He became immediately recognizable from the unusual shape of his trumpet, with the bell tilted upward at a 45-degree anglethe result of someone accidentally sitting on it in 1953, but to good effect, for when he played it afterward, he discovered that its new shape improved the instrument's sound quality, and he had it incorporated into all his trumpets thereafter. Shorter was one of the most influential jazz people of his time (starting in the 60;s #Bebop . N refers to a ship registered in the United States while the first C stands for a civil aircraft. In the United States, the shows initial run was censored due to content; however, several episodes were also cut due to the show premiering the week before the 9/11 attacks. There are lots of great women jazz pianists but we shouldnt put women on the list merely to be politically correct. Gillespies father was an amateur bandleader who, although dead by the time Gillespie was ten, had given his son some of his earliest grounding in music. While with this band, she studied the composition and style of popular music. And it quickly became quite competitive. Freddie Slack Really?????? After a while, I find Tatums piano runs boring when compared to Monks dissonant notes and spacing. Gillespie's own big band, which performed from 1946 to 1950, was his masterpiece, affording him scope as both soloist and showman. 2 Andrew Hill Even so, Brubeck could still play with imagination and elegance, and often composed music using unusual and asymmetrical time signatures. Everybody goes ape over Art Tatum.. Sheesh!! Dubbed The Marxist Mozart for his espousal of left-wing political causes, Texas-born Theodore Wilson was a virtuosic pianist who gained prominence in the swing era and worked as a sideman with some of the biggest names in jazz, ranging from Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Herbie Hancock Before Bebop, if you wanted to improvise, you could get away with knowing little music theory and largely just feeling your way through the song using your ear to find what sounded good. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Moment's Notice (Remastered 2003/Rudy Van Gelder Edition), Wayne Shorter, Giant Of Jazz Saxophone, Dies At 89, Classic Titles From David Axelrod, Bernard Purdie To Return On Vinyl, Craft Recordings Relaunches Acclaimed Original Jazz Classics Series, Norman Granz: The Man Who Helped Create The Music Biz, Witchcraft: The Come-Hither Songs Of Broadway Royalty Cy Coleman, Nows The Time To Celebrate The Genius Of Charlie Parker, Come As You Are: The Story Behind The Nirvana Song, Glen Campbell, Shaggy, And Lil Wayne: Currently Trending Songs, Weighty In The Eighties: When Prog Rock Went Pop. Hampton Hawes is another deserving pianist who both Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson admired so greatly. 12 Fats Waller Maybe the original list was only 36 men. I shall assume that he did not intentionally want to show off like he did with the piano. I mean, he was definitely one of the greatests of all time. These rankings are absurd. Whereas Keith selected his spots on the basis of crowd size, money, etc., Bill remained an active soldier, about to go on another world tour when his body betrayed him. DUKE JORDAN, AL HAIG, SIR WALTER BISHOP, RED GARLAND, JUST TO NAME A FEW MISSING ARTISTS. Born in New York, he rose to fame in the 20s as an accompanist of blues singers. Diana Krall? While the shows censorship in America made sense as a cautious response to 9/11, the series struggles in Japan were another matter. Yes. It had many of my favorites. His final recording Gene Harris Live at Otter Creek is his best album. Steve Dobrogosz! Oh, I know. Originally from Colorado, Grusin began releasing piano-led albums under his own name in the early 60s, a decade that also saw him break into the world of television music, where he wrote themes for numerous US TV shows. Born Columbus Calvin Pearson in Atlanta, Georgia, Pearsons career took off when he moved to New York City in 1959. MICHAEL KAESHAMMER?!!! I might come up with a different list. Together, their sonic explorations, which developed rapidly during the next three years, would sow the seeds for what became known as bebop. She is a creative heart and soul jazz pianist. From Brooklyn, New York, Kirkland had a fruitful association with the Marsalis brothers, Wynton and Branford, in the 80s and 90s, appearing as a sideman on many of their albums. While Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner certainly deserve to be there, they should not be in front of Bud Powell. McPartland because apart from her undoubted talent she was very gracious when I spoke to her between sets at the Hickory House. NO ALBUM BUT you can get THE CHRIS NOWAK PROJECT on YOUTUBE!!! so cheesy to make a list, moreso when it has to nod to the commercial stars of the recent era. 16 Herbie Hancock 2. No Kenny Barron but you have that crackpot Keith Jarrett on this list? Please, As with all harmonic instruments (and probably even melodic ones) there are so many elements in playing them). Yoko Kanno performed her solo PianoMe concert at Otakon 2013. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He once played a piece for piano, violin and oboe for Milhaud that contained a melody he was ashamed to have written, as 12-point atonal music was in vogue at the time. It seems that they get forgotten as pianists Nice list, but far from perfect! For the record Charles Thompson is the very first person to comment on this list. Miles Davis - trumpet. (And if you think Monk wasnt a great pianist, you dont understand a single thing about his compositions or his playing.). Garners ear for music was legendary. Patrice Rushin? Al Haig was Bud Powells favorite pianist. Burt Bacharach, legendary composer of pop songs, dies at 94 Burt Bacharach was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning Broadway composer for Promises, Promises and a three-time Oscar winner. Another who could really deliver when the atmosphere was just right was Dorothy Donegan. Whats the reason for his omission. Aw, man. Another hallmark of the Texans singular style was his use of two-handed block chords. In addition to Japanese, she speaks a little English and some French, but claims that her English is "poor" and she needs translation help to converse in French. Good list, but please get Bob James the hell off of it and put a great pianist on it. The final C was added, according to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, because it looked cool. If the list would be longer, I definitely would add Jimmy Rowles, Bill Charlap and Georgy Szabados. Nobody had ever played in such a way. If you made this list top 100 there would still be people with their favorites not on it. A longtime cord-cutter and early adopter, he's an expert on streaming services (Hulu with Live TV), devices (Roku, Amazon Fire), and anime. Dressed as the morning milk, plus, like the quilt get with the bloody programme. Presumably, the corgis werent a problem. The late PAT LUDWIG from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. You can always make the case for any of these folks but as time goes on people forget the greats of a somewhat earlier day. From 1937 to 1944, Gillespie performed with prominent swing bands, including those of Benny Carter and Charlie Barnet. All of, s original music was written by Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts, a jazz band formed for the project. With the arrival of Bebop, feeling was not enough you had to know and understand. Hard bop became the most popular form of jazz in the 50s, and among its main practitioners were Miles Davis who, ever the restless soul, quit the cool school soon after it started Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Sony Stitt, John Coltrane, Art Pepper, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Dorham, Sony Stitt, and myriad others. ! The biggest selling Jazz LP in 56 was Andre Previn & Shelly Manns My Fair Lady. Waller was also an organist and composer whose repertoire included the immortal tunes Aint Misbehavin and Honeysuckle Rose.. Earl Hines The top 10 is MINT.JIMMY SMITH is a HUGE oversight, though. Myra Melford is missing, and yes Diana Krall belongs there. You should be ashamed! A sideman for noted saxophonists Lou Donaldson, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean and Harold Land in the 50s, New Yorker Hope (real name St Elmo Sylvester Hope) was a bebop pianist with a bright sound, dynamic touch and, like Thelonious Monk, had a penchant for dissonance. For many, Detroiter Thomas Lee Flanagans name is synonymous with saxophone giant John Coltrane. how can Chick Correa and Kieth Jarrett be ahead of Earl Hines and Horace Silver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa99q-vq4bI&list=OLAK5uy_k7M-0PcT5vtPSusxNDlUYOkkVOJEwZ5vM&index=10, HUNGARIAN GYPSY BLUES!! I am glad that you did NOT include Ramsey Lewis. One of an elite handful of jazz artists to score a big crossover pop hit in the 60s (Take Five), California-born Brubeck, who grew up on a ranch, studied to be a vet but switched to music during college. Sorry Folks. It is very disrespectful of other readers to write without paying attention. 