100 Best Jazz Piano Standards

Another gem from the creative Beegie Adair and her trio. This time, she is accompanied by Jeff Steinberg and his orchestra. A loving tribute to Tony Bennett and his illustrious career. As usual, Beegie includes one selection on the album where she plays solo piano and she picked 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco'. A beautiful rendition. This is a great album tinged with jazz overtones without losing the melodic memories of Tony's original sound. The orchestra is perfectly balanced and adds just the right touch while still allowing the familiar Beegie Adair Trio sound to shine through. If you are new to Beegie's music, this album will make you a convert to her impeccable sound and those like myself, have added it as another gem to her large catalog of great music.

John Dennis with Charles Mingus & Max Roach - New Piano Expressions (1955) {Debut OJCCD-1843-2 rel 1994}
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© 1955, 1994 Debut Records | OJCCD-1843-2
Jazz / Bop / Jazz Piano Trio

One of the few albums as a leader cut by pianist John Dennis – noteworthy not only for his own great work on the keys, but also for the presence of Charles Mingus and Max Roach in his trio! Their presence is a bit less surprising when you realize that the album was issued on the pair's Debut label, as part of its strong commitment to finding the best young jazz talent of the 50s – but it's still noteworthy nonetheless, as 1955 is a relatively late date for either player to be working as a sideman, especially in a trio record!

Arne Domnerus Group - Jazz At The Pawnshop
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 481 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: LIM # K2HD 028 | Country/Year: US 2008, 1976
Genre: Jazz | Style: Standards

…This album, recorded in 1976, has been regarded as "The Best Jazz Recording of the Century"! Most audiophiles all over the world should have already be in possession of one. Its musical artistry and sonic excellence have few peers. Give yourself a justifiable treat - Get one as quickly as you can! This is the ultimate version of the audiophile favorite. This edition is remastered using the complete original master tapes (for both Disc 1 & 2) in K2HD format. In the past, many versions produced with the copy of the master tape for Disc 2. Now the original master tape of Disc 2 has been re-discovered. It will redefine the pinnacle of audio excellence.

Janice Lakers & Debbie Poryes - The Rainbow Lady (1985) {2016 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
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© 1985, 2016 Limetree / Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6433
Jazz / Cool / Standards / Vocal Jazz / Hip Jazz / Piano Trio

Reissue with the latest remastering and the original cover artwork. Comes with a description written in Japanese. Janice Lakers is a singer we only know from this one album – but she's a hip vocalist with a very compelling style – one that's very much in the best mode of some of the cooler American jazz singers of the late 70s! The song choices are great – some hipper jazz standards – and she's got a way of opening up with the lyrics that's far different than older vocal modes of the 50s – instead nearer to the territory of artists like Janet Lawson or Judy Roberts. Backing is by a hip trio with Debbie Poryes on piano – who really open up with their own sense of presence on the record, too – and titles include "Waltz For Debby", "Like A Lover", "Falling Grace", "Rainbow Lady", "In Your Own Sweet Way", and a nicely grooving take on "Moondance".

Paul Bley - Paul Bley - EmArcy (1954) {2013 Japan Jazz The Best Series 24-bit Remaster UCCU-9739}
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© 1954, 2013 EmArcy / Verve / Universal Japan | UCCU-9739
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

Early early work by Paul Bley – years before he picked up the synthesizer, and years before he became the moody modernist he was in the 70s! The album's a relatively straight batch of tracks, but does have a touch of modernism – an early example of the sharp sounds that Bley would fully forge in alter years. The lineup is nice, too – with either Percy Heath or Peter Ind on bass, both players who clearly feel Bley's intentions – and Al Levitt on drums. Tracks are mostly standards, but they're done by Bley in a way that's fresh and sprightly – and titles include "My Heart", "Topsy", "I Want To Be Happy", "Autumn Breeze", and "My Old Flame".

Horace Parlan has recorded many albums for SteepleChase since moving permanently to Copenhagen in 1973. Parlan tends to sound at his best in a trio where he can draw inspiration from his sidemen, so this often-sparse set of unaccompanied piano solos, despite some good moments, is not his most essential outing. However, Parlan's chordal style is quite distinctive on the five jazz standards (including "Alone Together" and "Lullaby of the Leaves") and his own "Musically Yours," and his fans will be interested in what was his first purely solo date; another record issued later on (The Maestro) also resulted from the same day.