J*** Piano

Hines made a whole series of recordings at about this time for the same label that you may wish to check out. My favorite Hines record is one called Earl Hines At Home on Delmark. Also Blues in Thirds on Black Lion is very fine. Of course, his classic recordings with Armstrong's Hot Seven are mandatory (West End Blues, Weatherbird, etc). A great player of the old school, called the "master of the sloppy run".....I had the good fortune to see Hines live--quite a showman---a throwback to the vaudville era in some respects, but a unique and inimitable artist, who had less influence on other players because he was so unique.

Tour de Force, also on Black Lion, is also excellent Hines.

Mike, have you explored Art Tatum to any extent? Another unique player, whose influence was vast, although nobody else could come close to his level. The two disc remastered set of Tatum on Capitol is mandatory listening (and quite well recorded, unlike many of his recordings). The 2 CD set Verve recording called 20th Century Genius is also wonderful, and in good sound. Also very interesting is the recent Sony Zephyr release of his famous 1933 recordings that have been redone by some technical wizardry I don't pretend to understand that actually gives a fine representation of how Tatum played, in modern sound. Finally, Tatum's quartet session with Ben Webster on Verve is a great example of Tatum playing with other musicians.

Oldnslow, I just ordered this one.

Do you know his dates?

To anyswer your question of who came bfore Hines, the answer is nobody, at least as far as we think of jazz piano improvisation in the modern style. James P. Johnson, Willie the Lion Smith, and others of course perfected the stride style but Hines was the first to play in what I would call the modern idiom, followed by Tatum. Then you really have to go to Bud Powell, for anything new in the realm of jazz piano. Monk I consider more of a composer than a pianist, unique and interesting though he was(by the way, the recent thread of great jazz recordings failed to note Monk's Dream, his first Columbia quartet recording with Charlie Rouse--it is my favorite Monk album as the quartet is on fire with great compositions, and Monk's solos on Boliver Blues and Bright Mississippi are two of his finest).

Glad you ordered that Tatum, let us know what you think. Tatum can be tough to come to grips with for some folks because it requires intense listening to really appreciate his complex reharmonizing of the great popular songs he played. I usually listen to maybe a dozen songs at a time. If I had to name the greatest jazz pianist of all time it would easily be Tatum. Fats Waller was dead right when, upon seeing Tatum walk in to a club, that "God Is in the House"....(By the way, that is the title of a great CD of live bootleg recordings of Tatum that was released I believe on the Onyx label some years ago, which I think was reissued a few years ago).

Mike, also try checking out:

1. McCoy Tyner (John Coltrane's sidekick on many Impulse recordings and made many albums as leader after the Coltrane era), and

2. Oscar Peterson (many great Verve albums).

Both were child prodigies and as adults, serious contenders for greatest jazz piano player on the planet.

We dug around the music library and found the 7th edition "Jazz Styles : History and Analysis" by Mark C. Gridley.

We are reading up on Earl Hines and Art Tatum.

My wife thinks we have some of the Ellington sheet music :-)

The weekend lineup appears to be :

Earl Hines plays Ellington
Monk Alone in San Francisco
Angelia Hewitt Bach WTC
Blechacz Chopin Preludes
Zimerman Debussy Preludes

Big piano rush ...

quote:

Originally posted by irwan shah:

Mike, also try checking out:

1. McCoy Tyner (John Coltrane's sidekick on many Impulse recordings and made many albums as leader after the Coltrane era), and

2. Oscar Peterson (many great Verve albums).

Both were child prodigies and as adults, serious contenders for greatest jazz piano player on the planet.

Oh, I love McCoy about as much as anyone, but if Mike is in Hines/Tatum mode, even early McCoy is several major leaps away, stylistically.

But Oscar, yes, definitely, and Bud Powell. Then maybe Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, and, of course, Keith Jarrett.

That said, however, in more recent years McCoy has returned to playing standards, Ellington, etc., more than the modal stuff he made his name with. And even looking back to the late 70s, early 80s, he recorded a double LP of Monk, although it's definitely McCoy's Monk. And even on one of his best earlier albums, Trident, he recorded a great version of Monk's Ruby, My Dear.

So, McCoy would be great to check out, but maybe after Tatum, Powell, Oscar, and even then focusing on his less modal stuff.

By the way, all these players can be considered among the greatest jazz pianists on the planet, but there can never be just one.

Have you checked Dollar Brand a.k.a. Abdullah Ibrahim? He has wonderful albums and his piano playing has received some influences from Ellington/Monk and has added his own African/gospel twist.

Especially this live album with Carlos Ward is really excellent, however hard to find.

My personal favourites are firstly Ahmad Jamal -check out Live in Paris 1992 for a dynamic, propulsive Trio performance, almost "Heavy Metal" jazz piano. Secondly Kenny Barron, Night in the City, with Charlie Haden is a gem.

From the European School Vasilis Tsabropolous work, especially in the trio with Arild Anderson and John Marshall on ECM. The late Esbjorn Svennson, such a loss. Tord Gustavson for chill-out (though his last album failed to hit the spot).

