Overlooked pianists

[Hardbopjazz]

There are two that come to mind for me that have drifted into oblivion, and one day when their names are mention, most might remember them. Both I feel were real fine players who need to get more respect.

1. Herman Foster

2. Albert Dailey  

Lou Donaldson's "Blues Walk" and "Light Foot", Foster's playing is so good. There not much of Foster as a leader available. I've found these two recordings offered in one package. Explosive Piano of Herman / Have You Heard Herman.

Albert Dailey died way too young. Plus he didn't have that much output as a leader, but he was an amazing player. He plays so nice on Stan Getz's album "Lover Man" and Freddie Hubbard's "Backlash." From these two albums I started to hunt down recordings with him. Dailey was also in Sonny Rollins' band in the early 70's, but I don't believe he recorded with Sonny.   

Any recordings with either of these two that come to mind?

Can anyone think of other pianists that for one reason or another don't hit the radar but you think should?

 

 

 

I did manage to get a copy of Piano Jazz with Albert Dailey. He is brilliant.

[danasgoodstuff]

Overlooked by whom?  Once upon a time Sonny Clark was overlooked by the general jazz public, but not here and now.  And just overlooked, or overlooked and great or just pretty good?  Mose Allison was a pretty good pianist, but once the songs and singing took off that took a back seat.

[Hardbopjazz]

When I bring up these two, neither ring a bell to friends of mine that listen to jazz.  

[Joe]

Austin Crowe, who plays with distinction on Walt Dickerson's first Prestige recordings. It's hard to say what makes Crowe's playing stand out... there's a "bounce" to his phrasing, however, and he understands the harmonic implications of Dickerson's melodies as well or better than any pianist -- a pretty amazing list: Andrew Hill, Sun Ra, Walter Davis Jr., the aforementioned Albert Dailey -- with whom the vibist collaborated.

Check out Crowe's work on "Why" from A SENSE OF DIRECTION. His comping gives Dickerson another rhythmic element to play with / off, and his solo is both abstract and kind of funky.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Joe

[romualdo]

There are two that come to mind for me that have drifted into oblivion, and one day when their names are mention, most might remember them. Both I feel were real fine players who need to get more respect.

1. Herman Foster

2. Albert Dailey  

Lou Donaldson's "Blues Walk" and "Light Foot", Foster's playing is so good. There not much of Foster as a leader available. I've found these two recordings offered in one package. Explosive Piano of Herman / Have You Heard Herman.

Albert Dailey died way too young. Plus he didn't have that much output as a leader, but he was an amazing player. He plays so nice on Stan Getz's album "Lover Man" and Freddie Hubbard's "Backlash." From these two albums I started to hunt down recordings with him. Dailey was also in Sonny Rollins' band in the early 70's, but I don't believe he recorded with Sonny.   

Any recordings with either of these two that come to mind?

Can anyone think of other pianists that for one reason or another don't hit the radar but you think should?

 

 

 

I did manage to get a copy of Piano Jazz with Albert Dailey. He is brilliant.

The Herman Foster "Have You Heard" session is being released on CD later this year (October) in Japan - part of the Sony reissue series

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/products?term.media_format=&q=herman+foster

[clifford_thornton]

[Hardbopjazz]

Maybe the mods can merge mine thread with the original thread. No need for two threads on the same topic,

 

Another one, is Freddie Redd. He is still playing but not recorded. He should be.

[jlhoots]

Valdo Williams

[kh1958]

For Albert Dailey, I rather like his album on Columbia (The Day After the Dawn).

http://www.amazon.com/day-after-dawn-LP/dp/B00411ON3E/ref=sr_1_12?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1436933469&sr=1-12&keywords=Albert+Dailey

 

[Gheorghe]

I remember Herman Foster very well, because it was during the mid 80´s that Lou Donaldson toured with him quite often. So it must have been a lifelong friendship, because everybody knows him from Lou ´recordings during the late 50´s early 60´.

Well, I might say he was great with his heavy chords, but he played just one style. But that might have been part of the show I think.

About Albert Dailey, I like his playing , I think he also did a record with Art Blakey in the mid 70´s

[BFrank]

Stanley Cowell.

Still active and his new album "Juneteenth" just got a nice mini-review in the NY Times.

[BillF]

Stanley Cowell.

Still active and his new album "Juneteenth" just got a nice mini-review in the NY Times.

Pleased he's still active. Saw him a looong time ago - with Max Roach in the 60s and Woody Shaw in the 70s.

[Big Beat Steve]

Ronnell Bright.

[Justin V]

Maybe the mods can merge mine thread with the original thread. No need for two threads on the same topic,

 

Another one, is Freddie Redd. He is still playing but not recorded. He should be.

Freddie Redd released an album on Steeplechase this year, which I recommend:

It's available as a download on Amazon, but for some reason Amazon lists the CD release date as October 2nd.  I recently received it from importcds.

[king ubu]

Re: Albert Dailey, one that I like a lot is "Poetry", a duo album with Stan Getz:

(reissued "domestically" as part of that one [?] batch of Elektra albums Blue Note did - a couple of albums by Michel Petrucciani, the Bird in Washington disc ...)

