Episode 309: 88 The Giants Of Jazz Piano, Part 1

"An outstanding example of freedom built on form and of the possibilities suggested when romanticism and abstraction find each other". Guess what pianist is being described here? And what do you think that description might actually sound like?

Or how about this one: "tantalizing interruptions of the rhythmic flow in the improvised line and his dissonant leaps twisting the melody into a moonscape of peaks and valleys". To what piano player might that description be refferring?

This is Part 1 of a series of episodes inspired by Robert L. Doerschuk's 2001 book "88 Of the Giants of Jazz Piano". Here I play music by Bud Powell, Barry Harris, Cedar Walton, and Paul Bley. Doerschuk describes some of the recordings of each of these giants---and I get to play them for you. The goal? To help me (and you) get a sense of each pianist's style, and be able to identify each one when you hear them. A rather ambitious goal, I realize.

But even if we don't attain it, for sure you will hear some great music!