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Hi

Inspired by a discussion Nahum, Rogerzell and myself were having in an earlier thread I decided to post a list of my favourite books about (non-classical) Pianists. A few interlopers have crept in as you'll see. So here are a dozen of my favourite books with a brief comment about each.

Dave Brubeck a life in time - Philip Clark
This is a recent biography of Dave Brubeck, which focuses mainly on his music, and is all the better for it.

Pictures of an Exhibitionist Keith Emerson
This entertaining autobiography was published in 2004. As you can imagine some rock star excesses are included, but Emerson was a terrific musician and the chapter on when he played with Oscar Peterson on Peterson's TV show is a highlight.

No Beethoven An autobiography & Chronicle of WEATHER REPORT Peter Erskine
One of the interlopers (he is a drummer) and one of my favourite reads in recent years. Mainly focusing on the Weather Report years, this is full of great musician stories.

Bill Evans How My Heart Sings - Peter Pettinger
I've mentioned this biography before in another thread. A superb biography written by another Pianist. The genius and the tragedy in Bill Evans life is all here.

Bowie's Piano Man The Life of Mike Garson - Clifford Slapper
Garson is a Classical and Jazz virtuoso and prolific composer who is finally getting the recognition he deserves (there has also been a recent documentary about him - "Mike Garson and his 88 Friends"). Sadly because of his long association with David Bowie both the Classical and Jazz worlds have tended to turn their noses up at him (quite wrongly - snobbery lives). A great read, particularly if you are interested in his work with David Bowie.

The Story of Music Howard Goodall
Goodall is a British musician (mainly keyboards) and composer who most famously wrote the TV theme for the Blackadder TV shows. Here he tells the story of the entire history of music in one book. And I do mean virtually the entire history; from 40,000 BC to 2012. Inevitably there are some gaps :-) But it's an informed and interesting read.

Keith Jarrett The Man and his Music - Ian Carr
Published in the early 90s, and I must have read it at least 20 years ago now. Carr was a Jazz musician himself.

All You need is Ears George Martin with Jeremy Hornsby.
Read this a long time ago. Martin of course is most famous as the Beatles Producer, but he was also a Pianist and film score/composer. I met him briefly once. A true English gentleman.

Oscar Peterson The Will to Swing - Gene Lees
A biography of the great Jazz Pianist and well worth reading.

Now a few 'various artists' books:

88 The Giants of Jazz Piano - Robert L Doerschuk
As a good a reference book on Jazz Pianists as you will find. A chapter each on 88 of the best Jazz Pianists in history.

Playing from the Heart, Great Musicians talk about their craft - edited by Robert L Doerscuk
A superb volume of interviews with guitarists, bass players, drummers and keyboard players. The keyboard players are Corea, Emerson, Manzarek, Evans, Wendy Carlos, Eno, Glass, Joel, Tori Amos & Trent Reznor.

Songwriters on Songwriting - Paul Zollo
Okay so these interviews focus on songwriting, but some of the songwriters are keyboard players such as Bruce Hornsby, Randy Newman, Burt Bacharach. A very interesting read.

You'll be pleased to know that's it. I've read many others, some of which I know longer own, and some that weren't that good.

Recommendations from other people would be most welcome.

Cheers

Simon_b , thanks for the list bibliography. I would like to add a poetry book by W.A. Mathieu The Listening Book: Discovering Your Own Music.

Thanks!

Ian Carr also wrote a great biography of Miles Davis.

Carr was a giant in English (and not only) jazz. He was exploring fusion more or less at the same time Miles was.

A good list. I can add one that I liked a lot:

Thelonious Monk: The Life And Times Of An American Original
By Robin D.G. Kelley. Very thoroughly researched and well written.

Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones

Also a big fan of Songwriters on Songwriting and Thelonious Monk: The Life And Times Of An American Original.

Hi

Thanks - I shall certainly investigate the Monk book.

Cheers

Hi Simon b--I own the George Martin book, and will re-read it soon due to quarantine. But I can tell you that the book is a short history of his career, not playing piano. Nor did he consider himself a pianist, really any player (oboe was his main ax).

So not a piano player's book.

