His work with jazz legends Natalie Cole, George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, and Manhattan Transfer is simply breathtaking. ), 3. I am on a mission to provide the most up to date, cutting edge information, interviews, lessons, transcriptions, you name it, all on jazz piano. 2. Our pick of the best new jazz albums reviewed in the May 2020 issue of Jazzwise, featuring Gary Bartz & Maisha, Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, Gilfema, Trilok Gurtu, Jasper Høiby, Tony Kofi, Charles Lloyd, The Necks, Kandace Springs, Gary Bartz (as, ss), Jake Long (d), Shirley Tetteh (g), Al MacSween (ky), Twm Dylan (b), Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (t) and Tim Doyle (perc). It comes loaded with great features including an LCD screen, powerful speakers, USB connection, Yamaha Education Suite, and the Easy Song Arranger, just to mention a few. date not stated, Following her critically acclaimed 2016 debut, Soul Eyes, and 2018’s Karriem Riggins-produced Indigo, the singer that Prince said possesses ‘a voice that could melt snow’ is back with her most straight-ahead release to date. World's best selling jazz program. Find out more by going to www.freejazzlessons.com/improvisation. He also makes good use of a lot of blues-based licks. Rec. Well, David Garfield is definitely another one. Click image to get access now. London, SE24 0PD. The Casio Privia PX160BK 88-Key Digital Piano is another example of why this company is considered to be one of the very best in the business. Rec. In this example, take note of how Jan weaves in passing tones in his comping as well as effective use of embellishments like short melodic ideas and arpeggio-based runs. In fact, it was his work in Return to Forever that made me want to study jazz. Check out this program right here —> Jazz Improvisation Super System. October 2019, Ever since his headline slot at We Out Here Festival last summer, US sax great Gary Bartz had been enjoying some well-deserved attention [see feature on p36]. The A to Z blueprint for jazz improvisation success. It ticks every box; it sounds and feels superb and delivers the perfect blend of modern and vintage features. Why would you want to play like Mr. Ferrante? However, Donald Fagen can surely pull of some serious keyboard chops and jazz licks worthy of emulation. Want to learn thousands of his killer licks? It’s astonishing how he masterfully merges jazz, funk, and soul with a contemporary flavor that suits the millenials. 4. 1. If you want your playing to sound powerful and dominant grab techniques from McCoy’s version of “Passion Dance”. The piano keyboard may consist of 52 white keys and 36 black ones—but when it comes to selecting the best from among the hundreds of incredible jazz piano albums that have been recorded, there’s no black-and-white answer. Steve Nixon is the proud owner of Freejazzlessons.com. David Garfield – Virtuosic Improviser & Sidesman To The Stars, (A comprehensive all-in-one online jazz piano course. Herbie Hancock went from classical to jazz piano. Russell Ferrante’s piano playing penetrates deep with wonderful harmonies and amazing improvised lines. Overall, these techniques can lead to very interesting keyboard solos. Click image to grab today. All of the jazz piano players on the list are monster musicians worth checking out. Many music mavens, jazz fans, or otherwise know of American jazz legends like Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, but a new generation of artists is bringing refreshing new talent to the genre. The piano is perhaps the most versatile music instrument today. This is most useful if you like to learn by reading music. Hear the hot songs of the year and all important new cd releases of 2020 in one place. Finally, as time goes by, the very nature of piano playing changes. 