i'm your average beginner/intermediate level pianist who loves jazz piano.  it's my passionate hobby and i am basically self-taught, but also play trombone and bass.  i've got a big stack of "how to" jazz piano books, including several of the famous ones listed on your site.  i've also looked at many of the online instructional sites like the great doug mckenzie's.  after plunking and bumbling and stumbling my way along for a couple of years, i have to say that without a doubt---my vote for the best book i have found for the beginner/intermediate is the one by fred hughes.  no other book i have tried (and i've gone through a big stack) focuses on basic foundations like this one.  if you master it all, you definitely will have the tools to go on to another level.  i think fred's approach is brilliant.  he totally avoids long-winded academic discussion of complex jazz theory, and starts right off with basic left-hand voicings.  he then builds progressively through the complete advanced spectrum of jazz chords, in every key through the cycle of fifths.  the greatest thing about his method for the beginner/intermediate is that his left-hand voicings are designed to introduce basic comping skills and chord harmony in a progressive way (with cd acompaniment)---without pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth and existential "angst"!!  all the other books like mark levine's, etc. are great--- but the beginner/intermediate would be be far better to start off with fred hughes---then explore other advanced methods. however, it's not easy---- the progressive lessons get more and more challenging, and if you can get through them all you will really have learned a lot.  if anyone finds that understanding all the different chords is often incredibly confusing and frustrating, this book is a breath of fresh air. fred hughes should be commended.  i honestly have never seen another book with a such an intelligent, understandable, simple approach to playing every chord through the cycle of fifths. any beginner who can eventually work up to playing the basic arrangements of "body and soul" and "all the things you are" from this book  will have achieved a huge amount.
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Jazz Piano Notebook Series
Scot Ranney's Jazz Piano Notebook, Volume 1 - jazz piano tricks of the trade

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 has picked up over decades of playing on stage.

Being a pro jazz pianist requires good ears, experience, and a bag of tricks that create the kinds of sounds people expect to hear from a jazz pianist. The entries in this book will give you some of those tricks.

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Scot Ranney's Jazz Piano Notebook, Volume 2 - jazz piano tricks of the trade you can use today
"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, and books like this help connect what you're hearing to what you want to play.

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Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Notebook - jazz piano tricks of the trade

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.

Tim has a new book out Beginning Jazz Piano (Pts 1 and 2)

Many of Tim's books now come with free access to interactive sheet music ONLINE, which permits slowing down of the backing and performance tracks, as well as the option to loop passages for practice purposes.

Tim now also has online VIDEO courses for his books, including Beginning Jazz Piano, Improvising Blues Piano and Exploring Jazz Piano Vol 1:

buy pdf version Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Notebook Volume 3 -

Jeff Brent's Jazz Piano Notebook - jazz piano tricks of the trade

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.

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