Poll: the quintessential Blue Note pianist

[ghost of miles]

Not the "best," but the pianist that for you captures the Blue Note "house sound." (Yes, I know, a vague, categorical concept...)

[sidewinder]

Probably Horace Parlan, if we are talking 'house sound', however Horace S and Sonny Clark would fit the bill just as well for me ..

[JohnS]

It has to be Sonny Clark, so many fine sessions graced with his exceptional touch and elegance.

[Ed S]

I went with Sonny Clark but it was a very tough choice.

[Soul Stream]

When I think of Blue Note pianists, I think of only one man....Sonny Clark. Next would be Herbie (of course, Herbie should probably be #1, but what they hey... )

[Big Al]

Great poll!!!

Had to give my vote to Silver, just because I've always felt he (and Blakey) laid the blueprint (pun only sorta intended). When it comes right down to it, whenever I hear Silver, I think Blue Note. And oddly enough, even on sessions on other labels, he still sounds like he's recording for Blue Note.

[BFrank]

Wassamattawichyou?

Duke Pearson! B)

[Brad]

Sonny's the man.

[JSngry]

Hmmm...when I think "Blue Note Sound". I think soulful, bluesy (concrete AND abstract) music that was very much of its time, sometimes reflecting it, sometimes defining it, yet music that also continues to sound fresh today. When I think of pianists who defined that as the label's "signature", I come up with two names, pianists whose work laid the foundation that all the others built upon and examined the various components of in myriad different and personal ways:

Albert Ammons & Meade Lux Lewis.

[Guest Mnytime]

My vote went to Horace. He is the only one that when I think of him I only think of his Blue Note recordings. Many of the others have recordings that match or surpass their Blue Note stuff. Horace really doesn't.

[connoisseur series500]

Gosh darn, this is hard.

It is hard to vote because I believe the the quientessential sound was created and evolved in the hands of several main protagonists.

Horace Silver represented the older period; I believe that Herbie Hancock epitomized the sound in the mid-60s then Duke Pearson epitomized the later sound in the late-60s and early 70s. Therefore, each of these three deserve the vote as the "sound" evolved over two decades or so.

Having to choose one, I selected Horace Silver as he was the first.

[tonym]

Sonny got my vote --- i voted first then looked at the posts...interesting.

Maybe it's because i've yet to hear an album upon which he's featured that doesn't have that late '50's / early '60's thing going on.

Some of the others on the list did actually produce their best stuff on other labels IMO but I can't think of other sessions (other than BN) where Sonny Clark appears on 'classics'.

Horace comes close but he was very much in his own bag don't you think...not as versatile.

cheers, tony

[Dan Gould]

I don't see where "versatility" enters into it.

Who epitimomized the Blue Note "house sound"?

If Blue Note had a house sound, that sound was hard bop.

Horace Silver is THE hardbop pianist, after all, he's the hardbop grandpop.

QED

[tonym]

Yes, i know what you are saying Dan.

But if indeed Blue Note's 'house sound' was hard-bop then Horace's sound was very much, well, something very idiosyncratic in itself --- with that left hand thing he had going on, quite particular and not something totally analagous with the rest of the stuff going down at BN.

Not a slur on his playing at all.

[Alexander]

I went with Sonny Clark. When you think of the sheer number of Blue Note sessions he played on in his short career...

In addition, Sonny added to any session he played on in a significant way (not that others didn't). In many ways, he *made* those sessions with Grant Green. I don't think Green did better work than on those recordings, "Idle Moments" included. Really exceptional.

Herbie Hancock is amazing, of course, but he was quickly distracted by his own recordings and his work with Miles. Powell and Monk had their own thing going, and didn't work as a sideman nearly enough.

Edited May 27, 2003 by Alexander

[jazzbo]

I went with Sonny. Not my favorite by any means, but . . .he fit the bill best.

[Sahara Blue Orchestra]

Horace S. fit the bill better :rsmile:

[John Tapscott]

I had to go with Horace, but this is a tight one. I do agree with Dan. Horace's playing helped to define the Blue Note "house" sound. Sonny's a great player, but for me, not quite as distinctive as Horace.

[Dan Gould]

You know, the other choice has to be my main man Gene. After all, without the sale of all those Sounds records, there might not have been a "Blue Note House Sound" at all!

[brownie]

Voted for Horace Silver. Got hooked on the early Blue Note LPs that featured his

tremendously exciting piano-playing.

Sonny Clark would have been my second choice.

[EKE BBB]

My favorites from the list are clearly Monk and Powell, but if we´re talking about "Blue Note sound" we should mention Horace Silver, Sonny Clark or Herbie Hancock.

I voted for Sonny Clark!!!

[marcoliv]

Hi!

my vote is for Horace. he clearly represents the Blue Note groove!

matching him with Blakey we have the purest Blue Note sound B)

peace!

Marcus Oliveira

[Rooster_Ties]

I had to vote for Herbie. Since he could really do it all, both 'inside' as well as 'outside'-leaning dates - he seemed like the one pianist who really best represented all of what Blue Note was all about during it's prime years.

[BruceH]

This poll was much less painful to vote in than many others. Sonny Clark all the way.

[Dmitry]

Horace Silver participated on over 50 Blue Note recordings, as a leader and a sideman.

If there ever was a pianist who defined the Blue Note sound, it was him.