3. He is a world touring jazz and blues keyboard player and educator. Charles Lloyd has been an unacknowledged genius working in plain sight for far too long. Chick Corea is my first jazz piano hero. The best new jazz albums: Editor's Choice, May 2020 Thursday, April 16, 2020 Our pick of the best new jazz albums reviewed in the May 2020 issue of Jazzwise, featuring Gary Bartz & Maisha, Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, Gilfema, Trilok Gurtu, Jasper Høiby, Tony Kofi, Charles Lloyd, The Necks, Kandace Springs Case in point is the hit “That’s Just The Way It Is”. He loves teaching all styles of music especially jazz, blues, rock, classical, and Christian music. We’ve also included both classical and jazz pianists, to give you a better insight into the world of piano playing. Some things to watch out for in George’s solos are effective use of melodic ideas, bluesy licks, and careful use of chromaticism. Listen to how George lays down some soulful funk in this live version of “It’s On”: Last (but certainly not the least) in this list is Horace Silver. Corey Henry is truly a monster player. Berne, not a character given to reckless claims, thinks that The Fantastic Mrs 10, the band’s debut on Switzerland’s Intakt label, is their best release yet – and these sometimes free, sometimes tightly-wrought, and imaginatively diverse tracks are powerful endorsements of that... John Fordham, Lionel Loueke (g), Massimo Biolcati (b) and Ferenc Nemeth (d). Since 2018 Kofi has collaborated with Webb on various incarnations of Adderley’s music which have included narration (Webb has a distinguished lineage in musical theatre) and vocals. His powerful left-hand technique is simply astonishing. 2019, The 21st album from these Australian sidewinders plays out like an epic triptych, each expansive panel showcasing a disparate strategy from their formidable repertoire. Check out his amazing skills below. Casio has always impressed consumers with its clever innovation. $7.99 #20. New York City has always claimed bragging rights as the jazz capitol of the world, but in the past few years, the local scene has surged in a special way. Updated hourly. 0208 677 0012, © MA Music, Leisure & Travel Ltd ) 2020 Among these, the stage pianos are one of the most confused because these are unusual. Rec. (A study of 9 legendary jazz piano players). She studied under another piano legend, Ahmad Jamal, while attending Berklee. Struggling with your improvisation? I thought it would only be right to share some of these songs with you. Chick phrases his solos well. | All rights reserved, The best new jazz albums: Editor's Choice, May 2020, The best new jazz albums: Editor's Choice, April 2020, The best new jazz albums: Editor's Choice, March 2020, The best new jazz albums: Editor's Choice, February 2020, Editor's Choice Albums: December 2019 / January 2020, Jazzwise Editor's Choice Albums: November 2019, Jazzwise Editor's Choice Albums: October 2019. There’s no doubt he is an incredible talent when it comes to fusion playing but early in his career he was playing with more hard bop artist like Cannonball Adderley. For this list, we’ve focused on younger piano players, who are at the top of their game. In this solo, Jacob makes use of smooth keyboard run and some arpeggio patterns just right before he incorporates an improvised motif: Donald Fagen is simply an amazing crossover artist as you will hear from his Steely Dan discography. Audio CD. Check out Steve’s Jazz Improvisation Super System. Please leave your comment below. Another thing to note is how he takes advantage of a consistent E Phrygian vamp to use a variety of matching scales for his solo synth passages. Mark Galang is one of our contributors at FreeJazzLessons.com. Do you think we should add anybody to the list? Discover and listen to new music releases and 2020's best new album releases this week and every week here. Steve is the author of Premium Jazz Elite Membership Herne Hill, Here are some things to pick out from his solos: The use of the classical “theme and variations technique” and bebop-inspired lines. Best Jazz of 2019 Brilliance accommodates any form — and, as these albums show, sometimes lightning lands in a bottle. Nevertheless, we’ve come up with a list of 10 essential jazz piano records. The Jazz piano lessons have been created for intermediate and advanced learners. A British-American solo piano-vocalist with over 20 years' experience, Alexandra plays the Wednesday Happy Hour at DON'T TELL MAMAS PIANO BAR in Manhattan's Theatre District. New Releases Now - Sign up to find top new songs of 2020 and videos from the best new 2020 albums! He was a classical piano prodigy at age 11, became a solid jazz pianist afterwards, and then experimented with all sorts of musical styles. March 15, 2018. Check out Donald’s piano work in “Fire in the Hole” where he pulls of Thelonious-Monk-inspired blues licks that work