Modern players
do you have any suggestions for some modern player to listen to? i listen a lot to esbjörn svensson, mehldau, jarrett, john taylor, jason moran and jacky terrasson...but i am looking for something new to dive into.
There are no comments, leave a comment.
i just heard pete malinverni. worth checking out for sure.
christian jacob!!!!
makoto ozone, stephen scott, jason rebello, michel petrucciani, ...the list goes on!
makoto ozone, stephen scott, jason rebello, michel petrucciani, ...the list goes on!
nikki iles is definitely worth checking out from the uk.
another name to look out for is gwilym simcock. he's recorded with tim garland in acoustic triangle but i'm not aware of any other albums with him on.
another name to look out for is gwilym simcock. he's recorded with tim garland in acoustic triangle but i'm not aware of any other albums with him on.
if you like swedish pianoplayers like esbjörn svensson check out lars jansson (woted most underestimated pianist in the world in keyboard player!!!!) or danish carsten dahl.
nihonjin
nihonjin
...julian joseph, robert mitchell, pete churchill, tom cawley. chucho valdes for flashy cuban/latin stuff if thats your bag.
bill charlap
bill charlap: piano
born: october 15, 1966 in new york city
one of the surprising things about jazz pianist bill charlap’s somewhere, his third release on the blue note label, is that it hadn’t come along sooner. the album title commemorates the final track of this trio recording—a set of jazz interpretations on the music of leonard bernstein.
bernstein, perhaps the most famous and revered musical figure ever produced in the united states, was a conductor, composer, and pianist who bridged the worlds of classical and pop music—writing ballets, operas, symphonies and legendary broadway musicals like west side story with equal aplomb. clearly, leonard bernstein’s music—sophisticated, graceful and inviting—finds the perfect home in charlap’s artful fingers. indeed, whitney balliett’s comment in the new yorker that, "in almost every number, regardless of its speed, [charlap] leaves us a phrase, a group of irregular notes, an ardent bridge that shakes us," applies equally well to bernstein. but the connections go deeper. as the pianist himself puts it, "bernstein represents the theater, the classical establishment, america, and—more than anything else—new york."
critics have described charlap’s style variously as hard swinging, romantic or rigorous, but his musical roots can be found in a childhood home filled with songs and songwriters. his father, moose charlap, was a broadway composer, known especially for his work on peter pan. his mother, sandy stewart, is a singer who, forty years ago, had a hit with the kander and ebb ballad, "my coloring book." houseguests often included legendary figures from the great american songbook.
"it was a unique experience," he remembers. "a lot of great songwriters were friends of my parents. my mother was doing demo records for composers like jule styne and meredith wilson and richard rodgers. composers and lyricists such as charles strouse, yip harburg, and marilyn & alan bergman were part of my formative years."
after attending the new york high school of performing arts (of fame fame) and studying with jazz pianist jack reilly, classical pianist eleanor hancock, and jazz great (and distant cousin) dick hyman, he went on to college—but only temporarily.
"my classical foundation was very important, of course," he now says. "but the conservatory atmosphere was getting in the way of my jazz studies. pianist bill mays and i had struck up a friendship and one day he said, ‘why don’t you come up to my place? i’ve got a fender rhodes set up and we can play duo pianos.’ after we played he said, ‘listen, i’m going to be leaving gerry mulligan’s band, i think you’re ready to replace me.’ i didn’t think i was, but i went to gerry’s place and auditioned, and we hit it off very well. mulligan’s famous line was, ‘i shot for 42nd street and ended up on 52nd.’ and there is something about that i relate to." both artists had arrived in jazz alley via broadway song.
charlap was on his way. he has been influenced, he claims, by every musician he has ever worked with, including the members of his current trio, bassist peter washington and drummer kenny washington (no relation). the list includes such stellar jazz artists as benny carter, clark terry, jim hall, frank wess, grady tate, phil woods and tony bennett. but he has also been influenced by his mother’s singing ("her phrasing influences the way i play melody. in many ways i approach the song from a singer’s perspective, music and lyrics are of equal importance").
