Monthly Mixtapes: “Jazz Pianos”
Something that is probably evident by now from some of my past tapes is that I’m a big fan of piano, especially jazz piano playing. It’s one of my favorite instruments, which I also grew up around, hearing my mother play classical and Scott Joplin rags almost every day as a kid.
I love hearing musicians bang on the piano with emotion too, rather than just play the keys delicately. I was reminded that the piano is a percussion instrument the other day I was sitting in my room for two hours with my little midi keyboard trying to teach myself the chords to “Maiden Voyage,” just kept hitting the keys like a drum. It was great.
Anyway – here’s a couple cuts for folks to warm up to as the weather cools off. There’s only a little solo piano – these are just songs that I feel are “driven” mainly by the piano, even in the case that it’s on an artist’s record who isn’t a pianist, like Yusef Lateef.
Hope everyone enjoys.
— DJ Ian Head
Herbie Hancock
Ahmad Jamal
McCoy Tyner
Ray Bryant
Junior Mance
Monty Alexander
Oscar Peterson
Danny Zeitlin
Yusef Lateef (Barry Harris on piano)