 

And of course the first name to popped up in my head was: Eddie Costa - love his playing, wish there was more of it to be heard ... not sure about "overlooked", guess it all depends on how you define that. What about Herbie Nichols? Joe Albany, Dodo Marmarosa, George Wallington ... and yeah, Al Haig, too! And Carl Perkins!

[Hardbopjazz]

Maybe the mods can merge mine thread with the original thread. No need for two threads on the same topic,

 

Another one, is Freddie Redd. He is still playing but not recorded. He should be.

Freddie Redd released an album on Steeplechase this year, which I recommend:

It's available as a download on Amazon, but for some reason Amazon lists the CD release date as October 2nd.  I recently received it from importcds.

I didn't know this. He is playing tomorrow night at the Jazz Gallery. I hope I can make it to the first set.

[king ubu]

I'll have to look for that Redd, too!

Btw, just got Vol. 2 of the solo seventies Joe Albany that Steeplechase has put out (the first one was released last year, I think, the second not long ago). First was definitely good enough to go for the second, and it seems (from skimming the liners) that this will be it, no third, fourth, fifth, seventh and thirteenth one.

[Larry Kart]

My late friend Bob Wright -- forgotten mostly because there never was much of his work available on record, etc. A CD of his work is planned to emerge sooner rather than later on Delmark. Some years ago, Terry Waldo put out a superb cassette of Wright playing rags and stride piano. If you can find a copy, you will be blessed. Bob also was a uniquely "modern" player, out of Tristano and Bud Powell. Closest resemblance to this side of Wright probably would be the early playing of his high school years friend Denny Zeitlin.

 

Interesting but almost totally forgotten -- Billy Wallace, who appears most notably IIRC on Max Roach's "Jazz in 3/4 Time." Wallace had his own two-handed thing -- not locked hands but parallel lines in bass and treble registers -- and was just darn good in general.

Also, Chris Anderson. Known now, if he is that much at all, as a key early influence on Herbie Hancock, but he was MUCH more than that, a harmonic wizard.

Another Chicago master, Jodie Christian.

[king ubu]

[HutchFan]

Richie Beirach!!! - In my opinion, he's one of the unacknowledged jazz giants of his (or any) generation.

Joanne Brackeen - Another monstrously talented pianist who's under-appreciated, I think.

Ronnie Mathews

Mike Wofford

Joe Bonner

Alan Broadbent

I'd also second the nomination for Stanley Cowell. 

 

Some other pianists who are (perhaps a bit) more well-known but deserve greater accolades. These guys belong in the PANTHEON. Or at least they're in mine! 

Sir Roland Hanna

Martial Solal

Jimmy Rowles

Steve Kuhn

Hampton Hawes

[Larry Kart]

Very much admire Wofford. A heck of a player, and he also makes fine, carefully put together records.

[king ubu]

Richie Beirach!!! - In my opinion, he's one of the unacknowledged jazz giants of his (or any) generation.

Joanne Brackeen - Another monstrously talented pianist who's under-appreciated, I think.

Ronnie Mathews

Mike Wofford

Joe Bonner

Alan Broadbent

I'd also second the nomination for Stanley Cowell. 

 

Some other pianists who are (perhaps a bit) more well-known but deserve greater accolades. These guys belong in the PANTHEON. Or at least they're in mine! 

Sir Roland Hanna

Martial Solal

Jimmy Rowles

Steve Kuhn

Hampton Hawes

Thought of mentioning Ronnie Mathews as well!

Cowell I'd have assumed to be well-known enough, but that may be just me ... as for the pantheon, yep, full agreement there - and one name to add: Don Friedman

[Hardbopjazz]

Maybe the mods can merge mine thread with the original thread. No need for two threads on the same topic,

 

Another one, is Freddie Redd. He is still playing but not recorded. He should be.

Freddie Redd released an album on Steeplechase this year, which I recommend:

It's available as a download on Amazon, but for some reason Amazon lists the CD release date as October 2nd.  I recently received it from importcds.

I will try importcds.

[clifford_thornton]

Picked up Anderson's Jazzland LP on Kart's recommendation a while back - fascinating record.

Second or third the emotions on Valdo Williams (a key influence on Jackie McLean) and of course Freddie Redd. 

François Tusques is another French pianist who's still very much active and doing beautiful work. 

[HutchFan]

Richie Beirach!!! - In my opinion, he's one of the unacknowledged jazz giants of his (or any) generation.

Joanne Brackeen - Another monstrously talented pianist who's under-appreciated, I think.

Ronnie Mathews

Mike Wofford

Joe Bonner

Alan Broadbent

I'd also second the nomination for Stanley Cowell. 

 

Some other pianists who are (perhaps a bit) more well-known but deserve greater accolades. These guys belong in the PANTHEON. Or at least they're in mine! 

Sir Roland Hanna

Martial Solal

Jimmy Rowles

Steve Kuhn

Hampton Hawes

 

Thought of mentioning Ronnie Mathews as well!

Cowell I'd have assumed to be well-known enough, but that may be just me ... as for the pantheon, yep, full agreement there - and one name to add: Don Friedman

king ubu (and others), I only own one Friedman record. I guess I should investigate his music more thoroughly. Which of his recordings are your favorites?