Since this has already oozed past books about pop pianists--for you Beatles fans, Mark Lewisohn has written the 1st half of what seems to be the definitive book about the Beatles. It's thick, it's long, it's heavy, and it's detailed beyond any other Beatle book I've seen. Really excellent.

Hi Rogerzell

Thanks, yep I know what's in the book - I've read it :-(

The book is included because he was an important musician. He may not have been a virtuoso Pianist, but he played Piano. My list is not a list of technical books about Piano playing; that's not the point. That's why I included a book by the drummer Peter Erskine.

In fact the George Martin book only covers up to the 1970s as I recall.

I have a Mark Lewisohn book on The Beatles somewhere (a track by track analysis of all their songs), which I certainly would have included had I been able to locate it. His research and writing is superb.

I have nothing against pop pianists, and I have a biography of Elton John (an early hero of mine), which is interesting in places. But you've got to read a lot of tittle tattle in between the interesting parts on music. So it didn't make my list.

Cheers

Simon b--I really truly doubt that anyone will write books solely about the pianism of Elton, or Billy Joel, or any other pop star. Tittle Tattle sells.

Besides, in my humble opinion, the only rock pianist I would read a technical book about would be Johnny Johnson, Chuck berry's pianist (and original leader of the group).

The George Martin book was published in the 70s I believe, so there's that.

Hi Rogerzell

As I implied in my previous reply, my list, and my interest, is not only about an artists ability at the Piano, though if that's covered all the better.

Johnny Johnson was great I agree. But why only him? What about Otis Spann and dozen (or more) other great blues - r&b Pianists.

Off the top my head here's a few that would interest me:
Billy Preston
Bill Payne
Leon Russell
Nicky Hopkins
Roy Bittan
Randy Newman
Carole king

There's dozens more I'm sure.

Happily in the case of Elton John there is a terrific website called Eltonscafe.com that actually analyses his playing style and provides very accurate sheet music examples. Unlike what you get in a typical pop music songbook.

Cheers

Hi Simon b--why only Johnny Johnson and none of the others you list?

for one thing, I specified rock n roll--Otis Spann et al are not rock.

Of the others--if I may be perfectly frank--except for Carole King, and a little Nicky Hopkins, I have no interest at all, partly because I'm 72. I never heard of Bill Payne or Roy Bittan.

To me, they are all mostly bashers tho Preston can play, but his playing does not excite me.

Carole King is kind of my idol, as a songwriter. as a pianist, she's a basher.

Johnson was only heard as a pianist, and had very pithy things to say. And was the best of that 1st wave.

Bill Payne - Little Feat
Roy Bittan - Bruce Springsteen

Both recorded with many other artists as session Pianists.

I would add the late great Richard Tee to my list of 'bashers'.

From what I have read (I admit not a huge amount) Otis Spann and Johnny Johnson had a very similar musical backgrounds.

Cheers

Hi Simon---I don't know re Spann/Johnson backgrounds--I wouldn't doubt it a similarity.

But Johnson played rocknroll with Berry, and Spann played blues with Waters. I love Chuck Berry and rock, am somewhat less fond of blues.

Sorry about the "Bashers" bit, but let me define it--Little Richard was a basher, Johnny Johnson played. Carole King is a basher, Nicky Hopkins played. Elton John is a basher (to my knowledge), Billy Preston plays.

It's basically rhythmic chords vs. Skilled fingerwork--for me anyway.

Paul Mccartney is a basher (a good one) on piano, a player on bass and guitar.

Hi Rogerzell

My understanding is that Johnny Johnson also came from a blues\jazz background (pre Berry), but he then put that stamp on the new thing Chuck Berry was doing. And as you probably know that Otis Spann also played on a few Chuck Berry records.

No I get the basher thing, and largely agree with you. Elton John though great at bashing, also had classical training at the Royal Academy of Music, no less, so certainly could do more than that when he felt like it. Carole King I've heard play some nice stuff, but mainly bashing I agree.

Leon Russell could bash, but was actually blessed with a great gospel technique, and played in a very unique style. He did a lot of session work in the 50s and 60s. Good example of him as a session Pianist "Watching the river flow" Bob Dylan and most famously Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen record. A player in my view.

There's a very interesting hour long documentary \ session of Bill Payne available on Amazon prime. Just him and a drummer. I knew he was good, but not quite how good. He's a player as well.

