Jazz piano recommendations?

[Get Karter]

Anyone recommend me some piano led jazz stuff?

Basically want to find some instrumental jazz which is more funky/bluesy than 'modern', (i.e. no crazy time signatures, or key changes every chord!)

Particularly looking for stuff that has a great pianist doing synchopated twiddlings and rich chords, over funky bass and drums, maybe with electric guitar and some brass.

Thanks in anticipation!

[GetCarter]

Hi again 'K'

If you want syncopated twiddling - I HIGHLY recommend either

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Ferrante

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCoy_Tyner

I personally prefer Ferrante.

If you want something more relaxed (no silly time stuff) then

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Sample

Check out mp3s here http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001LBRCWQ/sr=1...

Edited by GetCarter on Sunday 25th October 17:59

[ShadownINja]

Thought you'd know when I spotted this thread. Just googled Russell Ferrante and found this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZUirzdlGMQ (I'm a jazz newbie.)

[GetCarter]

He's such a yank isn't he!

If any of you tune in to that YouTube, don't miss out on the last minute, that's when he does what I love so much. Effortless harmonic movement. I'd LOVE to have a brain that works that fast.

[Get Karter]

Thanks for that guys. Ferrante is exactly the sort of pianist I was looking for, but didn't know where to find..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RGTH9ieQBI&fea...

Fantastic stuff.

I just wish some of the other Yellowjackets stuff had slightly less sax (not a big fan of sax or its electronic substitutes) and was as easy to listen to as this track 'Revelation'.

Off to listen to your other suggestions.

Edited by Get Karter on Sunday 25th October 19:54

[GetCarter]

(same bass as me in that... 'cept of course he's playing the wrong way round)

[navier_stokes]

Some of the older bebop artists (in no particular order):

Thelonious Monk
Bill Evans
Bud Powell
Art Tatum
Barry Harris (seen him live and is quite a character!)
Dave Brubeck
Herbie Hancock

and more recently, but not so funky, but one of the best, Brad Mehldau.

If you want particular recommendations I'd say go for Thelonious Monk; he was arguarbly the greatest bebop pianist. Try:
Straight No Chaser
The Genious of Modern Music Vol. 1

The list is endless, the above are just from the 50's/60's, and there's so many different styles in jazz it's hard to give recommendations until you find someone you like.

Edited to add I'd second McCoy Tyner too, but Russell Ferrante is a bit too much 90's cheese for my liking... sorry

Edited by navier_stokes on Sunday 25th October 20:23

[Get Karter]

Is that 5 or more strings on that bass??

What's the point in the extra string....surely you're stepping on a guitarists toes going that far up the register!?


PS. This is the sort of stuff I'd really like to find a band doing (clip is tuitor on piano with drum machine):-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR8YzpjTcP0

[navier_stokes]

Get Karter said:

Is that 5 or more strings on that bass??

What's the point in the extra string....surely you're stepping on a guitarists toes going that far up the register!?


PS. This is the sort of stuff I'd really like to find a band doing (clip is tuitor on piano with drum machine):-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR8YzpjTcP0

Ha! He stole his intro straight from Herbie Hancock...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-QQVdHRdxA&fea...

If you want a bit more funkier jazz try Grant Green (guitar) with pianists,

eg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwexZIZwgfc?

Piano solo comes in at about 5:30, but an awesome track from start to finish!

Edited by navier_stokes on Sunday 25th October 20:36

[Get Karter]

navier_stokes said:

Get Karter said:

Is that 5 or more strings on that bass??

What's the point in the extra string....surely you're stepping on a guitarists toes going that far up the register!?


PS. This is the sort of stuff I'd really like to find a band doing (clip is tuitor on piano with drum machine):-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR8YzpjTcP0

Ha! He stole his intro straight from Herbie Hancock...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-QQVdHRdxA&fea...

Good spot!
Yes, bassline is exact replica of that one, Chameleon by H. Hancock.
(It could do with a chord change after the first few minutes though!)

So, is there a band that does Herbie Hancock style rhythm section (funk I guess you'd call it) with a jazzy piano lead (I am starting to hate saxophones as every search is resulting in great music ruined by a sax playing over the top of it )

[GetCarter]

Get Karter said:

Is that 5 or more strings on that bass??

It's a 6 string bass... I have one of same make that I often use.

We don't tread on guitarist's ground, we just go lower and higher than 4 string bass players. Doesn't make us any better, just makes us feel a warm glow when we hit those low notes.

Edited by GetCarter on Sunday 25th October 23:13

[ShadownINja]

GetCarter said:

He's such a yank isn't he!

If any of you tune in to that YouTube, don't miss out on the last minute, that's when he does what I love so much. Effortless harmonic movement. I'd LOVE to have a brain that works that fast.