As I get older I find myself listening more and more to Piano trio's, surely the "King" of ensembles.

Some of the first music I heard was stride piano coming out of a neighborhood bar when I was 4 or 5. That music still gives me goosebumps.

The Hines seems an evolutionary step forward from stride, and sounds so fresh to my ears, it seems like it came about last week and not so many years ago.

I think I will use Hines to sharpen up my hearing, so as to follow the changes.
We have been able to locate the sheet music for all the tunes on the 2 CD set.

My plan is to learn the sheet music and map the changes there, then try to follow Hines gyrations on that pattern.

Maybe then I will have ears enough to follow later music :-)

This is my very first exposure to Hines.

Two of my favorite local pianists are Marcus Roberts and Henry Butler. In particular Marcus Roberts "Alone with Three Giants" is wonderful.

Anyone on the forum ever heard of either one of these guys?

Marcus Roberts and the sound of New Orleans permeates this album:

You know, there's a very obvious and great recommendation just staring us in the face, so to speak: Hank Jones, who just died at 91 a couple of weeks ago. Hank was the eldest brother of two other jazz legends: drummer Elvin, and trumpet/flugelhorn/composer/arranger/big-band leader Thad ... even though the eldest, Hank survived them.

Hank is one of my favorite pianists, period, but also for retaining the connection between the old ways and the new (well, new up to a point). There are many albums of his one could suggest, but two in particular are:





For My Father from 2005, a fantastic trio album featuring standards, originals, a couple of Ellington, some Monk, etc. ... elegance, economy, and taste of the highest quality, pure gold and huge heart.






Steal Away, from 1995, is one of my all-time favorite albums. This is a duet with bassist Charlie Haden, and as one might expect, it has just as much of Haden's sensibility as Jones'. The program features spirituals, gospel hymns, folk songs, and songs of social justice. Hank has a deep knowledge of church harmony, which he transforms and enriches with jazz harmony. The results are nothing short of profound. I can hardly begin to recommend this album highly enough ... truly a masterpiece by two masters.

I recently read that there is a follow-up to be released, Come Sunday, which I eagerly await.

Fred, I ordered both of the Hank Jones albums you recommended in this thread.

I know you get impatient with me, but I can only take it so fast. I have to ask, what is the rush, I'm not going anywhere, and have all the time it will take.

A couple of years from now, it will all be all right :-)

This is the most fun I've had in years, even the negative stuff.

Thank you :-)

Originally posted be Fred Simon:

quote:

... but there can never be just one.

Try watching 'The Highlander'!

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:

Fred, I ordered both of the Hank Jones albums you recommended in this thread.

I know you get impatient with me, but I can only take it so fast ... Thank you

You're welcome, and glad you're enjoying it.

I do have to advise you, though, that if you don't dig Steal Away you should immediately seek medical attention.

Best,
Fred

Listened to "Earl Hines plays Duke Ellington" for the fifth time all the way through this morning.

I believe this music is changing my DNA!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mikeeschman:
Listened to "Earl Hines plays Duke Ellington" for the fifth time all the way through this morning.

I believe this music is changing my DNA![/QUOTE

that is exactly what music is all about. Passion. Sensation. Feelings and emotions. Modification of DNA is the scientific way to prove that?!

Mike, try to track down a CD called "The Real Earl Hines", I believe last reissued on Jazz Collectibles, which is a 1964 concert in NYC. It contains some of the most intense, mind boggling Hines on record, particulary "Memories of You" and "I Ain't Got Nobody" and "St. Louis Blues".....

It's ordered.

You will really enjoy The Real Earl Hines, despite the not so state of the art sound. By the way, the other session Hines did along with the Ellington released on New World Records, is one of Cole Porter songs, which likely is still available. Along with the Real Earl Hines, my favorite is Earl Hines At Home on Delmark, where he plays on a magnificant piano

quote:

Originally posted by irwan shah:

Originally posted be Fred Simon:

quote:

... but there can never be just one.

Try watching 'The Highlander'!

Irwan, not familiar to me ... what's the connection?

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:

quote:

Originally posted by irwan shah:

Originally posted be Fred Simon:

quote:

... but there can never be just one.

Try watching 'The Highlander'!

Irwan, not familiar to me ... what's the connection?

The movie is about a group of immortals who fight for the ultimate prize. Christopher Lambert is in the lead role with Sean Connery in support. The movie is also famous for Queen's 'Who wants to live forever' on its soundtrack.

The tag line for that movie is that there can only be one.

James P. Johnson

The father of "stride pianists." I was intoduced to this ragtime/jazz pianist by our current government minister Ken Clarke, MP, on the Radio [BBC Radio Four]. I would call this real Jazz, but apart from listening to a brilliant man's opinion I could hardly comment on the truth of this!

I find the modern [post beebop] style of Jazz unenvolving, but then I am an old fart.

ATB from George