"The Greatest Jazz Piano Albums of All Time" & My Favorites

[gmonahan]

Oh my, so many.  The Evans/Lafaro trio things first, always. And Tatum, yes, but I go to the 20th century live things before the others. I have a particular weakness for Pete Johnson's boogie woogie recordings (especially "Dive Bomber"), and I go back to the first Basie/Peterson collaboration ("Satch and Josh") fairly often. I could listen to Bud Powell's Blue Notes forever. And few people can beat Kenny Barron. But I'm leaving out a zillion great piano players/performances I adore.

 

[Peter Friedman]

There are those who don't like LISTS. I am among those who do like lists. It gives me insight into the taste and opinions of others. Also as has has been stated, it may suggest some items that I have missed or overlooked.

Hutch is a prime list maker as I have followed his previous lists of jazz favorites from specific decades. I very much enjoyed seeing his selections.

It will take a bit of time to put it together, but I will post a list of some of my favorite piano trio recordings.

[Peter Friedman]

On 11/20/2025 at 10:16 AM, HutchFan said:

Yesterday, the pianist Ethan Iverson shared his list of "The Greatest Jazz Piano Albums of All Time" in a Substack post. 

I know many of you turn up your noses at these sorts of listicles.  But I enjoy them -- if only as a means of discovering new avenues to explore.  Plus, it's always fun to hear what & who resonates (and what & who doesn't) with working musicians whom we admire.

********************

As a sort of riff on Iverson's riff, I assembled a list of jazz piano recordings that are most important to me.  I'd be hesitant to call these the "greatest" jazz piano albums; I'm much more comfortable using a word like favorites.  By acknowledging the subjectivity of the enterprise, I feel like I have more "wiggle room" to make it personal.   

Anyhow.  Here's my list:

Geri Allen - In the Year of the Dragon (JMT/Winter & Winter)
Kenny Barron - New York Attitude (Uptown)
Richie Beirach - Elm (ECM)
Joe Bonner - The Lifesaver (Muse)
Joanne Brackeen - Keyed In (Tappan Zee/Columbia)
Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim - Ode to Duke Ellington (Philips JP/West Wind/Inner City)
Dave Brubeck - Jazz Goes to College (Columbia/Sony)
Ray Bryant - Here's Ray Bryant (Pablo)
Jaki Byard - Solo/Strings (Prestige)
George Cables - Why Not (Whynot/Trio/Candid)
John Coates, Jr. - In the Open Space (Omnisound)
Chick Corea - Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (Solid State/Blue Note)
Stanley Cowell - We Three (DIW)
Anthony Davis [with James Newton] - Hidden Voices (India Navigation)
Kenny Drew - Kenny Drew Trio (Riverside)
Duke Ellington - Piano in the Foreground (Columbia/Sony)
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby (Riverside)
Orrin Evans - Flip the Script (Posi-Tone)
Clare Fischer - The State of His Art (Revelation)
Tommy Flanagan - Eclypso (Enja/Inner City)
Red Garland - Groovy (Prestige)
Erroll Garner - The Complete Savoy Master Takes (Savoy)
Michael Garrick - Cold Mountain (Argo/Vocalion)
Al Haig - Chelsea Bridge (East Wind)
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage (Blue Note)
Sir Roland Hanna - Time for the Dancers (Progressive)
Barry Harris - Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron (Xanadu)
Hampton Hawes - Hamp's Piano [aka The Dynamic Hampton Hawes] (MPS)
John Hicks - Hick's Time: Solo Piano (Passin' Thru)
Andrew Hill - Dance with Death (Blue Note)
Earl Hines - Tour de Force (Black Lion)
Claude Hopkins - Soliloquy (Sackville)
Ethan Iverson [with Albert "Tootie" Heath & Ben Street] - Live at Smalls (Smalls Live)
Keith Jarrett - Treasure Island (Impulse)
James P. Johnson - Giants of Jazz: James P. Johnson (Time-Life)
Hank Jones - Bluesette (Black & Blue FR)
Wynton Kelly - Kelly Blue (Riverside)
Steve Kuhn - Remembering Tomorrow (ECM)
John Lewis [with the MJQ] - The MJQ Plays One Never Knows (Original Film Score for “No Sun In Venice”) (Atlantic)
Harold Mabern - Rakin' and Scrapin' (Prestige)
Marian McPartland - Ambiance (Halcyon/Jazz Alliance)
Jay McShann - Kansas City Hustle (Sackville)
Mulgrew Miller - Live at the Kennedy Center, Vol. 2 (MaxJazz)
Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream (Columbia/Sony)
Phineas Newborn, Jr. - A World of Piano! (Contemporary)
Herbie Nichols - The Prophetic Herbie Nichols, Vol. 1 & 2 (Blue Note)
Walter Norris - Stepping on Cracks (Progressive)
Oscar Peterson - The Sound of the Trio (Verve)
Michel Petrucciani - Oracle's Destiny: Big Sur, California (Owl)
Enrico Pieranunzi - Perugia Suite (EGEA)
Jean-Michel Pilc [with Mads Vinding & Billy Hart] - Open Minds (Storyville)
Don Pullen - Healing Force (Black Saint)
Michelle Rosewoman - Contrast High (Enja)
Renee Rosnes - Kinds of Love (Smoke Sessions)
Jimmy Rowles - We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together (Xanadu)
Masahiko Sato [with Attila Zoller] - A Path Through Haze (MPS)
Martial Solal - Nothing But Piano (MPS)
Bobo Stenson - Serenity (ECM)
Art Tatum - The Complete Capitol Recordings, Vols. 1 & 2 (Capitol)
Cecil Taylor - The Cecil Taylor Unit (New World)
Mickey Tucker - Mister Mysterious (Muse)
McCoy Tyner - Sama Layuca (Milestone)
Mal Waldron - Moods (Enja)
Fats Waller - Piano Solos 1929-1941 (RCA Bluebird)
Cedar Walton - The Trio, Vol. 1 (Red)
Kenny Werner - Unprotected Music (Double-Time)
Randy Weston - Blues to Africa (Freedom/Arista-Freedom)
James Williams - Magical Trio 2 (EmArcy)
Mary Lou Williams - Free Spirits (SteepleChase)
Larry Willis - Steal Away (Audioquest)
Yosuke Yamashita - Clay (Enja)

 

Whaddya think?

