Customer Reviews

88: The Giants of Jazz Piano

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A bonus 11-track cd comes with this portrait of eighty-eight pioneers and players of jazz piano, from Jelly Roll Morton to Benny Green. Here are insights on lives, techniques, and changing perspectives on jazz piano styles and artistry, enhanced by the author's personal experience as a jazz pianist and his original interviews with many of the players. Avid fans of the genre will find The Giants Of Jazz Piano positively absorbing.

Raised in a Communist country, listening or playing jazz was forbidden. It was considered decadent. Yet, we craved it. So we would listen on short wave radio and hear with whatever Radio Free Europe or Voice of America would regale us. I tried to copy the great piano players the best I could, but not having the talent to emulate them, I rejoiced at listening to them. So, I have heard the music of Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, George Shearing, Erroll Garner, Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, etc., but until I read this book I never heard of James P. Johnson, Mary Lou Williams, Sir Roland Hanna, Roger Kellaway, or Lennie Tristano. Clearly my loss. Of the 88 masters (one for each of the piano keys) I knew of no more than half, at best. The writing is erudite without being pompous and certainly very informative. Mr. Doerschuk is a pianist himself and it shows, as he gives us the unique insights of someone who is not only a music journalist, but also "tickles the ivories." As a result of reading this book, I have started listening to jazz piano music in both historical and social contexts. I am also learning to associate styles with groups of artists in ways that I could not, before reading this book. I like Mr. Doerschuk's organization and his titles for the various chapters such as "Deep in the Mainstream," "Back to the Fountain," "Improvisation as Revelation," since they provide yet another means for organizing jazz piano in one's mind. One can use this book as a permanent reference or just for the pleasure of reading it. I, for one, don't even bother putting in back on the shelf since it feels at home right in my hands as I am discovering "new" and old masters of jazz piano. This book is timeless, just like the marvelous musicians to whom it clearly pays homage.

With a chapter each and running to 324 pages, this is one of the best books you can buy on Jazz Piano. The author Robert L Doerschuk is a Jazz pianist himself and writes with authority on his subjects.

Starting with Jelly Roll Morton, though stride (James P Johnson, Fats Waller), Mainstream (Errol Garner Oscar Peterson) and finishing with contemporary artists such as Brad Mehldau and Geoff Keezer all the artists are given a fair analysis. All the main players are covered: Tatum, Powell, Monk, Evans, Brubeck, Tristano, Hancock, Tyner, Jarrett etc.

What I like about this book is that its not all praise. Yes he likes these guys as musicians, but its an honest appraisal, so when he listens to a recording and hears flaws we're told.

For example when writing about Monty Alexander:
"then stumbles moments later with an awkard figuration that disrupts the momentum". Now in fairness to Monty Alexander most of this appraisal was as compared to Oscar Peterson at the height of his powers. But at least its honest and not just blind hero worshipping.

If you're buying this book it'll certainly help if you're a musician, but its not essential, and there is plenty of interesting material here for non-musicians as well. Most noteably a CD with 11 tracks including pianists such as Mary Lou Williams, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines and Adam Makowicz.

Robert L. Doerschuk is a musicologist and, according to the dust jacket, a jazz pianist. Most of his chapters on 88 different jazz pianists follow a similar format: an introductory biography followed by critical analysis of some of the pianist's recordings. For the non-professional, the biographies are the most interesting and useful since they contain a lot of background information that, if not essential to appreciating the music, is nonetheless interesting to know.

Insofar as the analysis is concerned, if you don't have an extensive jazz discography, the comments are pretty useless. One good thing, however, is that 18 out of the 88 pianists in the book recorded solo recitals in the Maybeck series. If, like me, you have a lot of those albums, Doerschuk's comments are useful--you can actually listen to the tracks he is analyzing. But for the other 70, you're pretty much out of luck.

Another problem, in my own case, is that I ordered the book from a second-hand dealer and the CD--which was supposed to be included--was missing!

As another reviewer has noted, Doerschuk begins his book with Jelly Roll Morton, born in 1890, and ends with three pianists born in 1970: Eric Reed, Brad Mehldau and Geoff Keezer. And he certainly devotes space to many outstanding musicans--the Bill Evanses and Thelonious Monks and Bud Powells--and devotes ample space to others who are lesser known such as Dick Wellstood or Roger Kellaway--but who have merits of their own.

But the author apparently felt constrained by needlessly limiting the musicians to 88 because, he thought, a piano has 88 keys. But Mr. Doerschuk has apparently never heard of the Imperial Bösendorfer, which has 97 keys! He could have added chapters on nine more pianists and still maintained the structure of his book!

But because of he was constrained to limiting the number of pianists to 88, Doerschuk's book reveals shocking omissions: Where is Horace Tapscott, the influential West Coast pianist, composer, conductor and teacher? Then there's Hampton Hawes, whose autobiography, Raise Up Off Me: A Portrait of Hampton Hawes, is one of the best books about jazz ever written and who should have been included for that book alone irrespective of the plethora of outstanding music Hawes recorded. And what happened to Sonny Clark, one of the most infuential jazz pianists? Or Herbie Nichols--who certainly was the equal of if not superior to his friend Bud Powell in talent and creativity. And Elmo Hope, whose compositions are legendary. And where's Andrew Hill, whose original style is immediately recognizable and whose music has influenced many younger musicians? Not including Andrew Hill in a book about jazz pianists may not be a crime against humanity, but it is a crime against jazz! There are more pianists whose talent should have qualified them for inclusion in any serious study of jazz piano: James Williams, Jessica Williams, Ellis Larkins, John Hicks and Stanley Cowell, to name just a few.

So, despite its numerous omissions, Mr. Doerschuk's book is certainly worth obtaining and using as a reference for anyone who loves jazz piano music. It's about the only work of its kind in print and therefore should be added to the library of any serious jazz-lover.

This book provides a synopsis of the styles and beginnings of 88 famous jazz pianists. Words do not do justice to the wealth of information this book provides in a entertaining manner which is easy to read. The CD which is included is worth the price of the book.

I've been playing the piano for most of my life, though only in the past 3 or 4 years have I really started listening to jazz. This book is a revelation for anybody wanting to get an overview of the great players in jazz history, beyond a just a few paragraphs about when and where they were born, a discography etc.
The author is a jazz pianist himself and understands the genre well. He is insightful, and refreshingly candid about the performances turned in by the artists, and points out their flaws along with their strengths and unique contributions.
For the most part, it made made me appreciate even more all these giant talents that I already held in high regard.

The biographies of the 88 piano players are interesting, but I think they could have been better. They lack an emotional message that I expect from biographies. Instead they have long-winded analysis of certain recordings made by the pianists. Without access to these recordings, I found myself mentally drifting away from what I was reading. For this reason, I stopped reading the book about half the way through. It is a good reference book though. I use it to help me decide which recordings to buy. The choice of songs on the included CD are not so good.

Update 7/28/2011: This book makes its' way off my bookshelf and into my hands more than I expected. It really is interesting especially for a jazz piano player. I've added one more star!