European Pianists

[aparxa]

No :-) , these are two examples of what I like most from Pierre de Bethmann

I actaully really like the music on this tape and prefer PdB on piano than on Rhodes.

Otherwise, Prysm is a group colead by PdB, Christophe Walemme & Benjamin Henocq and their first album -the picture- is great !

[king ubu]

Ah, I see... I only know De Bethman and Prysm from live shows so far...

[jazz1]

Nobody mentioned French pianist, composer, conductor, arranger Antoine Herve!???

I really enjoy his live recording with trumpeter Markus Stockhausen.

(the son of the famous Stockhausen)

[king ubu]

Baptiste Troptignon

Good one - played it last night! I rememberd having another Trotignon disc (in trio) - will have to give it a spin again, too:

Here's a short bio from the site of the Moutin Reunion Quartet (seems he's replaced Pierre De Bethman by now? I wasn't aware of that - no, it was the other way 'round, I just checked, De Bethman came in *after* Trotignon).

Edited August 27, 2007 by king ubu

[king ubu]

Marc Hemmeler

not much info to be found online, but I have a very nice LP of his (trio, with Alvin Queen and a Swiss bass player), and he appears on the Montreux set (1974 I think) by Guy Lafitte/Bill Coleman.

He also did one or two albums with Shelly Manne and Ray Brown that I don't have... fine pianist he was.

[thomastreichler]

Marc Hemmeler

not much info to be found online, but I have a very nice LP of his (trio, with Alvin Queen and a Swiss bass player), and he appears on the Montreux set (1974 I think) by Guy Lafitte/Bill Coleman.

He also did one or two albums with Shelly Manne and Ray Brown that I don't have... fine pianist he was.

I have "Walking in L.A." on Elabeth from 1980, with Hemmeler, Ray Brown, Shelly Manne: a wonderful straight ahead piano trio recording.

[king ubu]

pretty good one, but I guess not everyone's cup of tea...

[aparxa]

Does anybody here know Kasper Villaume and/or Carsten Dahl, two young Danish pianists? If yes, how would you describe their playing and are there any recommended records?

I bought by chance the following CD -4 euros sealed- :

A great set of standards & a great combination between musicians!

[thomastreichler]

Does anybody here know Kasper Villaume and/or Carsten Dahl, two young Danish pianists? If yes, how would you describe their playing and are there any recommended records?

I bought by chance the following CD -4 euros sealed- :

A great set of standards & a great combination between musicians!

Thanks for the recommendation. How would you describe Carsten Dahl's style; does it - in terms of rhythmic pulse and chord voicings - tend towards the straight-ahead / mainstream school or towards a more adventurous approach?

[thomastreichler]

Does anybody here know Kasper Villaume and/or Carsten Dahl, two young Danish pianists? If yes, how would you describe their playing and are there any recommended records?

I bought by chance the following CD -4 euros sealed- :

A great set of standards & a great combination between musicians!

Thanks for the recommendation. How would you describe Carsten Dahl's style; does it - in terms of rhythmic pulse and chord voicings - tend towards the straight-ahead / mainstream school or towards a more adventurous approach?

[aparxa]

All tunes are built in the straight-ahead / mainstream school.

Delicate & colourful as the music of Bill Evans could be & quite creative & joyful to enjoy.

[thomastreichler]

All tunes are built in the straight-ahead / mainstream school.

Delicate & colourful as the music of Bill Evans could be & quite creative & joyful to enjoy.

Thank you very much for the info.

[thomastreichler]

Eddie Thompson (1925-1986) was a fine English mainstream pianist in the line of Cole, Peterson, Garner. His was blind from birth and attended the same school for the blind as George Shearing. Thompson was an elegant player with prodigious technique. I have two of his trio recordings on Hep: "Ain't She Sweet" (1976/78) and "Memories Of You" (1983), both are easily recommended for fans of mainstream piano jazz.

[aparxa]

René Urtreger !!

[king ubu]

René Urtreger !!

bien sûr!

