European Pianists

[BillF]

I must put in a word for Terry Shannon who was a leading figure in British jazz round 1960, but who grew disillusioned and dropped out from the music. I saw him many times as part of the Tubby Hayes Quartet. His Silver-tinged piano can be heard on Dizzy Reece's Blues in Trinity (Blue Note), which also features Tubby Hayes, Donald Byrd and Art Taylor.

Edited January 27, 2009 by BillF

[EKE BBB]

Dado Moroni also deserves to be mentioned in this thread, as do stride pianists (or better "classic jazz pianists" in a wider sense) Bernd Lhotzky, Louis Mazetier, Rossano Sportiello, Neville Dickie, Mike Goetz, Paolo Alderighi and Henri Chaix and the late and much missed François Rilhac.

And, of course, Chris Hopkins, though US-born, is more German than anything (when I receive his promotional messages from Echoes Of Swing Productions, every word is in German, though, of course, our email exchanges are in English, as I don't know a word of German).

Edited January 27, 2009 by EKE BBB

[Larry Kart]

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

I love the first of his two duo albums with Lee Konitz, "Speaking Lowly" (Philology).

[Alexander Hawkins]

Keith Tippett - yes!

Two more masters from the UK - Pat Thomas and Veryan Weston. And let's take it as read that everyone's into Stan Tracey

Irene Schweizer, Alex von Schlippenbach...

Agusti Fernandez from Spain...

Edited January 27, 2009 by Alexander Hawkins

[Alexander Hawkins]

Btw - for some recommendations...

Pat Thomas has recently released a solo piano record on FMR, half Monk tunes, half improvisations based on transcriptions of Derek Bailey material. Both halves are wonderful, but the Monk is some of the most astonishing Monk I've ever heard. Big talk, I know, but I think it's true, and I don't necessarily think Monk's someone many piano players around at the moment do well (notable exceptions, of course!).

Veryan Weston has a new solo record just out on Emanem, called 'Allusions', which I haven't listened to yet, but got a copy the other day, and it came with some extremely strong recommendations...

[umum_cypher]

Btw - for some recommendations...

Pat Thomas has recently released a solo piano record on FMR, half Monk tunes, half improvisations based on transcriptions of Derek Bailey material. Both halves are wonderful, but the Monk is some of the most astonishing Monk I've ever heard. Big talk, I know, but I think it's true, and I don't necessarily think Monk's someone many piano players around at the moment do well (notable exceptions, of course!).

Veryan Weston has a new solo record just out on Emanem, called 'Allusions', which I haven't listened to yet, but got a copy the other day, and it came with some extremely strong recommendations...

Alex is of course too modest to recommend himself ... so I will. Convergence Quartet =

[umum_cypher]

In a similar vein, John Escreet, UK born if US resident.

[Peter Friedman]

Here is a list of some CDs in my collection by European piano players. These are CDs not already mentioned to the best of my recollection. I am just listing one CD by each of these pianists though for some of them I have many additional CDs.

Andrei Kitaev Trio - Live At Vartan Jazz - vartan Jazz (Russian)

Franck Avitabile Trio - Right Time - Dreyfus Jazz (French)

Marco Di Marco Trio - In New York - Modern Jazz Record (Italian)

Fritz Pauer Trio - Blues Inside Out - MPS (Austrian)

Martin Sasse Trio with Peter Bernstein - A Groovy Affair - Nagel-Heyer (German)

Vladimir Shafranov Trio - Portrait In Music - Atelier Sawano (Russian)

Michel Sardaby Trio - Night Blossom - DIW (French)

Brian Dee Trio - Second Sight - Spotlite (British)

Guido Manusardi Trio - Down Town - Soul Note (Italian)

Egil Kapstad Trio - Cherokee - Gemini (Norwegian)

Nils Lindberg (solo piano) - Alone With My Melodies - Dragon (Swedish)

Dado Moroni Trio - Insights - Jazz Focus (Italian)

Laurent De Wilde Trio - Odd And Blue - IDA (French)

Stefan Karlsson Trio - Live At Vartan Jazz, Vol.1 - Vartan Jazz (Swedish)

Peter Beets Trio - New York Jazz - Criss Cross

Oliver Antunes Trio - Introducing Oliver Antunes - M & I (Danish)

Knud Jorgensen Duo - Bojangles - Touche ( Swedish)

Mick Pyne Trio - Live At Ronnie Scott's - Spotlite (British)

Kasper Villaume Trio - Estate - M & I (Danish)

Joe Haider Trio - One For Klook - Sound Hills ( German)

