Who is the best Piano Player?

So I was watching Elton John the red piano tonight and was simply blown away. I was wondering who in your opinion was the greatest person ever to tickle those ivories? Note there are so many great piano players out there i didn't want to leave one out but i came down to three. Jim Steinman, Sir Elton, and the Killer Jerry Lee Lewis. So are there any others?

Hands down the best.

Elton John is not on the list. He writes some nice catchy songs, many of which I love. But, "best pianist"? Nah. Not even in the ballpark.

Jerry Lee Lewis. George Winston. A whole bunch of others.

His quick-fingered, lithe piano is very promininent in many of his songs!

and I only base this on the fact that for his album of classical piano compositions, he had to hire a piano player for the actual recording. The music he wrote was too difficult for him to play.

Glad to see someone else does.

:D :D

"McCoy Tyner Chops" meaning a level above virtuoso

Coltrane would hurry up and finish so that Tyner can take a solo"
And I love John Coltrane!

Hell, both of them. I can't decide.

Elton's brother.

Horowitz, Tony Banks, Yvgeny Kissin, Virgil Fox, Monk, Dr. Teeth :-), Olivier Messiaen

was strictly an organist. Educated at the Peabody Conservatory, and probably the greatest concert organist of the 20th Century. I was honored to see Dr. Fox perform twice with his monster light show. It was not an experience one would ever forget.

I think they're from the Filmore East (maybe West; but some famous rock club, anyway).

It must have been amazing to be there in person!

Virgil Fox was not only a musician of unimaginable skill and vision, he was also a marvellously entertaining musical educator and a showman of the first rank. Listening to Fox perform Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor is to hear the universe unfold before your ears. To draw an imperfect analogy, he was the Keith Emerson of concert organists.

... it would be really hard to beat Emerson. He can play any style, and play it well.

I don't know if he still plays, I know he had lots of problems with his hands that had to be surgically corrected.

for jazz, Oscar Peterson and Mary Lou Williams
for rock and roll, hmmm, Steve Nieve would be up there

She's a great pianist. I love the opening to "If I Ain't Got You"--just beautiful work on the ivories!

He's a brilliant musician.

:D :D EJ rocks!

...the guy first learned to play from a piano roll that was programmed to play the parts for two pianists. Tatum didn't realize it until after he performed it for someone else and they were astonished.

Others? Bud Powell, Van Cliburn, Keith Jarrett, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Bill Evans, Vladimir Horowitz

I will skip the obvious 'organ' joke however.

There are so many good players out there with so many styles it is hard to say "the best"

And in all seriousness, if you have not heard any non-radio Queen songs, check them out. I like the album "Sheer Heart Attack" a lot, and "News Of The World" has some amazing playing on it too, especially on "My Melancholy Blues" a tongue-in-cheek lounge song that is really well done.

Dr. John is also amazing, and I have to give a thumbs up to Harry Connick Jr. and Monk.

with flair...

Elton has stayed pretty much within the pop boundries....

David Benoit is pretty darn good....

And then there is Dave Brubeck.... Still going strong at 85...

But the people we always seem to forget were those prolific composers from the early part of the last century....

Hoagie Charmichel, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin....

And Marvin Hamlish... And Stephen Sondhiem....

Monk was too restricted to his improvisation style... I doubt if he could play any other way... And that makes him unique, but not great...

He's great on jazz. Gershwin, too, and Irving Berlin....

:D :D

of his songs start to sound the same. Brilliant.

But I affirm your liking of him!

And he certainly is a hell of a good piano player. He's one that I would like to hear try to tackle a serious piano piece, like a Beethoven piano concerto - I don't know if he reads music, but if he can, I really think he should try hitting something in the classical vein once.

"This Night" is a theme on it. Joel started studying classical piano at age 4.

just that if you do, each song sounds different from the rest. I don't know that I have ever heard him play anything classical.

One of the few people who remembers the piano is a percussion instrument. I love it when she straddles the bench and plays two at once.

Khash.

And then there is Ben Folds....

The two of them tour together, sort of like a Gen X version of Billy and Elton hitting the road together....

You're all talking about popular music piano players.

George Gershwin was once described as having "complete mastery of the keyboard," but he probably wasn't the greatest pianist ever either.

I'm not even looking into the classical pianists...there were far too many, and they were all so good!

But please say "greatest ever popular music pianist." Because Elton John isn't even close to the greatest pianist ever!

Anyway, you forgot Jools Holland. :)

See what I mean?? There are two many of 'em. :D :P :D

I brought up Gershwin up thread....

to the great jazz pianists, like Tatum. It is a completely different arena, ballgame, whatever.

I also like Oscar Peterson. I also enjoy the boogie woogie boys, like Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons.

A guy I know, whose father was a jazz pianist in LA, told me that he had grown up listening to piano duels in his living room between Lewis and Tatum.

Elton John cannot play at all! Neither can Billy Joel! They're both derivative, repetitive and tedious. I've been playing for 45 years, and for the last 40 i've been better than those two.

Glenn Gould and Van Cliburn were the best technique players i've ever heard, and among the jazz guys one has to separate technique guys from boundary pushers. In the first category, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, & Herbie Hancock are incredible. In the second category, i'd put Monk, Taylor, Tyner, and Bill Evans.

In rock, i think the best piano player, by a mile, is Joe Jackson.
The Professor

Gotta put him on right now.

Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans are my jazz favorites; Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman for rock.

I think he is better than the band ever got credit for.
here's one of there classic works...
http://www.sauna.org/emote/beep/Golden%20Brown.mp3

At age 14 Booker played most of the piano tracks on Fats Dominos' albums. He is the greatest piano player you will ever hear. He was classically trained so you hear great musical organization in his work, but he also has a boogie woogie feel from the streets of New Orleans that makes you want to shake that thing. Booker simply blows away all the other jazz and boogie woogie players before and after. He died a relative unkown and is still not known by many people, but I guaranty any piano afficianados who listen to him play that they will agree with me.

George Winston, too.

Heck, he only had one hand!

I really like Bill Payne of Little Feat

Glenn Gould, Wanda Landowska and Vladimir Horowitz rule the classical roost for me (of course, they're all daed...)

I've heard recordings of Jelly Roll Morton that were impressive

Duke Ellington and Count Basie played with great style

Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum and Bill Evans are my favorite Jazz Pianists though

I also, particularly this time of year, like Vince Guaraldi

Don't neglect Dave Brubeck

Elton John is indeed good for what he does

Rick Wakeman I prefer to Keith Emerson, neither approach greatness though

Nat King Cole would suprise you with his very good piano playing - his voice was so damn great though, it crowded out his keyboard chops

If anybody posts Billy Joel, I'll slap them :yoiks:

With affectionate honorable mentions to Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Glenn Gould.

Now i am only 39 and the welk show didn't contain my type of music normally
But when they had a pianist.......man They had a pianist male or female some very talented pianist (dare i say rocken) played on that show

on any keyboard.... any day.

...very long way with his piano lessons.

There are so many greats at the piano...Joe Jackson and Steve Naive are two of my favorites.



Tikki