88: The Giants of Jazz Piano

by Robert L. Doerschuk, Keith Jarrett (Foreword)

(Book). This handsome, insightful hardcover volume delves deep into the music of 88 visionaries who have made an indelible mark on the world of jazz through their mastery of the piano's 88 keys. This engaging collection describes the intriguing personality and performance characteristics of each pianist. Seven major figures are covered in Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Keith Jarrett and Cecil Taylor. Other featured artists James P. Johnson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Nat "King" Cole, Oscar Peterson, Les McCann, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, Billy Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea and 70 others, in styles ranging from stride to swing, bebop to post-bop, funk to avant garde, and more. Includes 100 photos, and a foreword by Keith Jarrett. "Like great solos, these essays have grace, wit, and a sense of personal involvement ... Immensely valuable stuff!" Dick Hyman

Genres: Music, Biography

344 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2001

Reviews

[JDK1962 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad set of brief bios, but perhaps a bit too much personal opinion. And while I understand why he wanted 88 pianists (to support the title), some of his choices (and exclusions) were puzzling. For example, while he compares some pianists sounding like Vince Guaraldi, he doesn't include Guaraldi among the 88, when he's obviously more influential than several of those that were included. I mean, like it or not, a common first exposure many had to jazz piano was Vince Guaraldi's scoring of the various Peanuts specials.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jazz fans will enjoy much of this survey of jazz pianists past and present but much of it will go over the heads of anyone who is not a musician, doesn’t read music and doesn’t play the piano.

[Randall Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many names missing from this book that keep me from rating this book higher. Where is: Dave Grusin, Joe Sample, Lyle Mays, Diana Krall, George Duke, Art Lande, Rainer Bruninghaus, Don Friedman, Stanley Cowell, Bobo Stenson, Marcin Wasilewski, Tord Gustavsen, Clifford Carter, or Jim Beard? Anyway, aside from those omissions, Robert does a good job with his musical bio of 88 other well-known jazz pianists and three bios stood out. My personal hero, Paul Bley’s bio stands out because in it Keith Jarrett said Paul showed him how silence could be as important as the notes themselves. In the Bill Evans bio, we learn he spent countless hours playing actual orchestral scores on the piano, spending up to 8 hours a day with written music. He told a French magazine that he stole ideas and concepts from many of the different other pianists. The Jarrett bio, had two instructional bits. The first is that before you go out on stage to begin free improvisation, be in “a state where there is nothing to lose and nothing to gain. No ideas to purge. Because the piano sound itself is instructive.” The second instructional bit was to play so they think you are going to go this way but you go that way which that makes the audience members more alert… A good book.

[Mega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read! Essays of the jazz greats! From Jelly Roll to Rubalcaba with stops along the way to visit Mary Lou Williams, Horace, Herbie, Cecil and Mulgrew. There's an entire chapter titled "Everybody Loves Bill Evans." Oh yeah!