Great Jazz Piano Artists - Their “Must Have” Recordings

[27Globes]

What started out in a prior thread as an inquiry for Bill Evan’s Consecration Live Part2 Box Set at a sane price – and all the why’s and wherefore’s that such a jazz momentous recording was not more easily accessible, etc., etc. – segwayed into a far more interesting conversation worth sharing – the great appreciation and personal resonance each of us had with certain great jazz piano artists’ recordings. Those that we continually come back to over and over again regardless of how extensive or varied our collections had become. There was something with which we identified, perhaps; something that was inimitably personal and intimate - always endlessly fulfilling in the journey they offered. And no matter how often one listened, it was never quite the same – there was always something different, something fresh and new. What marks them for us is that they are artists and recordings that have staid with us; that have had an imbiding impact on us.

 

Two Requested Guidelines, If I May:. Let’s not turn this thread into a list of great jazz pianist – we can do that with a Google search - but rather let's have this be a sharing of those specific recordings/sessions that these great artists have made which always call to us. Secondly, this thread should not become a dedication to the artists of the past, but also include those that are current, those who belong to the next generation.

 

Now that I have said my peace, let me start off with my “Must Have Recording”. I first heard the recording in 1976 and it never fails to move me. It altered the way I not only listened to jazz and but more importantly how I related to it.

 

Keith Jarrett’s The Koln Concert

.

 

Please join the thread.

[REShaman]

What started out in a prior thread as an inquiry for Bill Evan’s Consecration Live Part2 Box Set at a sane price – and all the why’s and wherefore’s that such a jazz momentous recording was not more easily accessible, etc., etc. – segwayed into a far more interesting conversation worth sharing – the great appreciation and personal resonance each of us had with certain great jazz piano artists’ recordings. Those that we continually come back to over and over again regardless of how extensive or varied our collections had become. There was something with which we identified, perhaps; something that was inimitably personal and intimate - always endlessly fulfilling in the journey they offered. And no matter how often one listened, it was never quite the same – there was always something different, something fresh and new. What marks them for us is that they are artists and recordings that have staid with us; that have had an imbiding impact on us.

 

Two Requested Guidelines, If I May:. Let’s not turn this thread into a list of great jazz pianist – we can do that with a Google search - but rather let's have this be a sharing of those specific recordings/sessions that these great artists have made which always call to us. Secondly, this thread should not become a dedication to the artists of the past, but also include those that are current, those who belong to the next generation.

 

Now that I have said my peace, let me start off with my “Must Have Recording”. I first heard the recording in 1976 and it never fails to move me. It altered the way I not only listened to jazz and but more importantly how I related to it.

 

Keith Jarrett’s The Koln Concert

.

 

Please join the thread.

 

I hope I will not have to keep referring to the OP of this thrilling thread as 27Globes much longer. In any case, marvelous Prologue to a thread I am thrilled to participate in. Your introduction is worth the price of admission. So as to not diminish the poignancy of The Koln Concert, I will first refer to Bill Evans' What's New with Jeremy Steig which includes my favorite theme, The Love Theme from Spartacus with a close second Abraham's Theme from Chariots of Fire.

It did not take me long to OT myself.

In keeping with the request of the OP, I submit a contemporary who while I do not know personally, I do know his father personally as he was our office mate. His son, Emmet Cohen's first CD In the Element. Emmet is still in music school at Miami but has already placed third in The Monk Competition. He's a brilliant pianist. I call your listening attention to his work.

Enjoy the great pianist now and then.

Thank you, er' 27 for starting this thread as it has and will continue to be a source of inspiration and a resource to expand us all.

With deep appreciation,

Richard

[27Globes]

I hope I will not have to keep referring to the OP of this thrilling thread as 27Globes much longer. In any case, marvelous Prologue to a thread I am thrilled to participate in. Your introduction is worth the price of admission.

 

Thank you, er' 27 for starting this thread as it has and will continue to be a source of inspiration and a resource to expand us all.

With deep appreciation,

Richard

 

My pleasure, Richard and thank you for your support... and as you will note below the line of my thread... is what you may always call me... Alex. Thank you for contribution.

[REShaman]

My pleasure, Richard and thank you for your support... and as you will note below the line of my thread... is what you may always call me... Alex. Thank you for contribution.

 

Alex,

Pardon my carelessness in not seeing your name.

I'll add Tsuyoshi Yamamoto and his Trio with Midnight Sugar already referenced at Album of The Evening. Newly re-released and remastered Hybrid SACD.

Enjoy the music,

Richard

[firedog]

HDTracks hi-res "Waltz for Debby", Bill Evans Trio - sorry for the obvious.

 

I'm not going to list albums by Jarrett or Herbie Hancock - most anything of theirs is great.

