I love piano players: especially McCoy Tyner; Duke Ellington; Thelonious Monk; Bill Evans;Herbie Hancock; Gene Harris; Keith Jarrett; Chick Corea; Count Basie; Wynton Kelly; Sonny Clark; Horace Silver; Phineas Newborn, Jr.; Hampton Hawes; Bud Powell; Teddy Wilson; Ahmad Jamal; Earl Hines; Randy Weston; Kenny Barron; John Lewis; Hank Jones; Horace Parlan; Red Garland; Jaki Byard; John Hicks; Bill Charlap; Brad Mehldau. Others I appreciate include Errol Garner, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Elmo Hope, Nat Cole and Art Tatum, but they just don't grab my attention immediately and consistently, like the first group does. It's like taste in poetry-some communicate with you and bond with you deeply, with others you admire the craftsmanship but never feel the same level of connectedness.
Favorite album-what a bear-trios, duo or solo- here are just a few: McCoy Tyner: Echoes of a Friend; Thelonious Monk: Monk Alone or Plays Duke Ellington; Duke Ellington: Piano Reflections, Piano In The Foreground or Money Jungle; Bill Evans: The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961; Keith Jarrett: My Foolish Heart; Chick Corea: Crystal Silence; Ahmad Jamal: At The Pershing; Hank Jones: Recital At Maybeck; Count Basie: For The First Time; Bill Charlap:Live At The Village Vanguard. If I get to expand the instrumental lineup then the selection increases exponentially.