11 Duke Ellington When I create music, I don't consider at all which genre I like best, but what the scene or the anime calls for, like a love [theme] or a mood. He is right up there with Oscar and Art. Eldar Djangirov? Id have moved Dave Brubeck up the list a bit as he was the first Jazz artist to really help Jazz get into the main stream by aggressively touring the college circuit in the 50s and popularizing Jazz with the younger crowds. And the arguing goes on! Traces of its DNA can be found in the music of cutting-edge contemporary jazz artists such as Robert Glasper, Brad Mehldau, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Kamasi Washington. such a list is a nice provocationsimply to recall all who are mentioned justifies the exercise. Magicians of the boogie woogie. In a bid to be heard in a big band ensemble, Hines began articulating melodies with octaves (or what he called trumpet notes), as well as using a tremolo effect (a rapid alternation of two notes). He was the first BeBopper, unquestionably. This list may not reflect recent changes . Any top 50 list will be flawed, but BY FAR the greatest oversight was to not include Hampton Hawes! Missing: Ellis Marsalis, Bill Charlap, Fred Hersch , Diana Krall, Barry Harris. Inspired to take up jazz after hearing Fats Wallers Honeysuckle Rose, Austrian-born Zawinul ventured to the US in 1959, where he immediately made his mark as a pianist and composer in Cannonball Adderleys band. 3 McCoy Tyner It is said that this is where Bebop was born. Since she works in the animation industry, she only receives instructions and storyboards from directors which helps her with composing. In short, I suggest you might devise a poll based on categories such as as harmonic creativity, melodic creativity, originality, interpretation, composition and form building, playing technique, influence on other musicians etc etc. Here it is. Donald Macleod and Geoffrey Smith visit the engine-room of jazz - the rhythm section - and in particular, Bebop's two key drummers, Kenny 'Klook-Mop' Clarke and Max Roach. I agree especially Hines at no. His best-known compositions include "Oop Bob Sh' Bam," "Salt Peanuts" and "A Night in Tunisia. Im astonished, that nobody referred Hampton Hawes. I think its on of the first lists that is pretty good..I play and little piano and guitar and fancy myself as fairly knowledgeable in guitar, bass and drumsMaybe I know just enough to get into troubleno one can ever agree on any listever. Charlie Parker lids blow hot like boiling tea pot Three, two, one, let's jam. Don Shirley? Some other names? When we rock at the club, no blood got spilt 6. Duke Ellington! : I am glad that The Count and the Duke are in the top. Cecil Taylor The main complaints were the shows sexuality and violence. Yoko Kanno was born on March 18, 1963, in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Barbara Carroll? Check out her rendition of Nice Work If You Can Get It, on youtube. According to the music department at the University of Virginia, bebop is performed entirely differently than other jazz sub-genres such as swing. He made his first recording in 1945, but it was in the 50s, after he joined jazz impresario Norman Granzs Verve label and led a piano trio, that he became a household name. Yoko Kanno has become one of Japans foremost composers since she created the eclectic score for the anime series Cowboy Bebop. She returned for (Cowboy Bebop), "Yakusoku wa Iranai" (Escaflowne), "Gravity" (Wolf's Rain), "Inner Universe" (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and Stand Alone Complex O.S.T. How about the five best who are not on the list: Lennie Tristan Awesome list! 6 Red Garland Charlies Reply: AL HAIG!, The very underestimated Dave MacKenna could be mentionned here. I highly doubt it that you are the REAL Diana Krall. Heres the story. His work in the Latin jazz genre includes Manteca, A Night in Tunisiaand Guachi Guaro, among others. Its beyond me!!! Unacceptable. He would go on to become one of the most recognizable faces of jazz music, with his "swollen" cheeks and signature trumpet's bell, as well as one of the most influential figures of jazz and bebop. In preparation for this years Piano Day (29 March), weve expanded and revamped this list, and added some of your suggestions. Andre was a young European hanging around LA at the time. This is a sorry list of the greatest jazz pianist. Working with lyricist Hal David, Bacharach penned a long run of hit songs, many of them for Dionne Warwick. Their last studio outing, was in June 1950. Lamont Jhonson,Rubalcaba,Phineas Newborn Jr.. Great artists- but I miss Erroll Garner !