all the different styles of jazz piano, it’s a necessity for this CD to embody this diversity. It’s actually quite exciting passing on something I love to someone who’s still trying it out — it’s a bit reflective on the post I wrote several months back on my frustrations with meeting jazz much later than I’d like to have, especially since I’m going to be entering my last year of high school this fall.

I’ve also been privileged to be part of a thriving online jazz community via Twitter (more information about the Twitter Jazz Network can be found here), so I thought I’d reach out to them for this one. Here are the suggestions I received:

@thejazzpost: making up a CD of 10 jazz piano greats for one of my students. Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Red Garland, Chick Corea…any suggestions?

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@mikelorenzmusic: keith jarrett, art tatum, bud powell, mccoy tyner, herbie hancock…first that came to mind…brad mehldau?…earl hines, james p. johnson

@R0j1b1anc0: Duke Ellington?…thelonious monk…ellis marsalis

@vijayiyer: thelonious monk, duke ellington, art tatum, bud powell, cecil taylor, mary lou williams, jamal, tyner, alice coltrane, hancock…Andrew Hill, Sun Ra, Elmo Hope, Bertha Hope, GERI ALLEN

@kingdahl: probably should add some Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, and if it were me, I’d add Cecil Taylor. :) & Vijay!

@BigSwingTheory: How about Keith Jarrett?

@Attiaflautist: how about Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum, McCoy Tyner, or Duke Ellington! There’s so many to choose from! I love Chick Corea!

@atane: The hardbop guys! Sonny Clark, Bobby Timmons, Kenny Drew, Freddie Redd, Horace Silver, Horace Parlan, Duke Pearson…I’m sure you’ve heard the work of guys like Bobby Timmons & Sonny Clark, you just don’t know it. Never too late anyway. :)…Bobby Timmons on piano – http://youtu.be/VKXsnDvILmI & Sonny Clark – http://youtu.be/-j0k8EnNcT8 http://youtu.be/AyvA2UmzQ8A

@ElementsOfJazz: Marcus Roberts, Arturo O’Farrill , Antonio Jobim, Hank Jones, Gerri Allen, Jason Moran, Mulgrew Miller, Michel Petrucciani…

@uglyrug: Elmo Hope, Hampton Hawes, Kirk Lightsey, Herbie Nichols, Don Pullen, James P. Johnson, Charles Mingus (he played piano too)…

@paulhorton_: I know I’m late to this and practically everyone I love has been mentioned. What about willie the lion smith,Michel petrucciani

@fullyaltered: Wynton Kelly…Errol Garner, Art Tatum…Bud Powell

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And here are the ten artists that are going to be included on the CD:

1. Bill Evans: Alice in Wonderland (Take 2)/Sunday at the Village Vanguard

2. Thelonious Monk: Evidence/Monk’s Dream

3. Art Tatum: Limehouse Blues/The Art Tatum Legacy

4. Red Garland: If I Were a Bell/Red Garland’s Piano

5. Oscar Peterson: Love For Sale/Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Song Book

6. Sonny Clark: Cool Struttin’/Cool Struttin’

7. Ahmad Jamal: They Can’t Take That Away From Me/The Legendary Okeh & Epic Recordings

8. Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage/Maiden Voyage

9. Brad Mehldau: Paranoid Android/Largo

10. Vijay Iyer: Big Brother/Historicity

Of course, these aren’t the only pianists that he’s going to be exposed to — but it’s a great starter list for now.

Thanks to everyone who contributed; I’ll let you know what he decides!

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: You’re My Everything/Fred Hersch Trio/Whirl