The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time: Ranking, Analysis & Photos (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ranking musicians/artists is wrongheaded but some of these picks are just beyond the pale.He ranks the number 1-4 top jazz pianists of all time as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Bud Powell and Art Tatum.Reasonable picks.So who's number 5?Gotta be along the lines of Chick, Herbie, Keith, McCoy, Cecil, Fatha Hines, Teddy Wilson, Fats, or Jelly Roll, right?Get this- Monty Alexander!and who's number 6?Benny Green!I was in disbelief.As you wade through the rest of the picks you realize that the closer a pianist comes to duplicating Oscar's style the higher he is rated (Gene Harris rates 12 if I recall).Now I have plenty of Monty Alexander and Benny Green recordings and enjoy their playing, but they are hardly the sort of original pianists that would merit their rubbing shoulders with these giants.This book may familarize the jazz piano enthusiast with some players they didn't previously know but a better book in that regard would be Robert Doershuk's "88: The Giants of Jazz Piano."Doerschuk's book features more pianists, is more informative and comes with a CD.I will say that Rizzo's book has some nice photos.

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Handy resource for jazz listeners and hardcore fans.Spanning players from eighty years of history, this bold book steps forward and claims who are the greatest. Compiled from an extensive survey conducted with the best jazz minds in the ed

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Jazz Piano Best of Bk/Cd (Signature Licks) Review

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(More customer reviews)I don't remember exactly what I was thinking when I purchased this book, but it had something to do with learning licks and styles from accomplished jazz musicians. That is to say, I was looking for a shortcut. I'm finding out what I already suspected, however: there are no shortcuts. What this is then is a road map, with signposts giving a clear concise sampling of solos and riffs in differing styles from eleven great jazz pianists. There are some easy runs and some hard runs, and some slow songs and some fast songs, bits of fifteen different songs in all. There's no fingering marked in the text, so having an instructor to point things out will make this book more practical. The book is staple bound so it works well on the music stand. As near as I can tell, this contains only pieces of songs, so the serious musician will definitely have to have a songbook handy (but what jazz pianist doesn't already have The Real Book: Sixth Edition?). The highlight of this book is the CD that comes with it, which contains samples of the songs, usually both with a backing band and without, as well as examples of the solos at a slower pace and at speed. Fast forwarding through them and back to them is a bit of a chore (there are 94 sample tracks), but having that resource is really great, and the book includes markings for where each track is used, making the pair way more useful. There are also brief biographies of each of the musicians covered, which I think is a nice touch. In short, it is hard not to like this book and CD set. It is well thought out, well executed, interesting, and productive. No, it isn't a shortcut and you will still have to practice. (Sorry.) And though it might not fit every pianist's concept of a learning tool, it fits mine to a `T' and I will get a lot of use out of this book for quite some time.

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Learn the piano styles and techniques of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Errol Garner, Nat "King" Cole, Ahmad Jamal, and more with this great book/CD pack. Rizzo teaches the styles using examples from actual songs, 15 in all. Includes: Caravan * Come Rain or Come Shine * How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky) * I'll Remember April * In a Sentimental Mood * It's Only a Paper Moon * No Moon at All * On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) * Satin Doll * Speak Low * St. Louis Blues * Stompin' at the Savoy * Take the "A" Train * There Is No Greater Love * Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away). CD includes demonstrations of each.

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The Harmony of Bill Evans (keyboard instruction) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is unique in a couple of ways.It is a compilation of articles on how Bill Evans used harmony.Obviously, Evans' extensive studies in college and beyond went far beyond what one thin book can cover, but it does what it does efficiently and well.The author is an unabashedly effusive fan of Evans and throws this energy into the work to make it as clear and understandable as possible.

Articles include:
Peri's Scope-Harmonic Analysis (includes Evans' intensive regimen for learning new songs)
Peri's Scope-Thematic Analysis (good discussion of developing a musical theme)
Times Remembered-Harmonic Analysis
Times Remembered-Modal Analysis
Times Remembered-Intervalic Analysis
"Funny Man" and "I Should Care" (lots of practical discussion of reharmonization techniques
I Fall in Love Too Easily (more reharmonization)
Twelve Tone Tune (probably of more academic than practical interest)
How Deep is the Ocean (advanced reharmonization)
B Minor Waltz (more advanced reharmonization)

For instant gratification, the book provides a rigorous method for learning new songs.For reassurance, it reminds the reader of how much Bill Evans worked on songs before they were "battle ready" and how long the author took to work out fingerings to one Evans song (eight months).It is amazing that jazz musicians have any time to perform at all, given all the techniques they have to learn.For future reference, the book constantly trumpets the virtue of Arnold Schoenberg's 1911 Theory of Harmony, the influence of which is pointed out periodically in Evans' work.