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Though their music infused Waltons own style, he found his own voice on the piano and, after a stint with Kenny Dorham, John Coltrane, and The Jazztet, he joined Art Blakeys Jazz Messengers in 1961, going on to cut nine albums with the group. to see what I mean), the bebop-infused score is performed by a bunch of great jazz musicians, who formed especially to record the soundtrackin 1998, and same again in 2021. Waltons own career as a leader began in 1967 and, in the 70s, he dabbled with jazz-funk and fusion. This was no different in the 1930s and 40s. Hes a classical performer, conductor, and musicologist whose immaculate performances gave Joplins ragtime compositions the respect they deserved. The single most exciting jazz recording EVER is Gene Harris with Roger Kelleway. Another vote for Al Haig. Wonderful list but Phineas Newborn should at least be in the top 20; he isnt on the list at all. He credited much of his style to his love of bebop and to his classical education, especially under the tutelage of Darius Milhaud, the famed composer. How Nat King Cole was left out boggles the mind, he was only crucial in developing the Jazz trio, a format that made Bill Evans and so many others so popular. mal waldron ? After Tatum, Monk, Lyrical Bill, there is a swarm of fine contenders. Go see Hines @ https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=earl+hines+documentary just utterly, utterly WONDERFUL. You missed Dave Zoller. 7 Bud Powell These jam sessions are where Bebop was developed and perfected. But you could hear how great he was on the records he is on. Jazz critic Scott Yanow concedes that the music included is classic, but dismisses the compilation over-all as "so American audiences missed only a few episodes, but Japanese censorship blocked a huge portion of the series. His Commodore recordings are one of the great pinnacles of jazz. Set in 2071, the show is centered on a motley crew of bounty hunters known as "cowboys"Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda). Gillespies solo break on the tune remains one of the most dramatic moments in jazz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAKOt4G7kLg&list=OLAK5uy_k7M-0PcT5vtPSusxNDlUYOkkVOJEwZ5vM&index=3, Another good blues!! Europeans cannot answer that question for us as African Americans.The Spirituality of African American Classical Music was conceived in the womb of social racial and political womb and delivered to the world as an evolving relative entity to the souls of those who respect it enjoy it and dont dare try to define it.Ya dig? You should be familiar with the Spanish language: It is Gonzalo Rubalcaba from Cuba. I do have some issues with some on list but the top 5 ( in a different order ) is very good but is debateable in some people. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Your email address will not be published. Not one of the 36 Best? The classic Bebop line generally follows the following formula: Below is an example of a typical Bebop line. Originally from Quebec, Canada, Peterson was a classically-trained child prodigy who fell under the influence of Art Tatum and Nat King Cole. I might add to that list, Hazel Scott, Horace Tapscott and Bobby Scott (puns? 2) THE WEST WING: The theme song at the END of an episode!! And there are people like von Schlippenbach, Tippett, Mengelberg, Moran, Ivers, Would love to be a loser the way Kenny Kirkland was:). Eddie Costa Extraordinarily versatile, and a composer/arranger as well as a piano player. Gil Evans? How could you possibly leave out HIROMI UEHARA!!!!! Maybe for composing, but not his playing. A critical and commercial smash in both Japanese markets and around the world,Cowboy Bebop is a siren song for anime and adventure lovers of all stripes. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, 'Cowboy Bebop's' Alex Hassell and Elena Satine on Portraying Domestic Abuse. He joined the Frankie Fairfax Orchestra not long after, and then relocated to New York City, where he performed with Teddy Hill and Edgar Hayes in the late 1930s. She has performed with other amazing musicians for years, and I only recently discovered her. All men? How about Monty Alexander, Nina Simone, Dr Billy Taylor, Les McCann, Denny Zeitlin & Organist, Jimmy Smith? What is bebop? DEFINITELY THE BEST PIANIST IN THE WORLD WHO WAS BORN IN THE 21st CENTURY: JOEY ALEXANDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4V_uaxBVOw. My exact thought when reading this naive list. Influenced by Bud Powell and noted for his horn-like right-hand melodies, Clark was a sideman for Dinah Washington, Sonny Rollins, and Charles Mingus, and also enjoyed a fecund five-year spell at Blue Note Records, where he served up nine albums, including the classic hard bop manifesto Cool Struttin. Thanks Herman. Jimmy Deuchar - trumpet. Gillespies own big band, which performed from 1946 to 1950, was his masterpiece, and established himself as both soloist and showman. How about Martial Solal?Do they all have tu\o be American? Being an Old Cool Cat, I think that it is difficult to choose the top 50 let alone 36! Though, compared to many of the best jazz pianists, his influences are wide and varied ranging from pop, rock, folk, and classical music, to bebop, country, and even electronic music he has distilled them all into a unique style which is