Piano Solos

[P.L.M]

Thank you for that list, but it's some other Misha you're thinking of P.L.M. - might be Impromptus (FMP) or Solo (Buzz) [or Mix, of course, but somehow these two are better liked].

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Yes, my man. My mistake. I thought about IMPROMPTUS and write WHO'S BRIDGE who is a trio record.

By the way, I 've never heard MIX.

I've corrected the list.

Edited May 30, 2005 by P.L.M

[AllenLowe]

glad somebody mentioned Jaki Byard - but you gotta get the Prestige LPS, which have not been reissued on CD - they are the absolute height of solo piano. The best of the last 50 years.

[Peter Friedman]

Some of my personal solo piano favorites include:

Cedar Walton - Blues For Myself - Red

Ray Bryant - Alone With The Blues - New Jazz

Hank Jones - Live At Maybeck - Concord

Dave McKenna - A Handful Of Stars - Concord

John Lewis - Evolution - Atlantic

Bill Evans - Alone - Verve

Barry Harris - Solo - September

Thelonious Monk - Monk Alone - Columbia

Art Tatum - 20th Century Piano Genius - Verve

Lou Levy - By Myself - Verve

Jimmy Rowles - Plays Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn - Columbia

Dado Moroni - The Way I Am - Jazz Connaisseur

Kenny Barron - Live At Maybeck - Concord

Peter Friedman

[medjuck]

Don Pullen's "Solo Piano Record" on Sackville. Just cause no one's mentioned it. There are a couple of Elllington solos from the late 30's that Columbia's never released on cd (I think).

[Edward]

I highly recommend:

Sir Roland Hanna - "Duke Ellington Piano Solos" on MusicMaster

[EKE BBB]

Art Tatum

Stride piano players

Tete Montoliu

[Nate Dorward]

glad somebody mentioned Jaki Byard - but you gotta get the Prestige LPS, which have not been reissued on CD - they are the absolute height of solo piano. The best of the last 50 years.

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I thought all of Byard's stuff on Prestige was reissued? Which albums do you have in mind? All the ones I know of are trio or quartet discs, though. -- I must confess my esteem for Byard never recovered from two godawful latterday concerts of his I saw. Sloppy playing, & a cynical, sour demeanour on the stage.

Re: Dave McKenna--of those I've heard I'd nudge Shadows & Dreams ahead of A Handful of Stars.

Yosuke Yamashita's Canvas in Quiet is a personal favourite among recent discs.

Earl Hines' Ellington tribute on New World is amazing stuff.

[AllenLowe]

Jaki was drinking too much in those days, sad to say - there are two early solo albums on Prestige that have never been reissued but that are among the glories of the age. Will report back with exact titles -

[AllenLowe]

...and they are:

Solo Piano

There Will be Some Changs Made -

Nate - email me - I'd be happy to make some CDR dubs of these - Jaki was really a great guy but suffered from severe depression late in life late due to his wife's death from cancer -

[jazzbo]

There is an lp, "Solo Piano", that is combined with another on one OJC cd. Excellent date!

I also love a Muse solo date I have called "Empirical" which on cd (1990) from Muse was a retitled version of "There'll be Some Changes Made" from Muse, 1972.

Edited May 31, 2005 by jazzbo

[mikeweil]

I highly recommend:

Sir Roland Hanna - "Duke Ellington Piano Solos" on MusicMaster

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Sir Elf .... how could I forget him!?!? One of the most rewarding solo pianists ever!

[clifford_thornton]

Dave Burrell - Windward Passages (Hat Hut)

Jaki Byard - Solo Piano (a second vote for that Prestige)

Mal Waldron - The Opening (Futura)

... and probably any solo Cecil LP will do you right, though I myself prefer him with a(nother) drummer.

[Alon Marcus]

Some more recommendations are found in this thread

[Brad]

Anything by Earl Hines basically. No longer available but if you see it get is Mosaic's Master Jazz Piano. It's all solos and exquisite. I think one of the better Mosaics they put out.

[AllenLowe]

for the HInes, get first the 1920s solos stuff - amazing - and than try somethin like Spontaneous Explorations or any of the BlackLion CDs -

[Aggie87]

The word "essential" kind of throws me, so I'm not sure whether these qualify, but I enjoy both of Brad Mehldau's solo recordings - "Elegiac Cycle" and "Live in Tokyo". He may not be the swinginest player around, but he's certainly creative and thoughtful.

[Brad]

for the HInes, get first the 1920s solos stuff - amazing - and than try somethin like Spontaneous Explorations or any of the BlackLion CDs -

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Black Lion:

[SEK]

Among the solo piano recordings that are essential to me:

Paul Bley - "Axis", "Solo Piano"

Abdullah Ibrahim - "African Piano", "Ancient Africa", "Fats, Duke, and Monk", "Memories", "Ode To Duke Ellington", "Autobiography", "Matsidiso", "South African Sunshine", "African Dawn"

Thelonious Monk - "Thelonious Himself" (John Coltrane and Wilbur Ware on the last track are a bonus )

Don Pullen - "Evidence Of Things Unseen"

Randy Weston - "Rhythms and Sounds" (1978), "The Healers" (1980)

[Newk]

What's the best solo Fats Waller cd to get? Thanks!

[brownie]

What's the best solo Fats Waller cd to get? Thanks!

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'Turn On The Heat - The Fats Waller Piano Solos', a 2CD release from Bluebird, is the one to get. But I'm not sure it's still available. It has the 40 solos Fats Waller recorded for RCA Victor.

[jazzbo]

Out of print for some time, unfortunately. . . .

[Kari S]

Keith Jarrett's intros to "My Funny Valentine" from Still Live and "How About You" from Complete Live at the Blue Note. Beautiful.

[Aggie87]

a few more:

Keith Jarrett - both La Scala & Vienna Concert

Martial Solal - Bluesine

Ran Blake - Unmarked Van

Jason Moran - Modernistic

[king ubu]

Bix, "In a Mist"

[jazzbo]