Week 26:: Ivory Ploughers

After last week's focus on the Swing Era, which was essentially a focus on Big Bands, I thought we'd go in the opposite direction this time.  Though nothing revolutionary, it occurred to me several weeks back to do a show on the evolution of the Piano Trio, which has become the single most enduring and widespread of all jazz ensembles, and for reasons I'm not qualified to parse, also one of the most flexible.  As Jazz has grown/evolved/differentiated/whatever, virtually everyone, from ragtimers to fusion-heads has found a place for the piano trio (piano, bass, drums) in their repetoire.

It rapidly occured to me just how labor-intensive it would be to first assemble a proper stylistic/chronological catalogue of relevant artists/albums, and further to condense it into 1 hour.

So instead - as always - I took the pass more travelled:  this is a hodge podge in loose chronology of some of the different sounds produced by the piano.  It does not capture the full variety, extremes, or nuances available.  But it should give you some choice morsels to follow as your personal taste dictates.

Audio

Playlist

1. Junior Mance - Letter From Home - 
2. Bill Evans - Swedish Pastry - 
3. McCoy Tyner - T'n'A Blues - Today and Tomorrow
4. Herbie Hancock - United Blues
5. Keith Jarrett - Part VII - The Carnegie Hall Concert
6. Taylor Eigsti - Love for Sale - Lucky to be Me
7. Brad Mehldau - Get Happy - Anything Goes
8. Jean Michel-Pilc - Mr. RG - Live at the Iridium
9. The Bad Plus - And Here We Test Our Powers of Observation - Give
10. Jason Moran - Life Every Voice - Artist in Residence

::WSRP:: By the Piano Player a Drink Because He's Groovin' Me Down.