AudioCircle

Music and Media => The Jazz Circle => Topic started by: tjhendry on 26 Mar 2018, 05:59 pm

Title: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: tjhendry on 26 Mar 2018, 05:59 pm: Even though I,m about 800 miles south of home it has still been a cold winter....plenty of time to explore the vaults of Amazon Music Unlimited. Definitely not hi-rez, but neither is my "system": iPhone and OontZ speaker! Solo piano, jazz or classical, is a lot less sonically demanding than Sun Ra or Verdi so it has been a frequent choice. Do you have a favorite CD to recommend? Could be as familiar as Jarrett or Hersch, or as obscure as (fill in the blank).
Here are three of my favorites from recent days.

(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177958)

(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177955)

(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177957)
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: Tyson on 26 Mar 2018, 06:11 pm: Cziffra's recording of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies is "holy shit" amazing:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41T029RX3PL.jpg)
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: tjhendry on 26 Mar 2018, 08:12 pm: Thanks for Liszt recommendation. I can stream it from Amazon. Not sure my travel system can make any MP3 sound like “HS” ...maybe tepid doo-doo at best, but I will give ‘‘this and other suggestions a listen. Those that make the cut will find a place in the collection back home.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: GerryD on 26 Mar 2018, 08:35 pm: Brad Mehldau....."Live In Tokyo"

Brad Mehldau....."10 Years Solo Live"
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: srb on 26 Mar 2018, 08:37 pm: Michel Petrucciani: Solo Live (https://www.amazon.com/Solo-Live-Michel-Petrucciani/dp/B01N5M6KY3/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1522096247&sr=1-1-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=michel+petrucciani+solo)

(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177963)

Michel Petrucciani: Piano Solo: The Complete Concert in Germany (https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Solo-Complete-Concert-Germany/dp/B01MU7EXEH/ref=sr_1_2?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1522096247&sr=1-2-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=michel+petrucciani+solo)

(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=177964)
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: hdspeakerman on 26 Mar 2018, 09:00 pm: Try some of George Winston's work. I think you will like it!
:D
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: I.Greyhound Fan on 26 Mar 2018, 10:09 pm: +1 on George Winston- Autumn, December, Forest albums to name a few but give a listen to Fiona Joy Hawkings at https://bluecoastmusic.com/store?f%5B0%5D=search_api_multi_aggregation_1%3AFiona%20Joy

Also, Paul De Benedictits Power of One-
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/pjdb

A few others-

Oscar Peterson
Keith Jarrett
Michelle Glaser
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: richidoo on 27 Mar 2018, 01:02 am: Some jazz and classical solo piano recordings worth checking out:

Art Tatum Solo (7 CDs)
Lara Downes - Exile's Cafe, Goldberg Variations
Seong-Jin Cho - Chopin and Debussy albums
Ingrid Fliter - Chopin
Thelonius Monk - Solo Monk
Leon Fleisher - Two Hands
Alfred Brendel - Beethoven and Schubert Sonatas
Glenn Gould - Bach 2&3 part inventions, well tempered clavier, violin sonatas, 1981 Goldberg Variations, etc.
John Medeski - A Different Time
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: LesterSleepsIn on 27 Mar 2018, 01:21 am: I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the Maybeck Recital Hall series. The Joanne Brackeen and John Hicks (great player!) are among my favorites.

https://www.discogs.com/label/479429-Maybeck-Recital-Hall-Series

Cheers,
Lester
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: FullRangeMan on 27 Mar 2018, 01:41 am: Try:
John Bayless play the Beatles
Emil Gilles: Beethover Sonatas DG

BIS CD-244 recorded in 1984 with Franz Liszt pieces played by Dag Achatz ‎on the very same piano owned by Liszt made to Liszt by Thickering & Sons, unfortunately this company was bought by its competitor Steinway & Sons that closed it.

The sound from this Thickering piano was very impressive and way different from any Steinway, a CD suited to a tube amp.
(https://img.discogs.com/e1bjkp21_taBCl6A2nNCT3A64EU=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-3235495-1430101777-9131.jpeg.jpg)
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: PA on 8 Apr 2018, 10:14 pm: (https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/ZEkAAOSwD5BZbz9I/s-l225.jpg)
Bill Evans; Alone
Get the 2002 remaster as it is far superior in SQ to the earlier versions.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: K.F. on 17 Apr 2018, 07:08 pm: (https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features/c6/64/c6/dj.kcaqbale.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuc3MYjBm2U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuc3MYjBm2U)
this is so far ahead of it's time and still sounds amazing 80 years later.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: Joe Frances on 29 Nov 2018, 06:03 am: Quote from: K.F. on 17 Apr 2018, 07:08 pm
(https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features/c6/64/c6/dj.kcaqbale.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuc3MYjBm2U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuc3MYjBm2U)
this is so far ahead of it's time and still sounds amazing 80 years later.

