Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Himself (Riverside, 1957)
“Thelonious Himself” is a solo Jazz piano album by the great and unique genius, Thelonious Monk. The mood of this album is beautiful also mysterious, graceful also funky. The touches are few and polished, it’s his characteristic.
“Round About Midnight”, his own composition, is a very impressive play and minimal, there are repetitions of the theme and phrases. It associates me a scene of “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage” by Haruki Murakami, mysterious Jazz pianist Midorikawa played “Round About Midnight” in a junior high school music room on a mountain. His performance went straight to the heart of the piece and, has the power to physically and viscerally move the listeners. (pp. 63 – 66) I imagine the performance of Midorikawa like this recording.
A unique and highly evaluated solo Jazz piano master-piece.
Lennie Tristano
The New Tristano (Atlantic, 1961)
“Becoming” is a Blues taste improvisation with some technical approaches such as rhythm changes, left-hand pattern changes, and fine and minute right hand plays.
“C Minor Complex” is a high-tempo, Bleus taste improvisation with a left hand walking bass and super skilful right hand improvisations.
“You Don’t Know What Love Is” is a standard Ballad song with a passionate improvisation.
“Deliberation” is a usual Be-Bop improvisational song with a relaxing mood.
“Scenes and Variations” is a passionate improvisational three part suit with complex expansions and piano solos.
“G Minor Complex” is a Blues taste improvisational song with left hand walking bass. Right hand solo is glamorous, sharp and refreshing with his unexhausted ides.
A classical master-piece of solo Jazz piano with a pianist had a great genius of imaginary improvisation. I think Tristano is Charlie Parker of Jazz piano.
Bill Evans
Alone (Verve, 1970)
“Alone” is a solo piano album by Bill Evans, recorded in 1968. This is a usual type solo Jazz piano album adopts seven Jazz standard numbers. Almost songs are mid-tempo Jazz compositions, and Evans’ plays style is modal and elegant, and key touches are many. (So, sometime, I feel bore.) A beautiful, excellent and basic solo piano master-piece.
John Coates Jr.
Alone and Live at the Deer Head (Omnisound, 1977)
“Alone and Live at the Deer Head” is a solo live album by a incomparable and legendary pianist, John Coates Jr. (It’s said that young Keith Jarrett went to his lives frequently.)
“Prologue No. 39” is a Country taste refreshing song associates a summer morning.
“Never Have Known An Esther” is also a Country taste refreshing and not smoky song has a bit of sentimental mood.
“Sketch” is a contemporary and amusing song features a unique theme riff and there are skilful bass patterns and chord play.
“Mixed Feeling”, as the title, this song is a vague improvisational song with complex chord changes and difficult chords. So, listeners can’t grab and explain the substance of this song.
“Homage” is a sentimental mood song features the right hand improvisations like arpeggio.
“Something Kinds Silly” is a Ragtime taste funny song.
“The End of The Beginning” is a melancholic, apathetic also refreshing American Pop taste song.
This music is undoubtedly Jazz but it’s not usual Jazz. The no smoky and Blues taste, it’s very refreshing and bright. Coates’ recordings still sell and can be listened are few. But I can imagine his music in late-60’s and 70’s might be surprisingly new and progressive at that time.
I recommend this album she like George Winston and Pat Metheny.
Herbie Hancock
The Piano (Columbia, 1979)
“The Piano” might be the only solo piano album of Herbie Hancock. It consist of seven tracks. The former three tracks are Jazz standard numbers, later four tracks are Herbie’s original compositions.
“My Funny Valentine” and “On Green Dolphin Street” are played by his bold modal interpretations and skilful technics, and they have his unique mystic and wonderful mood.
“Some Day My Prince Will Come” is also a melancholic but funny interpretation with dynamic rhythem changes and poundings.
“Harvest Time” is a sophisticated bright also melancholic song.
“Sonrisa” is a mystic and passionate Ballad song with a complex improvisation.
“Manhattan Island” is an elegant and melancholic piano improvisational song.
“Blue Otani” is a unique and funky composition, but has a contemporary taste.
A good solo Jazz piano album. You can fully enjoy Hancock’s excellent modal interpretation and mystic play.