well in jazz too: Joe Zawinul brought Weather Report to the top of the fusion world with his keyboard mastery. There are a lot of players who don’t know which contemporary jazz piano master to start learning from. Amazon Hot New Releases Our best-selling new and future releases. His innovative playing cuts across styles from bebop and modal jazz with Miles Davis to fusion with the Headhunters. The best keyboard piano for the stage. However, he goes well beyond those boundaries with his contributions for Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Al di Meola, etc. Hear the hot songs of the year and all important new cd releases of 2020 in one place. These 5 simple jazz piano chords will start you down the path of effective jazz playing. November 2, 2018 | by Rebeca Mauleón. About Youtuber Jazz Piano School is dedicated to being the worlds leading resource for jazz piano education. Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara is yet another prodigy on this list: she started learning the classical piano at the age of five, played with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at 14 and with jazz piano legend Chick Corea at 17. 4.6 out of 5 stars 8. New generations of players bring their own sensibility to the tradition. Last month I blogged about my top 10 favorite jazz piano tracks, and this time around I’ll be looking at entire albums.In addition to using the same traditional definition of “piano trio” (e.g. Opener, ‘Bloom’, harkens back to the mutant rock’n’roll curveball locked within 2018’s Body, with Buck cantankerously rattling Marley’s spectral chains as his comrades hop aboard a hurtling Reichian express bound for Düsseldorf. (GoFundMe) 2019, With his Fellow Creatures album in 2016, Danish virtuoso Jasper Høiby (bassist with the thrilling European power trio Phronesis) showed he had a formidable composer’s imagination, restless for wider horizons. 2019, Gurtu is right: God is a drummer, she told me so, and this is a God that celebrates peace, reverence, life, all unrecognising of nation or religion. Every note he plays here is valuable; he is the eternal storyteller whose melodic lines assume a narrative arc whose logic somehow seems analogous to the ages old storyteller’s art... Stuart Nicholson, Chris Abrahams (p, org, ky), Tony Buck (d, perc, g) and Lloyd Swanton (ac b, el b). In this tune, Bruce showcases awesome hand independence and chops. He is also the author of the The Jazz Masters Method DVD. Best of all, we have an inventory of hundreds of thousands of titles, all 100% licensed and professionally arranged. Take a peek inside the latest issue of Songlines magazine. His piano playing is very melodic and crisp with a heavy blues influence. Charles Lloyd (ts, f), Gerald Clayton (p), Julian Lage (g), Reuben Rogers (b), Eric Harland (d) with guests Booker T Jones (org), Don Was (b). Rec. 15 JAZZ PIANO ALBUMS YOU SHOULD HEAR. With 88 keys, the piano is capable of many chords and self-harmonization. St. Judes Church, Lullabies Dave Brubeck. Rec. Wolf Kerschek. Keith Jarrett’s intense study of classical and jazz music make his improvisations and interpretations of existing musical material supremely unique. If you're a student or fan of this music you've got to check out this list of modern players. Are you a blues piano fan? A Quick Look At a Stage Piano. A special talent. Check out his popular Breakthrough Blues Method & Learn Chicago Blues Piano DVD Course. That wraps up our list of 12 modern jazz piano players to study and learn from. He’s one of those rare guys who can play jazz and blues on a virtuosic level and teach it too. Pay attention to how Corey weaves in a variety of chord substitutions over an E pedal tone in Snarky Puppy’s “Lingus”. In this particular example, notice how McCoy Tyner accentuates the feel of the tune with his rhythmically consistent and powerful left-hand comping: I talked about how Chick Corea was my first jazz piano hero. Unno was expected to undergo surgery Friday to repair his damaged shoulder. Click image to access the method. As such a versatile instrument, the piano is an asset in any jazz ensemble. Through the years I have listened to many great songs that have brought me some of my greatest moments of inspiration and happiness. Loueke is simply one of the most sophisticated guitarists of his generation, gracefully moving between the deep