Yeah, I can't do that. Is it just practice?

[GetCarter]

ShadownINja said:

GetCarter said:

He's such a yank isn't he!

If any of you tune in to that YouTube, don't miss out on the last minute, that's when he does what I love so much. Effortless harmonic movement. I'd LOVE to have a brain that works that fast.

Yeah, I can't do that. Is it just practice?

IMHO no

[timbob]

GetCarter said:

ShadownINja said:

GetCarter said:

He's such a yank isn't he!

If any of you tune in to that YouTube, don't miss out on the last minute, that's when he does what I love so much. Effortless harmonic movement. I'd LOVE to have a brain that works that fast.

Yeah, I can't do that. Is it just practice?

IMHO no

Both my old jazz piano tutors at uni (I'm a sax player however) had the same ability...

One guy who taught me was a chap called John Taylor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XFSL44LwA4

If you've got the patience - watch the whole series of videos!

He had the same ability to just pull the harmony around and do incredibly inventive things whilst explaining stuff to us in lectures, almost while not even paying attention to the piano.

There is a level that us mere-mortals can strive to attain, but I think there's a gifted few who put the rest of us to shame, without even trying

Another one to investigate is Keith Jarrett - some of his stuff you will like, some of it you WILL hate (at first!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLCGWh-VZhI

Edited by timbob on Monday 26th October 10:07

[ShadownINja]

GetCarter said:

ShadownINja said:

GetCarter said:

He's such a yank isn't he!

If any of you tune in to that YouTube, don't miss out on the last minute, that's when he does what I love so much. Effortless harmonic movement. I'd LOVE to have a brain that works that fast.

Yeah, I can't do that. Is it just practice?

IMHO no

Damn. So if I had The Gift I'd already be doing it I guess and everyone would be attending my sell-out concerts.

[Funk]

I can REALLY recommend this, it's fantastic:

http://payplay.fm/biffsmith1

Sax-led, but a lovely piano accompaniment.

Edited by Funk on Monday 26th October 18:38

[Shoot Blair]

I like Herbie Hancock, although his straight up jazz is a bit "out there".

When I say "out there", I mean lacks purpose or involvement, unlike Bill Evans. I suggest you get the album called "Portrait in Jazz".

I also hugely rate Monty Alexander. Big fat chords and nice melodic improvisation.

For "st" that you find on the interweb, this guy typifies how to pay nice chords and nice melodies without noodly pretence:-

http://www.youtube.com/user/volvoxburger#p/c/003CC...

Some of his other stuff is pretty good. It is cheese, but as a jazzer, I rate it!

Slightly Joe Sampley.

On the subject of random crap in people's bedrooms, here is one of the best pianists I've heard recently.....go past the clavinet whazzing into the modal piano shredding. That's pretty Herbie Hancock-ish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbyQ-qGEpU0

Very nice bit of improvising when he gets going.

I like Barry Harris as well.

I'd rather have "feel" over academic noodling. Chick Corea is probably the more academic/hifalootin out of the 2 (Herbie Hancock) but Hancock has more feel.

Forgetting your Jools Holland, get listened up on 5 part harmony men, like Bill Evans, Monty Alexander, Barry Harris and get your ear trained to that style. Then into Herbie Hancock for Modal Stuff and then on into McCoy Tyner for piano shredding and more way out chord voicings/note choices.

You want to build your ear up to it, otherwise it won't make sense.

About half my life ago, my piano teacher said, now you have the chords and the basslines, now you can improvise. "You shouldn't be paying anything you can't sing"..... "If you can't sing it, you shouldn't be playing it". The point being that you start off with the simple stuff, leave notes out of chords, substitute chords and try playing something else, make mistakes, gradually you build up to some pretty rad stuff. Once more it makes sense.

Have fun and tell us how you got on

[Get Karter]

Thought I'd bring this thread back to say I have found some excellent stuff in my search.
I'm sure the Jazz (or is this actually funk?) experts will know this lot, but I just found them.

Madeski, Martin and Wood:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNzhPyI0SKc&fea...

[Airbag]

Get Karter said:

Madeski, Martin and Wood:-

Very funky, but still jazz. I like A Go Go, it's a John Scofield album recorded with them backup. Nice grooves, nothing too technical/out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgyHqJ4U1UE

As far as piano goes, shortlist of the top of my head would be--

Bill Evans
Oscar Peterson
Brad Mehldau or a bit less nuts
Keith Jarrett
McCoy Tyner
Herbie Hancock
Cedar Walton
Monk

Try this too... if you want the funk.
Josh Redman with Sam Yahel on keys

ETA: just realized a bunch of those guys don't really fit the criteria you outline, but you should check them out anyways.

Edited by Airbag on Friday 4th December 06:32

Edited by Airbag on Friday 4th December 06:33