I've only ever knowingly heard Nicky Hopkins play with the Rolling Stones. He plays nice licks.

Anyway we've gone off post, again!

Cheers

hi Simon b--I think going off post is the PW norm--

I did not know that Spann played with Berry, tho it makes sense. After a certain point, it was Johnson all the way, and it was Johnson on the BIG hits.

re Elton John--I never liked him, and quick look at wikipedia shows that he was a part-time junior (pre-college) student, never a serious candidate for a piano degree, and his bashing reflects that.

Sorry I have nothing "on point" today.

Hi Rogerzell

Looking at the Chuck Berry database
http://www.crlf.de/ChuckBerry/cbdb/musician/141-SPANNOTIS.html
The best known track Otis Spann played on was Sweet Little Rock n Roller.

To win a junior scholarship to study at the Royal Academy (even part-time) was an achievement in itself. I wish I had that sort of talent!
You have to have passed grade 8 for one thing. But since he realised fairly quickly that his ambitions were outside of the classical world (he saw Jerry Lee Lewis I think!) he didn't pursue it that seriously.

But his playing does have that element to it if you care to listen to the right recordings.

Cheers

Hi Simon b--back on point--and surprised I forgot these, because I just read them.

Biography of Oscar Levant, named A Talent for Genius. If you don't know about him, check him out--a fascinating guy, and a whiz pop pianist. Also a very good classical player (lotsa youtube), a famous movie actor (more youtube), and maybe most of all, a sharp wit. He had a tv show in the 50s, and there are clips (with Fred Astaire) on Youtube. He was VERY famous for being Very neurotic live on tv--mostly I think with Jack Paar (youtube).

He also wrote a sort of autobio--Memoirs of an Amnesiac. This one is very scattered.


Autobio of Liberace--he actually wrote it himself. Very chatty. also sad, and at the very end he turns a very poetic phrase.


And of course there are many books about George Gershwin.


There is also (I just found out) an autobio of Peter Duchin, haven't read this. if you don't know, he's what was called a "society" bandleader. His father was a big deal in the 30s/40s. Peter is another whiz. He had an unusual life (beyond being famous).

Thanks Rogerzell

I'd like to read the Liberace one. Oscar Levant sounds interesting as well.
I have one or two books on Gershwin. Neither of which I've read completely, so didn't include them. But a huge admirer of his.

And for some reason that reminds me I have a book by Andre Previn about his time in Hollywood writing film scores and playing Jazz. Can't remember the name of it but is was very enjoyable.

Cheers

Hi again--too much thinking---

Little Richard Bio "The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography". I think I read this

Jerry Lee Lewis Bio: "Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story: His Own Story". I haven't read this, must do soon.

Jelly Roll Morton bio--too many to list,

If you have any interest at all in, and knowledge of, the celebrity life of the 1920s thru the 50s, Oscar Levant sticks out kinda like a sore thumb. He was very famous for doing many things very well, but kinda scorned them all. And he was very smart and witty. One of the weirdest things about him was that, to start his career, he played in dance bands and went clubbing--that was his life at first. But he was so ubiquitous at NYC nightclubs, spouting off witticisms, that all the stars and opinion makers loved him, and got him into movies, (where he acted, wrote scores and songs, and headed various departments, some not about music at all). Then he went onto a very popular radio show called "Information Please" a stump the panelists type show, and that really heightened his profile. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he started concertizing and recording the standard classical repertoire. And, he became a respected composer--studied with Schoenberg (who wrote a concerto for him, which he never played), and was viewed with respect by Aaron Copland. He got tired of all these things eventually, and had some nervous breakdowns. In the early 1950s he got his own tv talk show in LA, which was extremely popular with the night owls, but not with sponsors or producers. Apparently the show was very free-form--sometimes he would take a nap and let his wife take over. His neuroses had free run, and the audience loved it. The Youtube clips with Fred Astaire show Oscar playing pop tunes with elegance and brilliance.

He's worth knowing about.

Levant sounds an amazing man, I'll get to that book at some point.

A loose link; Gershwin asked Schoenberg for composition lessons. Schoenberg declined saying "I would only make you a bad Schoenberg, and you're such a good Gershwin already." They played Tennis together as well apparently.

The Andre Previn book is called "No minor chords" btw.

Cheers