The book presents articles in a fairly logical order of increasing difficulty.It is presented in a fashion easily understandable to me, who knows a good deal of theory, but has no degree in music.

The bad news is, this book will not have an instant and noticeable effect on your piano playing.The good news is, this book is by a highly skilled, true blue Evans fan, who provides enough material to keep most musicians of above-average skill very busy for a long time.Plus, with careful reading and intensive practice, the book should eventually move the dedicated Evans fan a few steps closer to understanding how to play a bit more like him.

I may be a little hard giving this bargain of a music book only four stars.Except for the author's "groupie" tone, the lack of instant magic for my piano playing, and lack of chapters on my favorite tunes, this book would rate five stars from me.It definitely gets my recommendation for people seeking what it offers.

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Bill Evans, the pianist, is a towering figure acknowledged by the jazz world, fans, musicians and critics. However Bill Evans, the composer, has yet to take his place alongside the great masters of composition. Therein lies the sole purpose of this book. A compilation of articles - now revised and expanded - that originally appeared in the quarterly newsletter Letter from Evans, this unique folio features extensive analysis of Evans' work. Pieces examined include: B Minor Waltz * Funny Man * How Deep Is the Ocean * I Fall in Love Too Easily * I Should Care * Peri's Scope * Time Remembered * and Twelve Tone Tune.Author Jack Reilly is a pianist, composer and educator in both the jazz and classical genres. He has chaired the Jazz Studies departments of the New England Conservatory of Music, Mannes College of Music, and The New School. He is presently Jazz Piano Professor at Rowan College in New Jersey.

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The Bill Evans Collection (Artist Transcriptions) Review

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(More customer reviews)The transcriptions are great, but only 1 of the 8 is a solo piece.

The cover of the book states "8 Solo Transcriptions". The description on the Hal Leonard website says "eight solo piano transcriptions".However, only 1 is truly a solo piano piece ('On a Clear Day' from the album Alone). The rest are trio pieces.

That said, the transcriptions themselves are EXCELLENT, as is the case for the other Artist Transcription books I've seen.It might be worth purchasing (though at a much lower price) for "On a Clear Day" by itself.Also, if you're not interested in performing solo pieces, the other 7 provide good reference/research material...afterall, it's Bill Evans.

I doubt this is intentional deception, and rather just an oversight; Hal Leoanrd is a well-established publishing company.
However, I was still pretty disappointed, as I imagine others have been as well.

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A great collection of eight solo piano transcriptions from the very influential and sophisticated Bill Evans. Songs include: Autumn Leaves * Goodbye * How Deep Is the Ocean * In a Sentimental Mood * My Foolish Heart * My Romance * On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) * Up with the Lark. Also includes a biography, discography, and the recording date for each solo.

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Teach Yourself Bluegrass Banjo W/cd Review

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(More customer reviews)This tutorial seemed to be written well enough, but as a complete banjo newbie I found it frustrating. It's didn't seem to offer enough variety of learning exercises at each new skill, so that I felt stuck trying to learn the same example over and over. I gave up on this book and bought "A Manual on How to Play the 5-String Bango for the Complete Ignoramus" by Wayne Erbsen (...) and I'm now having a great time learning clawhammer style as well as the slides, etc. that seemed so frustrating in Tony's book. Maybe it's better if you have more banjo experience to start with.

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Teach yourself authentic bluegrass, with clear instructions from a professional. Covers the basics, bowing and left-handed techniques an dsolo backup. A section also includes personal advice on performance. Plus a complete section of the best bluegrass songs and tunes to learn from. B/w photos.

