Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Great Non-Classical Piano Performance Cds or DVDs

Our older son, unlike our younger, seem to gravitate towards lots of improvisation, alternative music etc on the piano. During his practice time, he's likely to spend as much time improvising as he is practicing his classical pieces.

Someone who is quite astute listened to both my sons recently and remarked that the older may do well to explore jazz and such.

Question: I'd like expose him to other forms of piano music besides classical repertoire. Would you recommend some CD or DVDs that you think are truly great albums of piano solo pieces that are not the traditional classical repertoire?

Thanks,
F

Check out Gabriela Montero.

You should buy him some oscar peterson jazz exercise!

I would also recomend listening to Eugen Cicero's Classical in rythm. It's a cd were he an his jazz band improvises on well known classical pieces like The mozart Fantasy in d minor Scarletti so.natas, chopin pices and much more

For more contemporary improvisational music on Piano I would recommend anything by Chick Corea, Cyrus Chestnut is also a new favorite of mine, as far as older jazz masters go I would second Oscar Peterson, as well as Art Tatum I like his "piano Starts here" album it's one of my favorites.

I would recommend 'Winter into Spring' (appropos right now) by George Winston. Good stuff.

Keith Jarret, the Koln Concert... beautiful improvisation.

Oh, and I can't let this thread go by without recommending my favorite contemporary composer for piano: Ludovico Einaudi. Try your son on Divenire, Una Mattina, or the Echoes greatest hits collection.

Jim Brickman's CDs are a possibility also a CD of Scott Joplin's ragtime pieces may work also.

Historically, look at Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, Art Tatum, Thelonius Monk, Dorothy Donegan, Oscar Peterson, and Bobby Enriquez. For living artists, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Cecil Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Benny Green, Hiromi, Dick Hyman, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. There are others, of course, but these folks are worth searching out. Sorry I cannot point you to specific recordings, as I know most of them pretty much entirely from live performances.

Just got back onto this forum for a late 'Thank You' for all the suggestions. Welcome more.

We'll check not some of the recommendations here.

Thanks!
F