Three Amazing Pianists Talk Music........

A rare conversation with Billy Taylor, George Shearing and Marian McPartland. They discuss composing, the influence of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonoius Monk and Bebop in general, and Sarah Vaughan. Thanks to BillyTaylorJazz.net.......

The Man Who Brought Me Back: Mr. Erroll Garner

I started playing the piano at 7 years old and actually learned to read and play some classical pieces. I left the piano and then came back to it in my teens. My mother had an eclectic taste in music, from opera to jazz and she had an LP by this guy named Erroll Garner: "Concert By The Sea", recorded live in Carmel, California. By this time I was playing by ear and after hearing this album I tried to assimilate each arrangement on this wonderful LP. So he is the MAN who brought me back to my instrument.







This is Earl's best rendition of "Misty", courtesy of You Tube:

~ MY FOOLISH HEART ~

Here's a haunting one by Bill Evans - can't get enough of him. I actually caught him live at the Hollywood Bowl years ago, along with Dave Brubeck and George Shearing on the same bill.

~ The Lady with the Very Special Voice -

I always think of Sarah as having a built-in musical instrument, rather than just a voice. This video says it all, and I wish that it was longer.   You can see lots more on You Tube.......

Hiromi and Chick Corea play "Summertime"

I found this on You Tube and was blown away. It's like hearing one pianist with four arms, amazing technique and lots of soul mixed in. They seem to read each other's thoughts. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MARIAN MCPARTLAND

I've been a fan of Marian McPartland for a number of years. In fact, I learned her arrangement of "Emily" from one of her early lps.
Billy Taylor is in charge of this interview. Enjoy.........

- Bill Evans: The Days of Wine and Roses -

I could listen to Bill Evans all day long. His smooth improvisations, harmonics, and technical excellence really appeal to me. (click on arrow to see the video)

- SATIN DOLL -

"Satin Doll" was written by Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974) for and with pianist William Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn (1915-1967) in 1967; the lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer (1909-1976).

I played it on a M-Audio 88 midied into a Mac running GarageBand. Then I dubbed in the bass track. I'm shooting with an old Panasonic palmcorder that has terrible sound, so I have to sync the sound track from GarageBand into Imovie.

- MISTY -

Erroll Garner was instrumental (no pun intended) in getting me to play the piano. I had piano lessons at an early age, but left music to do art and then came back to it with Erroll in my teens. Like Erroll, I don't read music, and play completely by ear. I saw him perform once at the 'Mogambo' night club on the old Sunset Strip. Here is a video of my version of 'Misty'