charlap’s influences reflect the seriousness with which he has studied the entire jazz lineage. "i admire the elegance of tommy flanagan, the harmonic language and bebop phrasing of hank jones, the linear aspects of lenny tristano. then there are teddy wilson, earl hines, art tatum, jimmy rowles, errol garner, thelonious monk, ellis larkins, oscar peterson, herbie hancock, mccoy tyner, kenny barron, roger kellaway, bobby timmons, wynton kelly, red garland. people usually think of bill evans as a harmonist and romantic, but i’m influenced by bill the bebop player, the rhythm section player he was when he worked for miles. but i’m also influenced by non-pianists, like charlie parker, stan getz, coltrane, miles, wayne shorter and chet baker.
"i try not to think about the piano per se," he reveals. "i’m not interested in bravura displays. melody is the most sublime of all the utterances. harmony is an emotional response. rhythm is physical. melody is an intuitive response that carries both the emotional and the physical."
which brings us back to bernstein. "one of the fascinating things about bernstein is that he wrote a symphony before he ever wrote a popular song," charlap explains, "so he came from the other side of the tracks. he was a great conductor and composer, and the first american to be accepted by the european establishment. his music is very ‘through composed,’ not like the blueprint you’ll get with kern or porter or berlin. like sondheim, his accompaniments are very well constructed, which can be an asset but also a curse. you don’t want to just stick to what was written, you want to find your own way, yet you want to be informed by what the composer has done. because he’s such a literate composer, bernstein gives you a certain feeling from the first two bars. think of ‘cool’ or ‘lonely town’– they create a spiritual dynamic right from the beginning. he goes to places that other composers do not, because they were toiling in a different soil.
"his music also speaks to me and to my generation because it was a part of our childhood. my contemporaries have a direct connection to west side story in a way that perhaps they don’t to oh kay or kiss me kate. these are part of my history, but when you deal with bernstein you touch something that we have all grown up with, like the beatles. it is very powerful."
that power is conveyed with unmatched musical eloquence by the bill charlap trio on this milestone recording. listen to the opening "cool" from west side story, with its jaunty rhythms and bluesy turns, and the rich, haunting lyricism of "lonely town," from on the town. sample the buoyant swing of "it’s love," the frenzied drive of "jump," the melancholy undercurrents of "glitter & be gay," the afro-caribbean flavor of "america." charlap approaches each song with loving appreciation, throwing new light on "it’s love," "some other time," "a quiet girl," big stuff," "ohio" and—in a solo performance of extraordinary sensitivity and harmonic sophistication—the poignant "somewhere."
bill charlap and leonard bernstein—two masters at the top of their form—make this an unforgettable musical experience.
born: october 15, 1966 in new york city
one of the surprising things about jazz pianist bill charlap’s somewhere, his third release on the blue note label, is that it hadn’t come along sooner. the album title commemorates the final track of this trio recording—a set of jazz interpretations on the music of leonard bernstein.
bernstein, perhaps the most famous and revered musical figure ever produced in the united states, was a conductor, composer, and pianist who bridged the worlds of classical and pop music—writing ballets, operas, symphonies and legendary broadway musicals like west side story with equal aplomb. clearly, leonard bernstein’s music—sophisticated, graceful and inviting—finds the perfect home in charlap’s artful fingers. indeed, whitney balliett’s comment in the new yorker that, "in almost every number, regardless of its speed, [charlap] leaves us a phrase, a group of irregular notes, an ardent bridge that shakes us," applies equally well to bernstein. but the connections go deeper. as the pianist himself puts it, "bernstein represents the theater, the classical establishment, america, and—more than anything else—new york."
critics have described charlap’s style variously as hard swinging, romantic or rigorous, but his musical roots can be found in a childhood home filled with songs and songwriters. his father, moose charlap, was a broadway composer, known especially for his work on peter pan. his mother, sandy stewart, is a singer who, forty years ago, had a hit with the kander and ebb ballad, "my coloring book." houseguests often included legendary figures from the great american songbook.
