Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Who is your favorite pianist?

Tunerout got me thinking of something that could be an interesting topic for the ABF. Tunerout's pianist inspiration is Frank Cramer. It would be interesting to share who our favorite pianist is. We could get some new leads on some piano inspiration. I would love to play piano like Joe Sample who is a solo performer, pianist for the Crusaders, and backs up many wonderful jazz vocalists. I love the emotion and joy expressed in his playing.

George Winston!! Because he is both a composer and a pianist and creates music of aching beauty. And his playing shows great artistry. And because he is so cool he released an album of solo piano covers of songs by The Doors.

Ludovici Einaudi and David Nevue would also be in my top five.

In no particular order: Lyle Mays, Russell Ferrante, Jonathan Cain, David Lanz, George Winston, Tom Coster....

Evgenia Rubinova

Winston is definitely at the top of my list for releasing the Doors album. How cool is that? I am actually kind of back and forth about liking the Doors, but Winston playing their music is just amazing.... Every time someone new comes over to my house I make them listen to that cd.

My original inspiration, though, is Billy Joel. (I know, it is generic and an uninteresting choice) In my defense you can't just pick someone to inspire you, it just happens.

Also on my list in no particular order: Elton John, Thelonious Monk, Tori Amos, Victor Borge, Beethoven.

Yeah, some odd stuff in that list.

I'm a rock-n-roller so if we said keyboardists, I would say Rick Wakeman.

Pianist would have to be my teacher, she must be just about the best sight reader ever. She never ceases to impress me. Its the most amazing talent I have ever seen.

Classical Pianists: Yundi Li, Valentina Lisitsa, Sviatoslav Richter

Non-classical: Ludovico Einaudi, Yann Tiersen, Michael Nyman.

for current pianists in concert scence, i really like Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Rudu Lupu, who always produce extremely great tone quality when they play.

for pianist who's not in concert scence, my teacher of course!

Ah, yes- you brought one more to mind- Keith Emerson.

Mr. super-hunky

Humm,in classical... probably Van Cliburn but there are others. Lang Lang, Ivo Pogorelic, Gyweneth Chen...

Boy, am I out of touch! I never heard of most of the current generation pianists.

I'm still in the age of: George Shearing, Count Bassie and Ray Charles (for non-classical). Are these men all dead?

For classical: Artur Rubinstein (I know he's dead), Horowitz (also deceased), and Vladimir Ashkenazy (alive and wel, I hope).

And for the "what the heck is that" category: I have to go with the Killer...Jerry Lee Lewis! (I don't know if he's living or dead, and I don't think he knows either.)

Saw him in person once and WOW he can play that piano however destroys it in the process. I guess that's why they call him the Killer.

Art Tatum, even Rachmaninov thought he was phenomenal.

I like the 5 browns. If you haven't heard of them, they are a family of 5 that all play together. They are really good. I also like Lang Lang.


Debussy 20

Monk

Oscar Peterson around 1977. Classically trained and went on to be one of the very few magnificent jazz players.

Alan

Mike White


"White army! oooh...White army!"

Is Mike White one of the White Stripes?

No, ya know?... our Mike White!

come to think of it though?...w_scott can play like Errol Garner easily

So he may yet take over from Mike White

classical = J.S. Bach
modern = Ernesto Cortazar and David Lanz