Pianist Esteban Castro - one of the greats, and I kid you not.

[AllenLowe]

There's a young pianist in NYC named Esteban Castro, young, just out of Julliard.

I will state this directly: Esteban is one of the greatest jazz pianists who ever lived, and I mean ever, and I say this unequivocally, after a lifetime of listening to everything from 1920 to the present.

I am trying to think of how to describe his playing - it is historically comprehensive, but never in a self conscious way. He just sits at the piano with casual ease and turns out phrase after phrase of brilliant, compelling, artistically meaningful music. In term of musical attitude he has some resemblance to Jaki Byard, but that is primarily in the ingenious way in which he incorporates his incredibly varied, but always personal, ideas of playing. He is astounding.

We recorded together not too long ago, and I basically knew what he can do, but he still surprised me - bits and pieces of Tristano, an amazing Fats-Waller-into-stride passage that just blew me away, and a deep understanding of Bud Powell. He can read, he can play inside/outside/upside down, harmonically speaking. He even did an uncanny summoning of Monk on one piece that was not Monkish in the usual sense, but instead a personalization of Monk's way of fusing melody and harmony.

Another thing I love about his playing is that it is non-ideological: no systems, no repetitive patterns, no blues cliches. He is the real thing.

I will post some more of his stuff eventually, but here's a clip from a few years back which gives a sense of his incredible reach and sense of line:

 

 

Edited Sunday at 06:38 PM by AllenLowe

[AllenLowe]

no one's interested in this incredible pianist? Come on folks.

[mhatta]

I think he’s a very technically skilled and good pianist, but to be honest, based on the video, I don’t really understand why Allen Lowe is so excited.

[Dan Gould]

Seems like a ton of chops, is it OP-level or Tatum-level or look-at-me level?

When chops like those are used by a guy like Gene Harris, to dig into my bluesy-jazz / Jazzy-blues sweet spot, you have me at "hello". 

For wider historical range ... I tend to come down on "meh".

[Simon8]

I'm all for enthusiastic endorsement, so thank you Allen (and welcome back!): I was sufficiently impressed to listen to most of the rest of that 2023 showcase (when he was all of 18, if I'm not mistaken). With that two-handed wizardry and those supersonic typewriter lines, Phineas Newborn jumped to my mind (he'll probably get the same "soulless technician/speed demon" critics, with some good and some bad reasons). He can be really inventive. I liked his interpretation of Bud's "Celia" and "Monk's Dream", as well as two of originals, I think ("Rose-Colored Paradise" and "Chorale"). An impressive solo "Inner Urge" as well.

[EKE BBB]

5 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Seems like a ton of chops, is it OP-level or Tatum-level or look-at-me level?

You're playing with fire, Dan, by putting Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson at the same level of mastery... Pandora box might be reopened... 

Having said that, I will check him out!

 

[Dan Gould]

2 hours ago, EKE BBB said:

You're playing with fire, Dan, by putting Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson at the same level of mastery... Pandora box might be reopened... 

Having said that, I will check him out!

 

I thought that was a clear implication that there is OP and then there is Tatum, and there is also "look at what I can do" level.

[AllenLowe]

not gonna get into the OP vs everybody, but I am a little shocked that no one else hears this genius as I do. I can deal with it, but be aware that in New York everyone who has heard Esteban recognizes what I recognize, which is that he is far from just a technician, but a brilliant consolidator of styles, in the same league as Jaki Byard. It's possible that non-musicians don't recognize his skill, but I think it's clear that he is one of the best ever, and I have heard everyone, live or on record, from, I would say, 1923 forward. We can hear bits of Tristano, Monk, Bud and Tatum in his playing, but masked by his originality, and I have heard no other pianist - including, I would add Jaki Byard, who I loved - who can sit, relaxed at the piano like that, with such incredible focus, comprehensive technique, and just plain feeling. Part of the problem is that we have to distinguish between technique and facility (and btw I like Gene Harris a lot but not OP). But Esteban is just on another level, it's almost mystical the levels of creativity that he achieves. 

[John L]

Thanks, Allen.  I'm certainly intrigued enough to keep listening to him.  

[T.D.]

Thanks. Definitely got my interest. Have been jumping around that 2023 American Pianists Awards set. I wish there were more youtube, etc.  clips available.