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=12931

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2507

[aparxa]

René Urtreger !!

bien sûr!

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=12931

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=2507

Thanks Flurin for the links, I will check the HUM recordings !

An other european pianist ,Henri Renaud, -I thought he was merely a jazz reviewer from CBS- but the following recording is quite good -the sound quality is just OK but it's from 1951- :

[king ubu]

Renaud... hm, I have some of his discs, but he never struck me as an especially interesting pianist. He always was good in bringing interesting line-ups together, though:

from the "Original Vogue Masters" series:

- Bobby Jaspar/Henri Renaud

- The 1954 Paris Sessions (dates led by Roy Haynes, René Thomas, Frank Foster, all with Renaud)

- the Oscar Pettiford album with Al Cohn and Tal Farlow (in the US on one of Fantasy's "Birdlanders" CDs)

- Quartet w/Al Cohn (has this been on a "Birdlanders" disc, too?)

- and one I don't have yet: All Stars (I guess also on a "Birdlanders" disc, but I wouldn't know)

The last two came out in the most recent batch of Vogue Masters, a year or so ago (or has it been longer by now?)

from the "Jazz in Paris" series

- Zoot Sims et Henri Renaud (includes a nice Zims date with Jon Eardley and a Renaud album with a larger group)

- Lucky Thomson "Modern Jazz Group" (I think this also came out on a Prevue CD in the US - or was that one of Lucky's Vogue discs?)

and more I guess, that I can't remember right now... The Birdlander dates done in '54 in the US of course also included sessions by Al Haig and Duke Jordan and Jay and Kai... so Renaud's contribution shouldn't be underestimated - it's just that he never struck me as an exciting voice on the piano...

edited to add: I have the Saturne disc, too - fine, but mainly of interest to me because of Bobby Jaspar's presence!

Edited August 29, 2007 by king ubu

[Sundog]

Up for more recommendations/discussion. Thanks.

[king ubu]

Malcolm Braff!

homepage - myspace

Colin Vallon!

homepage - myspace - aaj

both deserve more than one exclamation point, actually... both are sort of extending the mainstream traditions, Vallon in a lyrical/powerful way, Braff more in a playful african direction (Alex Blake, longtime member of Randy Weston's band, has done an album with Braff as well), and both use the great Samuel Rohrer on drums at least in some of their formations (Braff has several, Vallon just his trio, I think).

[A Lark Ascending]

Nikki Iles and John Law from the UK.

Both operate at the John Taylor/Bill Evans end of things - though Law recorded some quite 'out' music a while back. His last three albums are all very beautiful and should appeal to Jarrettophiles.

Keith Tippett remains a hero for me, someone whose playing predates my interest in jazz. I'm hoping it's time he turned up at Cheltenham or Bath (where he has appeared quite often).

[RDK]

I'll second Ubu's recommendation of Braff, perhaps my favorite piano "discovery" of the last few years.

[Sundog]

Listened to Malcolm Braff's my space stuff. I'm sold, emusic has a number of his albums available. I'll have to check out the Vallon as well. Thanks.

P.S. Braff looks like Hermeto Pascoal's younger brother in that picture.

[king ubu]

Braff's story is pretty wild, too... and googling his photo, you'll see... well, look yourself

He grew up as son of missionaries or something in Senegal, and the african influence is clearly there in his music - I just love it! Though somehow I think it's mostly music to be experienced live. He has such power, yet he can be so soft, and he's not afraid of melody.

[Van Basten II]

Eric Legnini is another french pianist worth checking out, recommend especially Miss Soul.

[thomastreichler]

Another superb Italian pianist is Renato Sellani, a tasteful, sometimes melancholy player. I have the following of his recordings:

Chapter One – Italian Mood, Philology

beautiful solo album, dominated by traditional italian songs and Sellani originals

There's No Greater Love, Philology

nice effort with trombonist Gianluca Petrella

O Sole Mio, Venus

great trio album

Amapola, Venus

wonderful piano duo recording with fellow Italian Danilo Rea

Edited January 27, 2009 by Tommy T