 

Here are a few lesser known albums, though some of the artists are quite well known.

 

Don Pullen -New Beginnings

 

 

Egberto Gismonti, Danca das Cabecas, Part 2 (side 2 on vinyl)

 

 

side one is also great, but it is basically an acoustic guitar piece. Not many people are as accomplished on 2 different instruments as Gismonti is.

 

McCoy Tyner - Focal Point. Not considered one of his very best albums, but maybe the one I enjoy listening to the most.

 

 

Randy Weston, The Spirits of Our Ancestors

 

[Musicophile]

Whoa, this is going to be long.

 

Let me start with the first Jazz CD I ever got, from the Canadian genius Oscar Peterson.

 

He's been on stage for about half a century, and if you are into Jazz at all, there is a good chance you have a recording where he's playing, be it e.g on the famous Ella and Louis, or a number of recordings with Billie Holiday.

 

But this thread should be about his career as a leader.

 

The problem to me is that unlike some other artists there aren't really any weak albums, at least to me. I could probably skip some of the stuff he's done with strings, but even those are bearable if you are in the mood.

 

Let me suggest the following:

 

Of his "classical" period of the 1950's-60's trio with Ed Thipgen and Ray Brown on Verve, I'd recommend the following 3:

 

Night Train (even available as Hires remaster):

 

 

Let's Get Requests (You Look Good To Me is a common track heard at Hifi Shows), I recommend the K2HD remaster here:

 

 

And one of my personal, less known favorites:

 

Oscar Peterson plays the Cole Porter Songbook

 

 

From the late 60s-70s, I strongly recommend the "Exclusively for my Friends" box on MPS; with recordings from producer Hans-Georg Brunner-Schwer that are both very intimate and very well recorded. There are both Trio (in a couple of different combos) and solo recordings on here. A lot of amazing little gems:

 

[Musicophile]

Now to Keith Jarrett.

 

The next Jazz album I ever bought (vinyl this time) was this:

 

My Song with Jan Garbarek

 

 

This one survived the test of time and I still like it today. It is an excellent entry album if you're not into Jazz yet.

 

I disagree with Firedog though that you can recommend most of their albums. There are some I simply cannot bear to listen to, not surprisingly in such a huge output (e.g. Survivors Suite, Byablue, Ruta and Daita)

 

I'd separate between his solo and trio works.

 

On the solo side, while I usually don't like every single track, usually as a whole pretty much every one of them is worth it.

 

In addition to the above mentioned Köln Concert (apparently the most sold solo piano album in the world), I'd especially recommend the following:

 

Paris, London Testament (also available in Hires):

 

 

Vienna Concert:

 

 

Rio:

 

 

From his trio work, pretty much everything that has the title "Standards" on it is worth a listen, my favorite one is this one:

 

 

Most of his live trio albums (e.g. At the Blue Note) are quite nice, but my favorite is this one:

 

Tribute:

 

 

Finally, I'd like to highlight that Jarrett has done his occasional classical recording, some of which even on harpsichord (e.g. Handel Suites, the Goldberg Variations). I'd like to recommend slightly OT my personal favorite:

 

Shostakovich: The Preludes

 

 

 

One warning: most of the Jarrett recordings are audiophile gems, as luckily he recorded pretty much everything on ECM. However, if you have never listened to Jarrett before, there is one MAJOR sonic nuisance on nearly every one of his albums: Keith loves humming and "singing" (for the lack of a better word) around while he's playing. Somebody on this forum already suggested developing a "Jarrett linear phase brickwall filter", and I'd be the first one to buy that.

[Musicophile]

Copying from the other thread that started this discussion some recommendations on more contemporary piano trio highlights:

 

Anat Fort Trio - And If

 

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?f...e=602527332161

 

Helge Lien - Hello Troll

 

Linn Records - Hello Troll

 

Helge Lien - Natsukashii

 

Linn Records - Natsukashii

 

Marcin Wasilewski - Faithful

 

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?f...e=602527591056

 

Julia Hülsmann - Imprint

 

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?f...e=602527442624

 

Esbjörn Svensson - Live in Hamburg

 

Amazon.com: Est Live in Hamburg: Esbjorn Svensson: Music

 

Enrico Pieranunzi: Ballads & Live in Japan

 

Amazon.com: Live in Japan: Enrico Pieranunzi: Music

 

Amazon.com: Ballads: Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Joey Baron: Music

[Musicophile]

Ola Gjeilo has been discussed on this forum quite a bit. It's a bit borderline to be called Jazz, but they are beautiful piano improvisations and extremely well recorded:

 

 

Album: Ola Gjeilo - PIANO IMPROVISATIONS (2L-082-SABD)

[Musicophile]

And finally, one of my favorites, again from Norway like Helge Lien above:

 

Tord Gustavsen.