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Bill Evans - Everything Happens to Me: A Musical Biography (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)I also prefer How My Heart Sings over this one -I'm a huge Evans fan and as a jazz musician, I was thrilled about finding a "musical biography". Well, just repeating the same old stories as all the other books on the subject and then throwing in comments about the recordings -some of them suspiciously harsh, even- does not make it any more musical than any other biography. Not only that, but the times he comments on the actual music, he is almost invariably mistaken and wrong; "Freddie Freeloader" in NOT in a minor key and "These Things Called Changes" is based on "What Is This Thing Called Love", not "All The Things You Are" as Shadwick suggests. If he ever really studied the Manne-Hole live recordings instead of undeservedly dismissing them, he would know that Evans was already using the very same changes. As a collector of everything about Mr.Evans, I had to get this but I would not recommend it to anyone. Two stars for the subject alone.

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A Grammy winner and pioneer of multi-track jazz recording, Bill Evans was the pianist on Miles DavisÕ classic Kind of Blue album and a key figure in the development of modern jazz piano. This new Backbeat book details his wide-ranging and absorbing career, from freelance work in the 1950s, through his groundbreaking trios and solo releases, to his relationships with various record labels, to the intense final phase before his death in 1980. Printed on top-quality stock, the book includes fantastic full-page photos throughout, and a special color section.

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Bill Evans - Piano Interpretations: Piano Transcriptions (Artist Transcriptions) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you love Evans and want to play his compositions or compositions incorporating his style, this is an excellent book. While I like to work out my own improvisations, understanding and adopting his chord voicings is always a rewarding experience. This book places the chord symbols above them to create an intriguing learning experience. Studying Evans this way is always inspirational.

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Perhaps the single-most influential pianist in the history of jazz, Bill Evans' compositions are studied by pianists and non-pianists alike. This folio features faithful solo piano transcriptions of his performances of seven tunes: Come Rain or Come Shine * Israel * It Might as Well Be Spring * Make Someone Happy * Nardis * A Sleepin' Bee * With a Song in My Heart. Also includes a biography and a discography.

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Bill Evans - 19 Arrangements for Solo Piano (Piano Solo) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a piano player and serious student of jazz.I played professionally for 11 years on a variety of instruments and I probably own every CD that Bill Evans ever made and many other pianists as well.In addition, I have studied both classic and jazz piano, so I have some real credibility in this space.

I have seen mixed reactions to this book and I believe the critical reviews are because very good pianists want the Evans transcriptions, not Bill Evans as interpreted by someone else.However, I don't believe it was the author's purpose to provide transcriptions, but rather to make the music of Bill Evans accessible to beginning-intermediate pianists.

With respect to the goal above, I think the arranger achieved his goal quite admirably.What this book contains is simplified Bill Evans compositions, but the genius here is that the "essence" of Bill's sound and spirit is still present.In my opinion, this is quite a feat particularly when limited to simple arrangements.

The musical score is easy to read, but there are no fingerings provided.This is not a big deal to me, but it might be someone else.For a better pianist, these are excellent for sight-reading purposes because some of the chord changes may really catch you by surprise.I am addressing this point to the classic painists out there with some interest in jazz.

The chords are written above the music, but I think this is not very useful or accurate.If you stick to what is written on the page, you will often conclude that the chords are misnamed.However, they might be quite close to what is in the actual transcriptions.I don't see this as a big minus because you can reharmonize the pieces and use the chord symbols as an alternate interpretation of the harmony.

If you are a more advanced jazz pianist, I think you will also enjoy this book because it provides some good material for improvisation, using different types of voicing, etc.While the arrangements are simple, they are effective and have musical punch.Sometimes less is more, even in jazz and it wouldn't hurt any pianist to see how simple ideas could be combined to make a sublime sound.

EVERY piece in this book sounds excellent.Unlike many other books of this type, it starts off as quality and sticks to the best pieces, good arrangements, etc.Frankly, I wish this arranger would do more Bill Evans arrangements.I would certainly buy them all!

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This exceptional songbook presents Bill Evans' most beloved melodies and songs arranged by noted jazz pianist/educator Andy LaVerne, himself a student of Evans. Titles include: Bill's Hit Tune * Children's Play Song * For Nenette (in both C and Db) * Laurie * Letter to Evan * One for Helen * Only Child * Orbit * Peace Piece * Show-Type Tune * Time Remembered * Turn Out the Stars * Very Early * Walkin' Up * Waltz for Debby * Your Story * and more. Features a reminiscence by LaVerne, with performance notes on his adaptations.

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