Cees Slinger Quartet - Sling Shot - Timeless (Dutch)

Jesper Thilo Meets Jake Hanna (Quartet) - Music Mecca [with pianist Soren Kristiansen] (Danish)

Thomas Clausen Trio - She Touched Me - M.A. Music (Danish)

Ake Johansson Trio,Quartet & Solo - The Spinning Top - Dragon (Swedish)

Red Mitchell Trio - Evolution - Dragon [with Lars Jansson on piano] (Swedish)

Dexter Gordon & Atli Bjorn Trio - Cry Me A River - Steeplechase (Danish)

Dexter Gordon - After Hours - Steeplechase [with Lars Sjosten] (Swedish)

Phil Woods / Franco D'Andrea Duo - Our Monk - Philology (Italian)

Johnny Griffin Quartet - Night Lady - Philips [with Francy Boland,piano] (Belgium)

Derek Smith Quartet - The Man I Love - Progressive (British)

[7/4]

Pat Thomas has recently released a solo piano record on FMR, half Monk tunes, half improvisations based on transcriptions of Derek Bailey material. Both halves are wonderful, but the Monk is some of the most astonishing Monk I've ever heard. Big talk, I know, but I think it's true, and I don't necessarily think Monk's someone many piano players around at the moment do well (notable exceptions, of course!).

I'm curious to hear what his Derek Bailey improvisations sound like.

[thomastreichler]

Here is a list of some CDs in my collection by European piano players. These are CDs not already mentioned to the best of my recollection. I am just listing one CD by each of these pianists though for some of them I have many additional CDs.

Andrei Kitaev Trio - Live At Vartan Jazz - vartan Jazz (Russian)

Franck Avitabile Trio - Right Time - Dreyfus Jazz (French)

Marco Di Marco Trio - In New York - Modern Jazz Record (Italian)

Fritz Pauer Trio - Blues Inside Out - MPS (Austrian)

Martin Sasse Trio with Peter Bernstein - A Groovy Affair - Nagel-Heyer (German)

Vladimir Shafranov Trio - Portrait In Music - Atelier Sawano (Russian)

Michel Sardaby Trio - Night Blossom - DIW (French)

Brian Dee Trio - Second Sight - Spotlite (British)

Guido Manusardi Trio - Down Town - Soul Note (Italian)

Egil Kapstad Trio - Cherokee - Gemini (Norwegian)

Nils Lindberg (solo piano) - Alone With My Melodies - Dragon (Swedish)

Dado Moroni Trio - Insights - Jazz Focus (Italian)

Laurent De Wilde Trio - Odd And Blue - IDA (French)

Stefan Karlsson Trio - Live At Vartan Jazz, Vol.1 - Vartan Jazz (Swedish)

Peter Beets Trio - New York Jazz - Criss Cross

Oliver Antunes Trio - Introducing Oliver Antunes - M & I (Danish)

Knud Jorgensen Duo - Bojangles - Touche ( Swedish)

Mick Pyne Trio - Live At Ronnie Scott's - Spotlite (British)

Kasper Villaume Trio - Estate - M & I (Danish)

Joe Haider Trio - One For Klook - Sound Hills ( German)

Cees Slinger Quartet - Sling Shot - Timeless (Dutch)

Jesper Thilo Meets Jake Hanna (Quartet) - Music Mecca [with pianist Soren Kristiansen] (Danish)

Thomas Clausen Trio - She Touched Me - M.A. Music (Danish)

Ake Johansson Trio,Quartet & Solo - The Spinning Top - Dragon (Swedish)

Red Mitchell Trio - Evolution - Dragon [with Lars Jansson on piano] (Swedish)

Dexter Gordon & Atli Bjorn Trio - Cry Me A River - Steeplechase (Danish)

Dexter Gordon - After Hours - Steeplechase [with Lars Sjosten] (Swedish)

Phil Woods / Franco D'Andrea Duo - Our Monk - Philology (Italian)

Johnny Griffin Quartet - Night Lady - Philips [with Francy Boland,piano] (Belgium)

Derek Smith Quartet - The Man I Love - Progressive (British)

Great list, Peter. These are the European pianists I have cd's of:

Georges Arvanitas (France)

Ian Bargh (Great Britain)

Peter Beets (Netherlands)

Stefano Bollani (Italy)

Claude Bolling (France)

Michel Camilo (France)

Carsten Dahl (Denmark)

Raymond Fol (France)

Bengt Hallberg (Sweden)

Marc Hemmeler (France)