 

My personal favorite is this one:

 

 

However, pretty much every album he's done is a masterwork. And really well recorded.

[Musicophile]

I'll let somebody else handle Bill Evans. That would take the entire day....

[REShaman]

Alex,

 

Given your guidelines, let me know if my next reference pushes the boundaries of your guidelines. I believe this pianist qualifies as a Cuban/Afro-Cuban jazz artist and an extraordinary talent now in his 80s.

 

Ruben Gonzalez's Chanchullo

 

Enjoying the music,

Richard

[REShaman]

These unrehearsed sets with Stan Getz stand out as does the session with Kenny Barron and Charlie Haden. Again, do not know if referencing another musician with a great jazz pianist violates or expands Alex's guidelines favorably.

Enjoy the music,

Richard

 

Kenny Barron with Stan Getz: People Time.

 

[REShaman]

Ahmad Jamal: The Complete Ahmad Jamal Trio Argo Sessions. Might as well go for the whole enchilada.

It never ends,

Richard

 

[REShaman]

Aaron Goldberg: Bienestan and others...

Enjoying the music,

Richard

 

[REShaman]

Vijay Iyer: Solo and others...

[REShaman]

Roy Eaton: Joplin Piano Rags

Finding the range,

Richard

 

[elcorso]

Vijay Iyer: Solo and others...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3571[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]3572[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]3573[/ATTACH]

 

The last one from Vijay Iyer Trio. Wonderful!

 

 

 

Roch

[Musicophile]

Vijay Iyer: Solo and others...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3571[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]3572[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]3573[/ATTACH]

Very interesting, had never heard of this guy beforehand. Qobuz seems to have a decent selection.

[Musicophile]

Brad Mehldau:

 

Lots of promises, but somehow never got as far as I hoped.

 

Some absolutely amazing albums (see below), some (e.g. Highway Rider) where I cannot stand half of the tracks.

 

My personal favorites:

 

The Art of the Trio vol. 3 - Songs

 

 

 

The Art of the Trio vol. 1

 

[elcorso]

Very interesting, had never heard of this guy beforehand. Qobuz seems to have a decent selection.

 

I got my first one from Downloads Now on DSD DL.

 

Roch

[REShaman]

The last one from Vijay Iyer Trio. Wonderful!

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3577[/ATTACH]

 

 

Roch

 

Agree, Roch! Also in my library: Tirtha

Enjoying the music,

Richard

 

[REShaman]

One more time for, Ruben Gonzalez, who plays the entire keyboard and the high notes with grace and gusto!

Enjoy the music,

Richard

 

Introducing Ruben Gonzalez

[27Globes]

Now to Keith Jarrett.

 

The next Jazz album I ever bought (vinyl this time) was this:

 

My Song with Jan Garbarek

 

One warning: most of the Jarrett recordings are audiophile gems, as luckily he recorded pretty much everything on ECM. However, if you have never listened to Jarrett before, there is one MAJOR sonic nuisance on nearly every one of his albums: Keith loves humming and "singing" (for the lack of a better word) around while he's playing. Somebody on this forum already suggested developing a "Jarrett linear phase brickwall filter", and I'd be the first one to buy that.

 

I was so entranced with The Koln Concert... one felt so present to being there in the moment... that I immediately followed with Facing You and The Sun Bear Concerts. I've attended about a half dozen of his concerts both on the West and East Coast. Once I saw him start something and then turn around to the audience and say "I'm going to start over." Another time, a phone was ringing off-stage; no one was answering it; he stopped his playing, got up went off, took it off line, returned and continued playing. And, yes his humming or moaning (to my ears) can reach moments of ecstasy - however, I think they are on key If I remember correctly there are several other greats that groan their work out as they are creating it. I get where it can be distracting, but I take it as their invitation to dive into it as they do. You get that their are spans of time that they are totally owned by the music... that it is in front of them... taking them somewhere... just as it does to us often.

 

BTW, the beauty of MOG will allow us to hear many of the recommendations full track/album to see if one relates and connects. This is awesome and appreciated.

 

 

[REShaman]

Brad Mehldau:

 

Lots of promises, but somehow never got as far as I hoped.

 

Some absolutely amazing albums (see below), some (e.g. Highway Rider) where I cannot stand half of the tracks.

 

My personal favorites:

 

The Art of the Trio vol. 3 - Songs

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3578[/ATTACH]

 

 

The Art of the Trio vol. 1

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3579[/ATTACH]

 

Perhaps his trials with substance abuse have taken its toll on occasion. It killed Bill.

Allow me for as good as or not:

 

 

 

 

Of note, Brad Melhdau's playing at Town Hall with Joshua Redman et al. and on the album, MoodSwing is extraordinary, imo.

Enjoy the music,

Richard