"it was a unique experience," he remembers. "a lot of great songwriters were friends of my parents. my mother was doing demo records for composers like jule styne and meredith wilson and richard rodgers. composers and lyricists such as charles strouse, yip harburg, and marilyn & alan bergman were part of my formative years."
after attending the new york high school of performing arts (of fame fame) and studying with jazz pianist jack reilly, classical pianist eleanor hancock, and jazz great (and distant cousin) dick hyman, he went on to college—but only temporarily.
"my classical foundation was very important, of course," he now says. "but the conservatory atmosphere was getting in the way of my jazz studies. pianist bill mays and i had struck up a friendship and one day he said, ‘why don’t you come up to my place? i’ve got a fender rhodes set up and we can play duo pianos.’ after we played he said, ‘listen, i’m going to be leaving gerry mulligan’s band, i think you’re ready to replace me.’ i didn’t think i was, but i went to gerry’s place and auditioned, and we hit it off very well. mulligan’s famous line was, ‘i shot for 42nd street and ended up on 52nd.’ and there is something about that i relate to." both artists had arrived in jazz alley via broadway song.
charlap was on his way. he has been influenced, he claims, by every musician he has ever worked with, including the members of his current trio, bassist peter washington and drummer kenny washington (no relation). the list includes such stellar jazz artists as benny carter, clark terry, jim hall, frank wess, grady tate, phil woods and tony bennett. but he has also been influenced by his mother’s singing ("her phrasing influences the way i play melody. in many ways i approach the song from a singer’s perspective, music and lyrics are of equal importance").
charlap’s influences reflect the seriousness with which he has studied the entire jazz lineage. "i admire the elegance of tommy flanagan, the harmonic language and bebop phrasing of hank jones, the linear aspects of lenny tristano. then there are teddy wilson, earl hines, art tatum, jimmy rowles, errol garner, thelonious monk, ellis larkins, oscar peterson, herbie hancock, mccoy tyner, kenny barron, roger kellaway, bobby timmons, wynton kelly, red garland. people usually think of bill evans as a harmonist and romantic, but i’m influenced by bill the bebop player, the rhythm section player he was when he worked for miles. but i’m also influenced by non-pianists, like charlie parker, stan getz, coltrane, miles, wayne shorter and chet baker.
"i try not to think about the piano per se," he reveals. "i’m not interested in bravura displays. melody is the most sublime of all the utterances. harmony is an emotional response. rhythm is physical. melody is an intuitive response that carries both the emotional and the physical."
which brings us back to bernstein. "one of the fascinating things about bernstein is that he wrote a symphony before he ever wrote a popular song," charlap explains, "so he came from the other side of the tracks. he was a great conductor and composer, and the first american to be accepted by the european establishment. his music is very ‘through composed,’ not like the blueprint you’ll get with kern or porter or berlin. like sondheim, his accompaniments are very well constructed, which can be an asset but also a curse. you don’t want to just stick to what was written, you want to find your own way, yet you want to be informed by what the composer has done. because he’s such a literate composer, bernstein gives you a certain feeling from the first two bars. think of ‘cool’ or ‘lonely town’– they create a spiritual dynamic right from the beginning. he goes to places that other composers do not, because they were toiling in a different soil.
"his music also speaks to me and to my generation because it was a part of our childhood. my contemporaries have a direct connection to west side story in a way that perhaps they don’t to oh kay or kiss me kate. these are part of my history, but when you deal with bernstein you touch something that we have all grown up with, like the beatles. it is very powerful."
that power is conveyed with unmatched musical eloquence by the bill charlap trio on this milestone recording. listen to the opening "cool" from west side story, with its jaunty rhythms and bluesy turns, and the rich, haunting lyricism of "lonely town," from on the town. sample the buoyant swing of "it’s love," the frenzied drive of "jump," the melancholy undercurrents of "glitter & be gay," the afro-caribbean flavor of "america." charlap approaches each song with loving appreciation, throwing new light on "it’s love," "some other time," "a quiet girl," big stuff," "ohio" and—in a solo performance of extraordinary sensitivity and harmonic sophistication—the poignant "somewhere."