Christian Jacob (France)

Dill Jones (Great Britain)

Soren Kristiansen (Denmark)

Brian Lemon (Great Britain)

Jan Lundgren (Sweden)

Adam Makowicz (Poland)

Louis Mazetier (France)

Marain McPartland (Great Britain)

Philippe Milanta (France)

Tete Montoliu (Spain)

Dado Moroni (Italy)

David Newton (Great Britain)

James Pearson (Great Britain)

Bernard Peiffer (France)

Michel Petrucciani (France)

Enrico Pieranunzi (Italy)

Andrea Pozza (Italy)

Michel Sardaby (France)

Renato Sellani (Italy)

George Shearing (Great Britain)

Derek Smith (Great Britain)

Martial Solal (France)

Rossano Sportiello (Italy)

Eddie Thompson (Great Britain)

Stan Tracey (Great Britain)

René Urtreger (France)

Maurice Vander (France)

Kasper Villaume (Denmark)

[Guest Bill Barton]

I just now discovered this thread. There certainly are enough recommendations of musicians whom I've never heard to keep me busy for the next 20 years!

Malcolm Braff is definitely at the top of my list to check out.

Unless my old eyes are missing it, nobody has mentioned Giorgio Gaslini yet. Gaslini Plays Monk is among my top favorites.

Edited January 28, 2009 by Bill Barton

[king ubu]

There's a separate Gaslini thread in the artists section - but I considered throwing his name in here yesterday... then didn't in the end.

Siegfried Kessler, the late great, who worked with Archie Shepp, is also worth mentioning. I only have one disc of his, on Marge/Futura/whatever Terrones label, Shepp sits in on two tracks, the rest is trio. Mighty fine. This comes to mind as just last night I watched a 1980 DVD by Shepp's quartet including Kessler. Some of the best Shepp from those years, I'd say!

[Alexander Hawkins]

Btw - for some recommendations...

Pat Thomas has recently released a solo piano record on FMR, half Monk tunes, half improvisations based on transcriptions of Derek Bailey material. Both halves are wonderful, but the Monk is some of the most astonishing Monk I've ever heard. Big talk, I know, but I think it's true, and I don't necessarily think Monk's someone many piano players around at the moment do well (notable exceptions, of course!).

Veryan Weston has a new solo record just out on Emanem, called 'Allusions', which I haven't listened to yet, but got a copy the other day, and it came with some extremely strong recommendations...

Alex is of course too modest to recommend himself ... so I will. Convergence Quartet =

That's really kind - thanks!

[Alexander Hawkins]

Pat Thomas has recently released a solo piano record on FMR, half Monk tunes, half improvisations based on transcriptions of Derek Bailey material. Both halves are wonderful, but the Monk is some of the most astonishing Monk I've ever heard. Big talk, I know, but I think it's true, and I don't necessarily think Monk's someone many piano players around at the moment do well (notable exceptions, of course!).

I'm curious to hear what his Derek Bailey improvisations sound like.

Check 'em out! As a regular partner in crime for Derek, the spirit is right on!

[Afric Pepperbird]

Wow. Eight pages, and no mention of Irene Schweizer. Whether it's her solo work, her even better duets with various great drummers, or her great small group projects (Storming of the Winter Palace; old FMP releases; or the recent Berne Concert with Trio 3); she is something special.

edit: oops. I see a brief mention of her on page 7.

Edited January 30, 2009 by Afric Pepperbird

[Swinger]

Wow. Eight pages, and no mention of Irene Schweizer. Whether it's her solo work, her even better duets with various great drummers, or her great small group projects (Storming of the Winter Palace; old FMP releases; or the recent Berne Concert with Trio 3); she is something special.

edit: oops. I see a brief mention of her on page 7.

Another vote for Irene. Really nice woman. I had a brief chat with her when she played in my hometown two years ago. I can highly recommend everything she has recorded so far.

[thomastreichler]

Another Italian giant: Franco D'Andrea

check out his solo recordings on Philology, he also did two beautiful duo albums with Renato Sellani (same label)

[Guest Bill Barton]

The second name mentioned at the beginning of this thread, Enrico Pieranunzi, has a superb new CD out on CAM Jazz, Dream Dance, with the trio (Marc Johnson and Joey Baron). All original compositions this time around. Very fine...

[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.

Another nice one is "Easy Does It" on Elabeth, a trio recording from 1981 with Ray Brown and Daniel Humair, mainstream piano jazz at its best. It is a shame that Hemmeler did not record more often.

[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.

