How significant would jazz be if this was a piano only art form?

[Serial_Apologist]

There's Herbie Hancock. though I tend to agree with Julian Joseph (himself pretty good, if not acutally better solo than group), that he's more a group than solo player - his version of Round Midnight on the movie album of that name is a bit overindulgent, maybe giving an idea of what Liszt might have done to the piece. Chick Corea represents a welcome slimming down of the Herbie approach as soloist - a pity he ditched the avant-garde influences (Cowell, Stockhausen) he'd taken on board in the Circle period when he made two uneven though interesting solo albums for ECM I treasure, in parts. Mike Garrick was virtually an encyclopaedia of solo jazz from James P Johnson to the present in his solo forays, and greatly admired by our own John Taylor, who's interesting himself when unaccompanied for making impressionistic use of space as well as soing funky thrumy stuff on the insides. Django Bates is pretty fantastic on his tod - more in the Tatum tradition than the Jarrett that seems to the fore in group work. We could go on and mention young British pianists very much in the Jarrett "tradition" like Kit Downes and, to a lesser extent, the Corea/Hancock/(John) Taylor-influenced Gwilym Simcock. (Pace Trevor). Has anyone mentioned Cecil Taylor? The first time I heard him was solo playing on Monk tunes broadcast on The Sound of America Jazz Hour - listening on a trannie under the bedclothes at boarding school! Howard Riley's phenomenal solos, particularly from the early 80s. like "Duality" (FMR) are worthy of note (no pun intended). We could go a long way with European pianists who've expanded the Monk/Taylor approach: Misha Mengelberg, Alex Schlippenbach, Fred van Hove, Irene Schweizer, the eclectic Alex Maguire - all of whom have resort to the piano's innards. In the latter respect Keith Tippett has more than probably helped expand the boundaries, creating virtually one-man bands with the additions he brings to the joanna, including his voice!: pebbles on the strings being quite extraordinary in his case in reproducing quasi-electronic effects, as well as his stroking the strings.

[Ian Thumwood]

S-A

There is a terrific solo album by Herbie Hancock simply called "The piano" which is an amazing record. I agree that his playing in groups has no equals, but this is a hugely impressive recording in my opinion.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Exhibit B from the middle ages:

Jaki Byard solo album - 'Blues for Smoke' (Candid 1960).

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Exhibit B from the middle ages:

Jaki Byard solo album - 'Blues for Smoke' (Candid 1960).

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

oh my what they did without a piano!!!

[Serial_Apologist]

oh my what they did without a piano!!!

Ah yes, the album in which Ornette didn't invent free jazz

[Tenor Freak]

Mike Garrick was virtually an encyclopaedia of solo jazz from James P Johnson to the present in his solo forays, and greatly admired by our own John Taylor, who's interesting himself when unaccompanied for making impressionistic use of space as well as soing funky thrumy stuff on the insides.

At the jazz workshop I used to go to Mike Garrick gave a piano workshop focused on the early piano recordings. He'd play stuff I'd never heard of by artists such as Pine Top Smith and Jimmy Yancey. Great music - and very educational.

[Ian Thumwood]

Bruce

Picking up on the comment about Ornette's pianoless quartet, I wonder if you have ever checked out the interesting Jackie MacLean record "Old and New gospel." I've been playing this in the car to and from the gym this evening after having played a double CD of rather regimented Buddy Rich small groups for most of the week. In a small group context, Rich seems quite a selfish musician and the refreshing wierdness of this Blue Note CD seemed an appropriate response. The band is effectively modelled on Ornette's band and actually includes Coleman on trumpet - producing some music that is far more credible than you might have imagined. Granted that anything with Billy Higgins on drums is going to be good, the fascinating thing about this band is how McLean absorbs Ornette's influence whilst still maintaining his own strident identity and how the piano is intigrated into this band. I've never heard of the pianist who is called Lamont Johnson:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaMont_Johnson

Johnson is really effective on this record in my opinion and manages to provide a solution to how a piano could be fitted into Ornette's approach. The record is worth the money for the track "Old gospel" whereas the 21-minute long "Lifeline" almost suggest what Cecil Taylor might sound like if he played Hard Bop. Toerds the end of this track, McLean plays a blistering solo yet it sounds like he is playing over one chord. Johnson, by contrast, follows with a solo where he trys harder to expand upon the harmony. It's funny how a lot of the so-called "Avant garde" jazz of this era seemed so earnest in it's attempts to play "out" yet alot of the time you realise that they are only playing on one chord once you've started to listen with a bit more attention or tried to work out what is going on!

[Quarky]

"Players like Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Chick Corea and Herbie have all got around the solo piano "problem" with various solutions in the 60's. Whilst Jarrett has probably been the most epic of these, I sometimes feel that he can get a bit stuck in a rut and can sound a bit corny in a solo context. (I don't have this problem with his group work which is exceptional.)"

Re. Keith Jarrett, Fiona Talkington is playing a lot of his stuff this week, but as far as I am concerned, it seems to be biassed in the Classical music traditions. Other than that I have to admit I have not listened to a lot of his music.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Think Elton John but with a hint of Floyd Cramer lite.

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

KJ solo concerts are one thing [try Rio it is on youtube] his standards trio is quite another

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Ckout Jerry Lee Lewis playing "You Win Again" on Utube from around 1956 on the L.Hayride TV show. Great left hand and a possible corn infuence on KJ, even tho the Killer was wacked out on bennies! No excuse for KJ.

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Ckout Jerry Lee Lewis playing "You Win Again" on Utube from around 1956 on the L.Hayride TV show. Great left hand and a possible corn infuence on KJ, even tho the Killer was wacked out on bennies! No excuse for KJ.

BN.

yer jokin he led one of the great quartets ...

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Emperor's Y Fronts.

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

load a balls that is ...