bill charlap and leonard bernstein—two masters at the top of their form—make this an unforgettable musical experience.
kenny werner
hiromi uehara- really gifted and imaginative, well rounded jazz pianist(fusion, bop, avant garde, classical, rock influences)
jason miles- if you can peer through the muddy waters of weather report-esque compositions check out "cosmopolitan". on that cd, i dare you to listen to "poetry" without moving.
i like the already mentioned ozone and charlap
jason miles- if you can peer through the muddy waters of weather report-esque compositions check out "cosmopolitan". on that cd, i dare you to listen to "poetry" without moving.
i like the already mentioned ozone and charlap
bobo stenson is another great swedish pianist.
buenas nachos ole,
big into john taylor(i have rosslyn and the new one with kenny wheeler... guten scheisse). jason moran too, you heard "jump up"(download free from his website)?
ok... i suggest you check out a skinny polish dude called leszek mozdzer.
i was lucky enough to see him play at the concert hall here in dublin about a year ago. i sat there hypnotised (initially at the suit he was wearing) as this guy improvised over chopin pieces. truly impressive... throwing his glasses into the steinway made sure no one took their eyes or ears off him, and as he took his bows to some damn loud clapping, he insisted we clap for the piano aswell.
yeah, actually, i'm off to buy his cd myself now...
john
big into john taylor(i have rosslyn and the new one with kenny wheeler... guten scheisse). jason moran too, you heard "jump up"(download free from his website)?
ok... i suggest you check out a skinny polish dude called leszek mozdzer.
i was lucky enough to see him play at the concert hall here in dublin about a year ago. i sat there hypnotised (initially at the suit he was wearing) as this guy improvised over chopin pieces. truly impressive... throwing his glasses into the steinway made sure no one took their eyes or ears off him, and as he took his bows to some damn loud clapping, he insisted we clap for the piano aswell.
yeah, actually, i'm off to buy his cd myself now...
john
Please sign in to post.
Jazz Piano Notebook Series
Volume 1 of this educational jazz piano book contains 15 jazz piano exercises, tricks, and other interesting jazz piano techniques, voicings, grooves, and ideas Scot Ranney enjoys playing.
"Latinesque"
Volume 2 has 14 jazz piano exercises and tricks of the trade, and quite a bit of it is Calypso jazz piano related material, including some Monty Alexander and Michel Camilo style grooves. Jazz piano education is through the ears, but books like this can help.
Volume 3 contains 12 jazz piano exercises and explorations by the acclaimed jazz piano educator, pianist, author, and recording artist Tim Richards.
Tim wrote the well known "Exploring Jazz Piano" and "Improvising Blues Piano" books and has several others to his name.
Volume 4 is by Jeff Brent, a jazz pianist, composer, teacher, and author of "Modalogy" and other acclaimed jazz theory and education books. In this book Jeff shares detailed analysis of transcriptions of live performances. He covers everything from the shape of the songs to the tricks and licks he uses in improvised lines to the ideas behind his lush chord voicings.
Most Recent Discussions
Articles
Piano for Adoption Scam
Aprender Jazz en Piano
BEWARE: FREE BABY GRAND PIANO SCAM
Oh Tannenbaum for Jazz Piano
Volume 5 of the "Jazz Piano Notebook Series" is Available!
LearnJazzPiano.com File Downloads News
more...
Top Sheetmusic Picks
Jazzy Christmas Arrangements
Cocktail Piano
Best Songs Ever, 6th Edition
Christmas Medley
Moana Songbook
Late Night Jazz Piano
Jazz piano education is cool.
Rock on. Follow your passion.
Sign In
privacy policy •
terms of service •
about
•
50,655 messages
63,069 accounts
57,173 logins
LearnJazzPiano.com Copyright © 1995-2024 by Scot Ranney • website software and design by scot's scripts
LearnJazzPiano.com is For Sale - Serious Inquiries Only
LearnJazzPiano.com Copyright © 1995-2024 by Scot Ranney • website software and design by scot's scripts
LearnJazzPiano.com is For Sale - Serious Inquiries Only