Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner - Non Classical Who is the best current new age pianist?

There are so many pianists promoting these days, some very successful notable ones, and some very talented lesser knowns that I'm fans of. Everyone has their favorites, but who does everyone vote for as being the best and why?

I would vote for George Winston

Keith Jarrett.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jzqMJWlKMsY

I've been given Keith Jarrett's music before from a friend. People really get addicted to him. And it's hard to top George Winston too.

I don't particularly like the genre name "new age", makes it sound like if you like the music you're a star worshipper or something. That being said, this type of music is by far my favorite. I've never been much into classical although my teacher before too long will have something to say about that. I know that classical is a rite of passage in learning the piano, I've only been playing for 8 months. I have not heard of Keith Jarrett, I will check him out, Winston of course. However my runaway favorite is Danny Wright www.dannywright.com also very good is David Lanz www.davidlanz.com
and Kevin Kern www.kevinkern.com (legally blind)
also Taiwanese pianist Mia Jang released a few CD's a while back, I have one it is excellent (Sweet Dreams) don't know what she's doing now. And of course Jim Brickman but he's so mainstream now and not considered new age. Danny Wright's music is so introspective, thought provoking, positive and beautiful. He plays much on the higher scales, I always am telling my son, "someday you're going to play like Danny". How awesome that would be.

Keith is by far the world's number 1 improvising pianist, and a complete pianist as well. He does it all. Here's Keith on some straight ahead jazz:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HDeJP6DgNbo

The exceptional thing about his playing is that he picked a tune with a chord pattern that has a tendency to lock you into certain circle of fifth melodic configurations and yet he completely avoids cliches and patterns because he is spontaneously creating.

Like Tristano, his lines were not more by product of hand than mind. He has just as much technique as Peterson and Tatum, yet chooses to play flurries of notes only when integrally part of his melodic stretches, not because it's time to revert to pattern 1, pattern 2, pattern 3, etc.

In other words, his playing is free from needless embellishment that most improvising musicians must fill their lines with like using hamburger helper and breadcrumbs to make 1/4 of meat into a 1 pound meatloaf.

This is why his lines are so unique, the product of his mind, not his technical training. Though he's covering a tune in the same style that Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Billy Taylor, Oscar Peterson or any other piano jazz great has covered thousands of times, his playing sounds like none of these artists at any time because he is always playing well within the headroom of his technical capabilities and is completely relaxed translating within the zone of his flow, playing in the moment.

This sets Keith far apart from the majority of improvising pianists and he's the best there is.

99% of what Oscar played, though fantastic in its own right, has its origins in either Art Tatum, practice, or muscle memorization.

Keith is always in the moment, always INSTANTLY composing, and that's true whether he's playin be-bop, one of his classical, orchestral pieces, pipe organ, or new age.

Of interest, he is scatting everything he's playing, and though not a singer, doing so with precise accuracy!! How's that for hearing what you play?

Hi disciple - thanks for this post - some of your posts verge on the metaphysical (not that theres anything wrong with that) but this analysis of KJ has helped me make sense of why I find his playing so interesting.. Ta! :-)

Mark Joggerst, Philip Glass and Michael Nymann are three of mine.

Thanks for the links!

True improvisation involves processes that are equally psychological and musical. To tap the music of YOUR mind, to create something new out of the sum of your experiences, rather than merely replay what youve trained your hands to do, requires introspection of a transcendental level.

Keith is the epitome of this. Watch him as he plays. At times, his lines, directing the feed of what he hears and sings brings him right up out of his seat. There's no stalling, no 'er, 'uhhhh, 'you know what I'm saying', or stammering, or needless embellishments interjected while trying to figure what to play next, there's total communion with the sound he's hearing, then producing that transcends his hands and the instrument.

Keith is the epitome of what I'm referring to when I've said that when you're playing in the moment, in your zone, one gets the feeling that if you were to STOP playing, the music would still continue on its own. In reality, when I stop, the music DOES continue, because it's alive in me and always there. I just translate it at any particular time when I sit at the piano and JOIN the flow so others can hear what I hear.

This is very true of Keith's playing.

By comparison, here's a very good jazz musician, but not a brilliant improvisor. EVERYTHING she plays is repeated over and over, even her bass lines are quite static, and although she's good at what she does, her lines are quite uninspired and the byproduct of standard, watered down Jimmy Smith lines, a few Charlie Parkers, a couple of Joey DeFrancescos, and a few 1950s Coltranes to boot. Everything everybody's heard before. Listen to the difference between this and Keith's All the Things you Are as far as playing in the moment. It's all just potatos with a little meat on the side:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=60ut7yIuCEY

I think this player is the best new age pianist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de9aSShl0CM

That's quite an amalgamation!

25% Oscar
25% Ahmad Jamal/Mal Waldron (12.5% each)
25% Ramsey Lewis
25% Richard Tee

Did you catch that? Where is he in the mix? I don't hear him.

No McCoy? I was waiting for him to throw in some quartal comping and pentatonics. Sensibly, he left McCoy out of the Blues/Gospel-Jazz mix.

I like Ludovico Einaudi - his pieces are soothing and melodic.

I agree with Euan; I have a very soft spot in my heart for Einaudi, and he is my personal favorite composer. I do recognize, though, that his works can be somewhat repetitive and simple. Which is why I like to play them.

I agree that Keith Jarrett has produced some technical masterpieces, and when you take into account that a lot (most? all?) of his work is improvisation, it makes your jaw drop. The Koln Concert is sheer genius, imo.

But my problem with Jarrett is that I like some of his work but find other pieces too frenetic and lacking in melody for my taste. I actually wouldn't call him a new age artist; he's more jazz.

So, if I could only name one individual, George Winston might end up winning my vote as "best new age pianist" in terms of technical skill and compositional ability, not to mention the instrumental role he played in establishing the genre.

I don't know what the term "new age" means, but my favourite not classical pianist is this man :

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HxuiWYPp6bw&feature=related

Ragnhild

William Joseph and Maksim Mrvica. The later would appear much greater without the weird background music. but his new album will be just piano.

Wouldn't Keith Jarrett object to being called a "new age pianist"?
Isn't new age like Yanni?
How can you compare Keith Jarrett to George Winston?

I'm quite sure that Keith Jarrett would rather place his head inside the piano and knock out the prop stick than be labeled a "New Age Pianist."

This is true. His improvs embrace and combine categories. One album can sound almost orcehstral-classical,like Arbour Zena (which I believe is his crowning masterpiece), then the next, more what some might deem New Age, like Koln Concert, then jazz, a trio ("Shades") that sounds like a cross between Weather Report (fusion) and straight ahead bebop, then interject a pipe organ album that sounds like a cross between Bach and William Bolcomb, yet all uniquely his own music. Jarrett's music crosses many lines and it's always inspiredly original.

Sorry folks.

I guess I never heard of Mr. Jarrett.

What a revelation! Man, is he HOT! Where have I been?

Disciple … thank you, thank you, thank you...

Guys, I had to acknowledge this. Personally, I can't stand "New Age"...

Please go back to the topic...

l’s dad

Here is another video from the greatest new age pianist ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i95K987oWeY

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