On vinyl or CD?
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: matevana on 26 Mar 2019, 08:00 pm: Michael Wolff - Swirl

Matthew Shipp - Zero

Two awesome, newly released, solo jazz piano efforts.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: G.Michael on 26 Mar 2019, 11:11 pm: A Mapleshade CD:

(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192554)
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: CSI on 27 Mar 2019, 03:01 am: Bill Evans

Not a lot available solo but pretty much all of it superior to everyone else.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: Urassner on 27 Mar 2019, 03:52 am: One of my absolute favorites: Julio Resende - Amalia Por Julio Resende
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: lokie on 27 Mar 2019, 11:31 am: I'll throw in one of my favorites, Jessica Williams.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192563)
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: dpl43 on 9 Apr 2019, 12:16 am: Check out Mulgrew Miller and Fred Hersch. Both great pianists.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: scottschecter on 9 Apr 2019, 02:15 pm: Try Abdullah Ibrahim - African Piano ECM JAPO 60002.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: jawks on 22 Sep 2019, 12:20 pm: Anything by Dave McKenna!
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: strateahed on 22 Sep 2019, 06:57 pm: A couple of others mentioned Bill Evans. Highly recommend "The Solo Sessions, Vol 1". Beautiful music ... I have it on vinyl. Hard to believe anyone would rate it less than 5 stars.

(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=199015)
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: screener on 22 Sep 2019, 07:00 pm: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tsuyoshi-yamamoto-mn0000843007/discography
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: FullRangeMan on 22 Sep 2019, 07:15 pm: Allow me suggest the refinated minimalist piano solo music from La Monte Young - The Well-Tuned Piano (Full Album, 1987, Microtonal, Minimalism, USA) a 5 CD box set its not to everyone though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfWV4rNB6KE
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: FullRangeMan on 22 Sep 2019, 07:33 pm: Quote from: screener on 22 Sep 2019, 07:00 pm
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tsuyoshi-yamamoto-mn0000843007/discography
I affortubate to own some Yamamoto Trio SACDs as Mysty and Midnight Sugar, great music and sound quality from FIM.

Also recommed the remastered Three Blind Mice mono SACD recorded live at Ginparis, Tokyo in 26June1963 with a set of experiencied local musicians:
Track 1. Hideto Kanai/Kunimitsu Inaba (bass), Masahiko Togashi (drums), Masayuki Takayanagi (guitar)
Track 2. Hideto Kanai (bass), Masahiko Togashi (drums), Masabumi Kikuchi (piano)
Track 3. Kunimitsu Inaba (bass), Hiroshi Yamazaki (drums), Sadanori Nakamure (guitar), Terumasa Hino (trumpet)
Track 4. Hideto Kanai (bass), Masahiko Togashi (drums), Kyohei Uyama (guitar), Yosuke Yamashita (piano)
Three Blind Mice TBM-CD-1809 mono CD, SACD code is MHCP-10023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32ta2hiXPUQ
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: GerryD on 5 Oct 2019, 09:05 pm: "Spectrum", the new Hiromi album is a good listen.
Title: Re: Looking for solo piano recommendations
Post by: S Clark on 5 Oct 2019, 10:26 pm: I have many hundred piano recordings... some great music, some great performances, and a few great sound. Piano is sooo hard to get "right", and even "right" depends on so many factors. What's the setting? Where are you seated? Club? Concert Hall? Or on the stool as you play.... it's all very different. But ONE recording stands out. If you want to know that it sounds like to play a concert grand in a decent size space pick up a copy of David Fung "Evening Conversations" from Yarlung Records. On cd or HD Tracks, it's the most stunningly realistic recording of piano I've ever heard. This recording is what the artist hears.

(https://i1.wp.com/www.yarlungartists.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/David-Fung-Evening-Conversations-294x300.jpg?resize=294%2C300)

Of course, you can get damn near anything by Bill Evans and you'll simply be stunned by what he does.