Search the Community

There's a few piano trio threads on the board but i couldn't find one specifically on this topic. I initially wrote a long rambling post about piano trios and what makes a good one or a bad one, but ultimately it's easier just to ask: What are your must have, can't live without, piano/bass/drums trio albums from the fifties? Any and all general discussion/thoughts/opinions on fifties piano trios or particular artists welcome. I don't see any need to limit it to ten or whatever; for you there could be less than ten, or more than ten. For me, i don't really have enough piano trio albums from the era to have a meaningful opinion. I love Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Monk and Herbie Nichols and have most if not all of their available trio albums from the fifties... apart from that, off the top of my head i have a smattering of trio albums from Tatum, Ellington, Hawes, Sonny Clark, Kenny Drew, Red Garland, John Lewis, Bley, Jamal... but in terms of fifties trio albums i have no Ray Bryant, Elmo Hope, Al Haig, Barry Harris, Duke Jordan, Duke Pearson, The Three Sounds, Wynton Kelly, Horace Parlan, Oscar Peterson, Teddy Wilson, Phineas Newborn Jr etc etc... I'm really just starting to get in to it. There's a sea of albums out there and i'm trying to get a bit of a handle on it. Cheers.