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

Another nice one is "Easy Does It" on Elabeth, a trio recording from 1981 with Ray Brown and Daniel Humair, mainstream piano jazz at its best. It is a shame that Hemmeler did not record more often.

I found that one a while ago (after having posted here), of all places at Mediamarkt in Sihlcity, on sale... fine disc indeed!

It seems to be on deezer and on iTunes, as well as still available on CD. Fine album!

As you can see from the back cover, Stephane Grappelli sits in on one tune.

[king ubu]

As for Pieranunzi... I don't know much of his officially released output but gee, can't he slow down? For a casual fan, there's just way too much available! The first Morricone album with Joey Baron and Marc Johnson is fine. Other than that I think I only have the more recent one (also on CAMJazz) with Kenny Wheeler added to the trio. It's too glossy a production I think... not sure what to check out but I've heard a bunch of broadcasts that I liked, including some by the trio with Heyn van de Gein (sp?) and I think André Ceccarelli. They also have some official releases out.

[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.

Another nice one is "Easy Does It" on Elabeth, a trio recording from 1981 with Ray Brown and Daniel Humair, mainstream piano jazz at its best. It is a shame that Hemmeler did not record more often.

I found that one a while ago (after having posted here), of all places at Mediamarkt in Sihlcity, on sale... fine disc indeed!

It seems to be on deezer and on iTunes, as well as still available on CD. Fine album!

As you can see from the back cover, Stephane Grappelli sits in on one tune.

That's the one. Never would have dreamt of looking for jazz cd's at Mediamarkt though...

As for Pieranunzi... I don't know much of his officially released output but gee, can't he slow down? For a casual fan, there's just way too much available! The first Morricone album with Joey Baron and Marc Johnson is fine. Other than that I think I only have the more recent one (also on CAMJazz) with Kenny Wheeler added to the trio. It's too glossy a production I think... not sure what to check out but I've heard a bunch of broadcasts that I liked, including some by the trio with Heyn van de Gein (sp?) and I think André Ceccarelli. They also have some official releases out.

I can strongly recommend the following:

Live In Paris (Challenge), a twofer with Heyn van der Geyn and André Ceccarelli

Live in Japan (Cam Jazz), a twofer with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron

Ballads (CAM Jazz) also with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron

Edited August 18, 2009 by Tommy T

[king ubu]

I regularly went to MM in Dietlikon in the 90s, but their jazz offerings got pretty small as well by now. The one at Sihlcity wasn't that great from the start, but sometimes you find something nice... and it's on my way home from work, so... (dangerous!).

Thanks a lot for the Pieranunzi recommendations!

[Peter Friedman]

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.

Another nice one is "Easy Does It" on Elabeth, a trio recording from 1981 with Ray Brown and Daniel Humair, mainstream piano jazz at its best. It is a shame that Hemmeler did not record more often.

I found that one a while ago (after having posted here), of all places at Mediamarkt in Sihlcity, on sale... fine disc indeed!

It seems to be on deezer and on iTunes, as well as still available on CD. Fine album!

As you can see from the back cover, Stephane Grappelli sits in on one tune.

That's the one. Never would have dreamt of looking for jazz cd's at Mediamarkt though...

As for Pieranunzi... I don't know much of his officially released output but gee, can't he slow down? For a casual fan, there's just way too much available! The first Morricone album with Joey Baron and Marc Johnson is fine. Other than that I think I only have the more recent one (also on CAMJazz) with Kenny Wheeler added to the trio. It's too glossy a production I think... not sure what to check out but I've heard a bunch of broadcasts that I liked, including some by the trio with Heyn van de Gein (sp?) and I think André Ceccarelli. They also have some official releases out.

I can strongly recommend the following:

Live In Paris (Challenge), a twofer with Heyn van der Geyn and André Ceccarelli

Live in Japan (Cam Jazz), a twofer with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron

Ballads (CAM Jazz) also with Marc Johnson and Joey Baron

I consider Pieranunzi to be a fine jazz pianist. However, he seems to be , in my opinion, two very different players.

Some of his CDs are very ethereal to the point where I find them rather dull and unswinging. On the other hand, some of his CDs are melodically and harmonically rich and to my ears truly delightful.

Here are the ones I particularly like.

Special Encounter - Cam Jazz

Ballads - Cam Jazz

Live In Paris - Challenge

Infant Eyes - Challenge

Alone Together - Challenge

[king ubu]

Thanks for the additional Pieranunzi recommendations!

This is the one w/Wheeler:

Enrico Pieranunzi - As Never Before