LearnJazzPiano.com archives: current jazz pianists
ronald1 -- 06/16/2007, 09:36:59 -- #35470
hi guys, I'd like to know some of your favourite jazz pianists at the moment.  I feel like I know very little about jazz piano outside the great (and somewhat old) players, and would love to discover some new artists.  Thanks for any info.

Scot -- 06/16/2007, 09:51:57 -- #35470
One of the best relatively new artists is Brad Mehldau, he's one of the only ones trying to stretch.  Aaron Parks is good, very young, but hasn't quite developed his own sound yet.

ronald1 -- 06/17/2007, 09:03:34 -- #35470
thanks scot, I have some Brad Mehldau stuff and really like him.  Was unable to find much info on Aaron Parks though; he got any records out?

sdm -- 06/17/2007, 11:07:31 -- #35470
There are lots.  Check out Alan Broadbent, David Hazeltine, Mulgrew Miller, and of course my great teacher, Randy Porter.  There are so many it's hard to pick names.

YourMove -- 06/17/2007, 11:22:03 -- #35470
Ronald most of them are on myspace.com

Check out my friends list there http://www.myspace.com/yourmovenow
I have about 400 pianists in there. 80% Jazz :)

Yours, Jan

Brotherdavies -- 06/18/2007, 05:12:39 -- #35470
Brad Mehldau is one of my current faves. A future great who is alive, in his prime and younger than me (by a couple of years). His tour schedule looks punishing - but I will wait until he visits the UK in a trio setting.

I am getting so much from listening to a handful of his tracks - really love Moon River with its improvised classical sound!

Bro'

jmkarns -- 06/18/2007, 11:22:47 -- #35470
Check out Brad on The Art of The Trio series.  I especially liked his use of bell sounds on "The Young at Heart"

sid -- 06/18/2007, 11:40:35 -- #35470
I try to like him, but I find Mehldau cold and uninviting.  The recent album with Pat Metheney hasn't helped change my view.  I prefer rough customers, like the Bad Plus.

Just my opinion.

sid

MoJazz -- 06/25/2007, 17:33:10 -- #35470
Listen to Jon Weber - brilliant player and composer.

http://www.jonwebermusic.com/music-jazz-wagon.htm
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jonweber

Dominant -- 07/04/2007, 01:13:17 -- #35470
My favourate jazz pianists are:
George Duke,
Oscar peterson and
Diana Krall

Mike -- 07/06/2007, 22:13:26 -- #35470
my favorites are just some local guys that nobody has ever heard of, but  a tier or twenty above that...
Kenny Werner.... Dave Frank...and some gurl I heard at Ryles in Boston a couple of years ago and I still havn't figured out her name.

teech25 -- 07/08/2007, 05:22:12 -- #35470
saw Kenny Werner live at MIT in Boston....great to watch..very versatile

Barry -- 07/08/2007, 09:28:51 -- #35470
It's not very often I disagree with Sid, but I have to say that I loved the Metheny Mehldhau album!

Another very popular modern pianist to consider is Esbjorn Svensson and there are some cracking young British players to check out such as Gareth Williams and Gwilym Simcock.

Barry -- 07/08/2007, 09:29:26 -- #35470
Oh, and Jason Rebello as well...

hepcatmonk -- 07/08/2007, 12:37:32 -- #35470
My favorite current players would probably be Kevin Hays and Brad Mehldau. I also really like Aaron Parks; I don't really agree that he hasn't grown into his own voice yet, to my ears he sounds really distinctive.

Uri Caine is also one of my favorites, as is Jason Moran - truly creative players. Danny Grissett and Kenny Werner are also favorites of mine.

hm

hepcatmonk -- 07/08/2007, 12:39:07 -- #35470
Oops - I forgot to mention two of my very favorites that just slipped my mind: Vijay Iyer and Aaron Goldberg!

jmkarns -- 07/08/2007, 19:40:10 -- #35470
Favorites come and go.  But who will still be standing twenty or thirty years from now.

DrJazz -- 07/09/2007, 17:17:21 -- #35470
Yes, Uri Caine is awesome - he can seemingly do anything! I too found Brad a bit cold and intellectual at first but I've grown to appreciate him more.

One of my favourites is Geoff Keezer - I think he has a really original touch, with a beautiful classical technique, and he's an amazing improvisor. And what about Michel Petrucciani - OK so not exactly young (and sadly no longer with us), but  what an amazing spirit!

Larry Goldings (also a great organist) is fantastic too.

Tim

ronald1 -- 07/10/2007, 02:25:30 -- #35470
thanks guys...this list will keep me busy I'm sure!

glynn -- 07/10/2007, 04:23:47 -- #35470
Glynn's two cents:

I would have agreed with sid, that Brad had a more distant (cold?) sound, but then I listened to some stuff that I coudnt find on the web.  I really like how he approaches faster lighter songs, and now my view has completely changed.

Most of the stuff on the web that he plays is slower and can seem uninviting at first, but I enjoy those songs now.

Copyright © 2005 by Scot Ranney. All rights reserved.
Click Here for more information about performances and clinics. Click Here to sign up for Scot's music announcements.