Mike Nock
Piano Solos (Timeless, 1980)
A New Age and contemporary tastes piano solo album. There are Fusion, Jazz, Country, Traditional tastes. And the music is similar to George Winston, but this is undoubtedly Jazz has improvisations.
“California Country” is very refreshing and gentle song associates a travel to a harbour town and a cool summer sea breeze.
Keith Jarrett
Paris Concert (ECM, 1988)
“Paris Concert” is the recording of a solo piano performance by Keith Jarrett in Paris, 1988.
“October 17, 1988”, the title is the day of the performance and the recording of this album. This track is over 38 minutes length. In the beginning, to around 6:00, Jarrett plays Bach and his fugue like melodies with Jazz improvisation. From 6:00, the play become left hand chord backing with Classicism melodies associates Beethoven or Brahms. From 11:00, his play gradually become abstract and hard. At around 17:00 the taste changes contemporary and melancholic Ballad. From 20:00, his play become a Traditional and Romantic taste elegy associates Schumann or Chopin, by few touches. From 23:00, the play gradually become hard, abstract and free improvisation by his virtuoso techniques. I felt his passion and anger by this part. Around 29:00, the play become more and more abstract. Jarrett plays very fine, aggressive and wide range arpeggios like a huge cascade. From around 33:00, the mood become refreshing and gentle. He plays fine left hand arpeggios and right hand sophisticated melodies and phrases. In the end the song become slow with a calm also solitary mood by few touches, and closes the performance.
“The Wind” is contemporary also nostalgic New Age taste song.
“Blues”, as the title, is improvisational and abstract Blues improvisation that is played by Jarrett’s ultra imagination and techniques.
You would find Jarrett’s style or this performance is influenced by Jazz, Classical Music, Traditional, Blues and New Age, and his great total musical genius, vast imagination and super virtuoso techniques.
The Melody at Night, With You (ECM, 1999)
“The Melody at Night, With You” is the rare and only standard solo piano album by Keith Jarrett. In 1998, the time Jarrett had been suffered chronique fatigue syndrome (CFS), he recorded this solo piano album his home studio in New Jersey. This album adopts standard numbers including George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Oscar Hammerstein II and so on. There’s a gentle, calm, delicate and sophisticated atmosphere, not eccentric and avant-garde. Also there’s New Age and Country Music mood like George Winston or Ludovico Einaudi.
It’s a very very sweet and precious album.
Dave Brubeck
Just You, Just Me (Telarc, 1994)
“Just You, Just Me” is the first piano solo album by Dave Brubeck since “Plays and Plays and….” had released in 1957. There’s the 37 years gap.
The plays by the East Coast and Cool Jazz are beautiful and sophisticated also stable and standard. A usual good solo piano album. But “Strange Meadowlark”, Brubeck’s composition in his quartet master-piece “Time Out”, is a funny and elegant, very good song.
Hiromi
Place to Be (Telarc Jazz, 2009)
A solo Jazz piano album by the Japanese super strange genius girl released in 2009.
The first track, “BQE” is a high tempo improvisational song. It begins a serious contemporary mood with hyper skilful arpeggio, in some parts the song expands a gentle and nostalgic mood.
“Choux à la Crème” is a Ragtime and Boogie-woogie based funny and funky song by her ultra imaginative and technical play.
“Berne, Baby, Berne!” is a melancholic and aggressive Bohemian taste song features the impressive theme and riffs. Her play is incredibly passionate, complex and super.
“Cape Cod Chips” is a song has a serious Blues taste but funny.
“Island Azores” is an American or Californian taste refreshing and bright song with piano body tappings.
“Viva! Vegas” is an amusing, strange and sunny three part suit. The part three “The Gambler” is a refreshing and aggressive song by Hiromi’s ultra passionate and imaginative play. The song and improvisation expands freely and boundlessly beyond our imaginations.
“Place to Be” IS A lyrical, solitary and tender Jazz Ballad song has the New Age taste.
To listen to this album, you can dive into her passion, miracle piano genius and, imaginative and boundless music. Also I confirm the her talent of composition can write excellent songs in various styles. She must be today’s Thelonious Monk, Lennie Tristano and Keith Jarrett.
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