I'd love to hear from other forum members about their favorite jazz piano albums.

 

 

HutchFan, Your list inspired me to put together a list of my favorites. However I modified it to select only  Piano Trio albums. In some cases it was a very difficult choice, and on another day I might pick a different album.

 

Monty Alexander - Threesome - Soul Note 

Kenny Barron - Live at Bradleys - EmArcy

Bruce Barth - Live at the Village Vanguard - Max Jazz

Count Basie - For The First Time - Pablo

Richie Beirach - Summer Night - Venus

Alan Broadbent - Everything I Love - Discovery

Ray Bryant - trio - Prestige

George Cables - But Beautiful - M & T

Bill Charlap - Souveniers - Criss Cross

Cyrus Chestnut - Midnight Melodies - Smoke Sessions

Stanley Cowell - We Three - DIW

Harold Danko - Hindsight - Steeplechase

Walter Davis,Jr. - Live Au Dreher - Paris Jazz Corner

Kenny Drew - If You Could See Me Now - Steeplechase

Bill Evans - Explorations - Riverside

Tommy Flanagan - Eclypso - Enja

Don Friedman - Days Of Wine And Roses - Soul Note

Red Garland - Red In Bluesville - Prestige

Benny Green - Happiness: live At Kumbwa - Sunnyside

Al Haig - Portrait of Bud Powell - Trio

Tardo Hammer - Tardo's Tempo - Sharp Nine

Roland Hanna - Glove - Storyville

Barry Harris - Magnificent - Prestige

Hampton Hawes - Blues For Bud - Black Lion

David Hazeltine - Close To You - Criss Cross

Tamir Hendelman - Destinations - Challenge

Fred Hersch - ECT - 

John Hicks - Is That So - Timeless

Eddie Higgins - Again - Venus

Elmo Hope - Meditations - Prestige

Pete Jolly - Yeah - VSOP

Hank Jones - Blues-Ette - Black & Blue

Duke Jordan - Two Loves - Steeplechase

Dick Katz - 3 Way Play - Reservoir

Roger Kellaway - Heroes - IPO

Wynton Kelly - Full View - Milestone

Steve Kuhn - Years Later - Concord

John Lewis - Delaunay's Dilemma - EmArcy

Mike LeDonne - Common Ground - Criss Cross

Lou Levy - The Kid's Got Ears - Jazzizz

Jan Lundgren - A Swinging Rendezvous - Marshmellow

Pete Malinverni - A Very Good Year - Reservoir

Ronnie Mathews - Lament For Love - DIW

Bill Mays - Summer Sketches - Palmetto

Dave McKenna - The Piano Scene - Koch

Mike Melvoin - You Know - City Light

Mulgrew Miller - Live At Yoshi's ,Vol.1 - Max Jazz

Paul Moer - Trio - Del-Fi

Thelonious Monk - Unique - Riverside

Dado Moroni - Live In Beverly Hills - Resonance

Bill Mays - Summer Sketches - Palmetto

Phineas Newborn,Jr. - Here is Phineas - Atlantic

David Newton - Inspired - Bright New Day

Hod O'Brien - Blues Alley- Third Set - Reservoir

Horace Parlan - No Blues - Steeplechase

Jeb Patton - Tenish: Live in New York - Cellar Live

Carl Perkins - Introducing

Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests - Verve

Enrico Pieranunzi - Live In Paris - Challenge

Bud Powell - Trio - Roost

Eric Reed - Blue Monk - M & T

Renee Rosnes - A Time For Love - Video Arts

Jimmy Rowles - Our Delight - VSOP

Rob Schneiderman - Smooth Sailing - Reservoir

Shirley Scott  - Skylark - Candid

Norman Simmons - In Private - Savant

Rossano Sportiello - Strictly Confidential - Arbors

Frank Strazzeri - I Remember You - Fresh Sound

Charles Thomas - The Finishing Touch - Space Time

Bobby Timmons - Easy Does It - Riverside

McCoy Tyner - Reaching Fourth - Impulse

Cedar Walton - Cedar - Timeless

Kenny Werner - With A Song In My Heart - Venus

James Williams - I Remember Cliffordm - DIW

Claude Williamson - New Departure - Interplay

Larry Willis - How Do You Keep The Music Playing - Steeplechase

Mike Wofford - Live at Anthenaeum - Capri

Richard Wyands - Reunited - Criss Cross

 

 

 

 

[HutchFan]

Fantastic list, @Peter Friedman!  You've got lots of albums listed that I intend to explore.   

 

[dicky]

3 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

Kenny Barron - Live at Bradleys - EmArcy

Plenty in that list I enjoy and plenty there I've never heard, but the 2 volumes of Kenny Barron at Bradley's I particularly love.

Bradley's was a bar, not a club. The piano was situated near the front window. Many performances I saw there (John Hicks, Roland Hanna) were simply solo piano. These 2 Barron trio discs/albums sound so alive and capture a wonderful moment in time that are now, regrettably, long gone.