12/01/2010

Below, in no particular order, is a list of my five favourite jazz piano solos. These are tunes that have been guiding me, pro-social firefly style, through the foggy weekday evening which is first draft editing; hopefully they can do something of equivalent value for you. I’ve provided links where links exist and credited both the pianist and the band leader under who’s name the recording was made (a couple of them are written by performers other than the leader… the Lee Morgan track is actually a Wayne Shorter composition for example).

1. Cedar Walton on Joe Henderson’s ‘A Shade Of Jade’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r8L-9ay7uE
2. Harold Mabern on Lee Morgan’s ‘Trapped’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygrWD6TLVEE
3. Herbie Hancock on Bobby Hutcherson’s ‘Aquarian Moon’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKH5aGvoQl8 (this one gets pretty wild!)
4. Cedar Walton on Freddie Hubbard’s ‘Philly Mignon’ – There’s no link available for this one i’m afraid.
5. Thelonious Monk on his own tune ‘Locomotive’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60DoUQ7lF40 (check out all those speed-ups and slow-downs! And yes, they are the correct technical terms for what’s going on here).