Cover from album by Bud Powell.

For other uses, see Jazz piano (disambiguation).

Jazz Piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. The instrument is also a vital tool in the understanding of jazz theory and arranging, because of its combined melodic and harmonic nature. There are as many styles of jazz piano as there are jazz itself, as it has gradually been transformed in the context the changing roles played in the rhythm section in the various styles of jazz. Image File history File links Amazing_Bud_Powell. ... The Amazing Bud Powell - early LP cover Earl Rudolph Bud Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966 in New York City) was one of the most influential pianists in the history of jazz. ... Jazz piano may refer to: Jazz piano, a piano-oriented subgenre of jazz music Piano Jazz, a radio show focused on the aforementioned genre Category: ... Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ...

Historically influential proponents of jazz piano include Jelly Roll Morton, Thomas "Fats" Waller, James P. Johnson, Teddy Wilson, Mary Lou Williams, and Art Tatum. Players following these include Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Wynton Kelly, Thelonius Monk, Horace Silver, and Lennie Tristano. Bill Evans was at the vanguard of a new generation of players emerging in the 1960's which included Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett and John Taylor (jazz). Today, luminaries include Mulgrew Miller, Geoffrey Keezer, Danilo Perez, Brad Mehldau, Esbjorn Svensson, Marc van Roon, Carli Muñoz, Benny Green, Django Bates, Bill Charlap, and Jacky Terrasson. Ferdinand Jelly Roll Morton (October 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941) was an American virtuoso pianist, a bandleader, and a composer who some call the first true composer of Jazz music. ... Fats Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an African-American jazz pianist, organist, composer and comedic entertainer. ... James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 - November 17, 1955) was a pianist and composer. ... Theodore Shaw Teddy Wilson (born November 24, 1912 in Austin, Texas-died July 31, 1986 in New Britain, Connecticut) was a United States jazz pianist. ... Mary Lou Williams (May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. ... Art Tatum, The Great Jazz Pianist. ... The Amazing Bud Powell - early LP cover Earl Rudolph Bud Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966 in New York City) was one of the most influential pianists in the history of jazz. ... Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, O.Ont. ... Cover of Ahmads Blues Ahmad Jamal (born July 2, 1930) is a highly-regarded American Jazz pianist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. His given name was Fritz Jones but upon converting to Islam around 1952 he began using the name Ahmad Jamal. ... William Red Garland (1923–1984) was an American jazz pianist whose complex block-chord style influenced many forthcoming pianists in the jazz idiom. ... Wynton Kelly (1931–1971) was an American jazz pianist, born in Jamaica. ... Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917–February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer known for his unique improvisational style and many contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. ... Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver, born on September 2, 1928 in Norwalk, Connecticut) is a famous jazz pianist and composer born to a Cape Verdean father (of mixed Portuguese-black descent) and a mother of Irish and African descent. ... Leonard Joseph Tristano (1919 - 1978) was a jazz pianist and composer. ... William John Evans, (better known as Bill Evans) (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous jazz pianists of the 20th century; he remains one of the major influences on post-1950s jazz piano. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an Academy Award and multiple Grammy Award winning jazz pianist and composer from Chicago, Illinois, USA. Hancock is one of jazz musics most important and influential pianists and composers. ... Chick Corea on the cover of sheet music book Chick Corea Collection Armando Anthony Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer. ... McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (born December 11, 1938), commonly known as McCoy Tyner, is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet. ... Keith Jarrett, The Köln Concert Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American pianist and composer. ... John Taylor (born 25th September 1942) is a British jazz pianist. ... Mulgrew Miller is a black jazz pianist born in 1955 in Greenwood, Mississippi. ... Danilo Pérez Panamanian pianist and composer Danilo Pérez. ... Brad Mehldau (born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist. ... Marc van Roon // [edit] Biography Jazz pianist Marc van Roon (born in The Hague, The Netherlands 2 November 1967) is an improvising musician who combines music performance with his work as a creative coach for groups in change and learning processes. ... Carlos C. Muñoz , better known as Carli Muñoz (born October 16, 1948), is a self-taught American jazz pianist. ... Benny Green (1927–1998) born in Leeds, Yorkshire in the UK, was a cockney accented British jazz saxophonist, who was most well known by the public for his radio shows and books. ... Django Bates (born October 2, 1960 in Beckenham, Kent, United Kingdom) is a composer, virtuoso multi-instrumentalist and band leader. ... William Morrison Charlap is a jazz pianist born October 15, 1966 in New York City. ... Jacques-Laurent Terrasson(November 27, 1966 in Berlin) is a jazz pianist better known as Jacky Terrasson. ...

Role in ensembles

The role of the piano in the context of ensemble accompaniment has gradually changed from a time-keeping role consisting of repetitive left-hand figures to a more flexible one where the pianist is free to choose to interact with the soloist using both short and sustained chordal and melodic fragments. This form of accompaniment is known as comping Comping (an abbreviation of accompany) is the art of harmonically, rhythmically, and melodically supporting a jazz soloist with improvised chords. ...

How jazz piano is played

The jazz pianist requires a unique set of skills. One must be able to read notes by sight, in a similar fashion to other styles, and must also be able to quickly interpret the content of chord symbols and lead sheets. Often, the pianist is doing this while recalling that information from memory. In an accompaniment setting, the pianist must balance this interpretation with choices appropriate to the musical context of the soloist and other accompanists.

The extended range of the piano as an instrument offers soloists an exhaustive amount of choices. One could use the bass register to play an ostinato pattern, such as those found in boogie-woogie, or a melodic counterline emulating the walking of an upright bass. In a style known as Stride piano the left hand alternates positions rapidly playing notes and chords. This is also done in more syncopated variants. The right hand will often play melodic lines, but might also play harmonic content, chordally or in octaves, sometimes in lockstep with the Left Hand using a technique called "Block Voicing" In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: stubborn, compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase which is repeated over and over again at the same pitch [1]. Both ostinatos and ostinati are accepted English plural forms, albeit by different groups. ... Boogie woogie has two different meanings: a piano based music style, boogie woogie (music) a dance that imitates the rocknroll of the 50s, boogie woogie (dance) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Stride is a type of piano playing, used primarily in jazz. ...

See also

• List of jazz pianists
• Jazz guitar

This is an alphabetical list of Jazz pianists. ... Jazz guitar is the use of guitar in jazz music. ...

Further reading

• The Jazz Piano Book by Mark Levine: A "how to" book on the subject.
• The Left Hand by Ricardo Scivales: A study of the history of the Left Hand in Jazz Piano

The Jazz Piano Book is a tutorial by Mark Levine that aims to summarise the musical theory required by an aspirant Jazz pianist. ... Mark LeVine is a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine. ...

External links

• Piano Jazz - Marian McPartland's program on National Public Radio
• Learn Jazz Piano - Scot Ranney's acclaimed site devoted to the art of jazz piano