grooving of the aptly monikered ‘Happiness’, molten with Biolcati’s superb electric bass figure, to the soul-dark ‘13th Floor to Heaven’, with Biolcati now on double bass and Loueke all complex harmonies and vortexing lines... Andy Robson, Trilok Gurtu (d, perc), Frederik Koster (t), Christophe Schweizer (tb), Sabri Tulug Tirpan (ky), Jonathan Cuniado (b), with Emre Meralli (vn), Kaplana Patowary, Zara (v) and the Junge Norddeutsche Philharmonie cond. Clockwise from left: Guillermo Klein, Joel Ross and Kris Davis. Jazzwise Magazine, He became aware of jazz in high school there, at the New World School of … The Yamaha DGX660 is one of the best Yamaha digital pianos that will take your music production to a whole new level, while maintaining the feel of a traditional piano. Three is the trio’s first album in a dozen years but there’s a nary a sense of a comeback here. Discover and listen to new music releases and 2020's best new album releases this week and every week here. The remainder of the album is more sedate... Spencer Grady, Kandace Springs (v, p), Steve Cardenas (g), Scott Colley (b), Clarence Penn (d). acoustic piano, acoustic bass, drums), I’ll define “album” as something conceived and put together for release as a unified piece of work. Listen to Joe weaving awesome improvised lines over the Weather Report classic “Birdland”: Bruce Hornsby can masterfully execute jazz, rock, and pop sensibilities on top 40 songs. And when a piano trio is performing at its best—as is the case on the 10 recordings listed below—nothing is better. In the video below, you will see why Corey Henry is one of the best jazz piano players: George Duke is one of the most versatile jazz piano players I’ve ever seen and heard. If you search for lists of the best jazz piano players, you’ll almost always find Herbie Hancock. Check out some of his amazing chops in this awesome live version of “Barbara”: Many modern jazz pianists are heavily influenced by Horace Silver’s playing and compositions as well. 8. Ever since his remarkable series of albums on the ECM label that began with Fish Out Of Water in 1990, the creativity and invention of his playing seems to have increased in direct proportion with each year passing year, so that with 8, his 80th birthday concert at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on March 15, 2018, he has produced one of the most satisfying albums of his career. I heard him first via his top-40 hit “Sweet Baby” but then later discovered he played with Frank Zappa and Art Blakey. Top 29 Best Solo Piano / New Age Songs of All Time. We update our list of new jazz piano sheet music every week, giving you an enjoyable and simple way to discover new music or locate old favorites. You can see and hear how it all pans out in his work with Snarky Puppy and his other projects. This live version of “China Doll” demonstrates the use of consistent rhythm with left-hand ostinatos while playing improvised melodies and right-hand comping: Ever since I heard McCoy Tyner play, I said to myself that I want to be able to play like that. The magic of effective jazz piano is playing stuff that sounds great. The definitive list of 13 of the best modern jazz piano players. He is certainly influenced by jazz piano legends and even works with legendary jazz musicians such as George Benson. There’s more to Bruce than just being the way it is, so check out this solo piano version of “China Doll”. You want your digital piano to sound and feel as close as possible to a traditional acoustic piano and this digital piano won't let you … Thus ‘Obrigado’ summons the spirit of Joe Zawinul, notably in his Syndicate era, with a riotous groove interpolated by konnakol rhythms and spikes of strings... Andy Robson, Jasper Høiby (b, elec), Josh Arcoleo (ts) and Marc Michel (d). (A comprehensive all-in-one online jazz piano course.). Did you enjoy this list of modern jazz pianists? May 2019, For a band that features a good deal of New York composer/saxophonist Tim Berne’s signature methods – knotty, muscular horn and guitar polyphonies bumping off hard-accented staccato rhythms, spacey improv meditations, changing duo dialogues within the ensemble – Snakeoil’s five recordings over their eight-year life all sound absorbingly different. Jazz piano players always ask, “What are the best ways I can improve my jazz piano improvisation skills?”