inspired by the lyricism of Bill Evans and spellbinding virtuosic improvisation of Keith Jarrett. For example, in the first verse of the song, Gillespie sings about the culture of jazz clubs, and infers that where bebop was playing, the (mostly Black) audiences were pushing societal expectations by letting loose, and demonstrating sexual prowess. A Night In Tunisia 3 September, 2000. https://www.npr.org/2000/09/03/1081518/a-night-in-tunisia, Your contribution helps keep jazz strong on air and in the community. Before Andrew Hill?Cecil Taylor no 34?Keith Jarrett no 8?I think both three could be a little bit Higher.And Craig Taborn should be for sure on the list!Because I am not a sexist I can not forget of course one of my favorite Marilyn Crispell! They officially debuted on February 14, 2014 with the mini-album Between Calm and Passion. Here is a sample of the boogie woogie specialist: I miss Victor Feldman mostI understand that maybe he did not have the career he might have, mostly staying in the studios. Willie The Lion Smith is certainly a great oversight. Bill Evans is my number 1. The list should be extended to at least 88 names without ranking them. Notice is starts on an off-beat, a semitone away from a chord tone, the arpeggiates up the chord (Dm7) from the 3rd to the 11th before returning back down via a scale with passing notes. Show the man some love please. 23 George Shearing I cannot believe that everyone is forgetting about one pianist that a lot of people think is just a notch lower than Oscar Peterson: Sadly, Timmons career was cut short, at 38, by his chronic alcoholism. And Bill Charlap, in the top 36. Never! As both a composer and arranger, Morton was a seminal figure in the development of early jazz among his most famous recordings is Black Bottom Stomp and he was also a noted pianist whose propulsive, jaunty style grew out of ragtime and anticipated the stride development. Next Bill would form a jazz trio that revolutionized the piano trio by making each instrumentalist, not merely supportive of the pianist, but a contributor of equal importance. Around 1941, young Gillespie wrote a song that remains among the most popular jazz standards around: A Night in Tunisia. But the big name often overlooked is Sonny Clark unmatched feel. But his playing is mechanical and soulless. This Texas pianists music was largely forgotten until his tune, The Entertainer which was used on the soundtrack to the 1973 blockbuster film The Sting, starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman revived interest in his work. However, it is uncertain if all of her works are to be included in the finished project. He had a tendency to drink to excess, and a formidable knack for getting into trouble. 32 Sonny Clark Enjoy. WK is top ten for me. BTW, no Denny Zeitlin? Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer and Oscar winner who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk on By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Erroll Garner, Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, Fats Waller & Duke Ellington not in the top ten.SCANDALOUS ! Parker and Gillespie recorded together; separately; and with singer Billy Eckstines Orchestra, which helped incubate bebop in the mid-40s. WebA later style, known as hard bop, or funky, evolved from and incorporated elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. Gillespie composed most of the albums recordings, including Serenade to Sweden, Sophisticated Lady and Johnny Come Lately. Hes my idea of a perfect pianist., My top 14 jazz pianists in alphabetical order, based on 60 years of listening: Just as the boundaries of jazz were pushed by the bebop revolution, Gillespies lyrics to the song are equally as provocative. Rather the genius opted to define his own style that fitted his original compositions and his improvisations. A great list, but as many people already said, loads of pretty good pianists are missing! Wow -as a Jazz piano lover I could care less about the order, though it might be nice to see a list of living piano players. During this time, Kannowhose parents had only allowed her to listen to classical musicwas introduced to rhythm by a friend who played drums in a school band. The musicians, collectively known as the Seatbelts, are "incredibly tight, dynamic players who are brilliant at improvising where asked," Pentreath said. Lists are always subjective, I rate McPartland Peterson and Waller very highly. And cant believe you didnt include Ellis Larkins aka Mr. Feather Fingers. No females? Grusin and James (nice people!) Listen to Andres chops and then listen to Hampton Hawes. ", According to Pentreath, "What makes Kanno's Cowboy Bebop soundtrack so iconic is the fact it's unafraid to lean into the very bebop that inspired the series so heavily.