. However, this is a straight-ahead instrumental take on Adderley, live and dangerous, focusing on Cannonball’s late 50s material when he was close with Miles and Coltrane but also starting out afresh with brother Nat... Andy Robson. Are you a blues piano fan? Jan Hammer’s claim to fame is the music he wrote for the ‘80s TV series “Miami Vice”. As a bandleader, Bobo is best known for blending Latin rhythms with soul and pop music, being one of the early innovators of boogaloo, soul-jazz and brown-eyed soul. With Planet B, Høiby begins a sequence of four albums set to occupy him for the next five years, devoted to big themes bearing on humanity’s prospects on the planet. So, there you go. His 1975 album, The K ö ln Concert, with worldwide sales of over 3.5 million copies, is the best-selling solo album in jazz history, as well as the best-selling piano album of all time. New Releases Now - Sign up to find top new songs of 2020 and videos from the best new 2020 albums! In this classic three-piece format, there’s both no place to hide and no limit on the imagination. Check out how he harmonizes melodic ideas and incorporates his trademark tremolos in this live version of “Actual Proof”: Multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier may be the youngest on this list, but he’s no rookie. Over the years they’ve toured together in different formats, so the easeful intimacy of their interaction remains as supple and subtle as ever. Steely Dan’s more widely known for clever songwriting and top-notch production. Herein lies 8 quintessential jazz piano albums by artists ranging from Jelly Roll to Duke, from Count Basie to Monk. It is also one of the most daunting instruments to learn for many people, especially those new to music concepts like scales, keys, chords and so forth. Mark Allen Group Straight ahead, fusion, funk, rock guys, and more. Rec. Check out Steve’s. (A part of the Herbie Hancock, 1964 (Photo by Francis Wolff) In keeping with our theme of quintessential jazz albums, we present this sampling of some of the music’s iconic piano masters in an array of formats - from solo piano to intimate duos, trios and larger ensembles. The concept for the album, which sees Springs reunite with Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein, is simplicity itself and all the stronger for it; namely a tribute to the female vocalists who have had a particularly significant impact on Springs, including key touchstones such as Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, Sade and Nina Simone... Peter Quinn. Have fun practicing and we look forward to sharing more with you soon. Rollins In Holland: The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings [2 CD] Sonny Rollins ... Best Of Beegie Adair: Jazz Piano Christmas Performances Beegie Adair. With God Is A Drummer, Gurtu has drawn together his 50 years in recording to pay homage to the those he holds dear. New Releases in Jazz #1. 30 November, 1 December 2019, The transmigration of souls is a curious concept, but the soul of Cannonball Adderley must surely have alighted, Bird-like, within that of Tony Kofi. Don’t worry, here is a list of some of the finest to get you started right away. Struggling with your improvisation? Inside this awesome course you will discover: All of the licks and improv techniques in this course have been transcribed to sheet music. In Mexico he started piano lessons, and in Miami his parents bought a piano. It can accompany different types of music including classics, blues, jazz, reggae, and even rock. Rec. He usually presents short improvised motifs coupled with chord-based patterns before completely shredding across. Start your journey and discover the very best music from around the world. Electronics sometimes unleashes stirring harmonies that make this trio – Høiby on double bass and effects, the increasingly excellent Josh Arcoleo on tenor, and France’s Marc Michel on drums – recall a big declamatory ensemble like Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra... John Fordham, Tony Kofi (as), Andy Davies (t), Alex Webb (p), Andy Cleyndert (b) and Alfonso Vitale (d). It’s interesting because many people consider Joe in the school of “fusion jazz pianists”. One standout technique that Horace uses in his solos are fast, repeated single notes along arpeggio-based patterns, effectively simulating a guitar or mandolin.