Focusing mostly on swing and stride piano but occasionally detouring into boogie woogie, Commodore Piano Anthology, which came out in 2000 and spans 1938-1953, isn't the definitive collection of pre-bebop jazz piano; it couldn't be without anything by Duke Ellington, Earl "Fatha" Hines, James P. Johnson, or Count Basie. But then, it wasn't meant to be. What the collection does do is take an enjoyable look at some of the pre-Bud Powell, pre-Thelonious Monk pianists who recorded for Commodore during the era of 78s as either ...
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Focusing mostly on swing and stride piano but occasionally detouring into boogie woogie, Commodore Piano Anthology, which came out in 2000 and spans 1938-1953, isn't the definitive collection of pre-bebop jazz piano; it couldn't be without anything by Duke Ellington, Earl "Fatha" Hines, James P. Johnson, or Count Basie. But then, it wasn't meant to be. What the collection does do is take an enjoyable look at some of the pre-Bud Powell, pre-Thelonious Monk pianists who recorded for Commodore during the era of 78s as either leaders or sidemen, many of whom were among the true heavyweights of their time. Jelly Roll Morton, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Albert Ammons, and Jess Stacy are all heard as unaccompanied solo pianists, whereas Fats Waller and Art Tatum are heard in small group settings -- Waller as a sideman for guitarist Eddie Condon on "You're Some Pretty Doll" in 1940, Tatum with the Esquire All Stars on a 1943 recording of "My Ideal," which also boasts Coleman Hawkins on tenor sax and Cootie Williams on trumpet. Meanwhile, the CD illustrates Teddy Wilson's flexibility by offering an unaccompanied performance of "That Old Feeling" in 1938 next to a 1944 version of "Night and Day" (which finds the pianist comprising ¼ of clarinetist Edmond Hall's quartet). Again, this collection isn't the last word on pre-bop piano, but it's definitely pleasing and worth picking up. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Commodore Piano Anthology to cart. $29.99, new condition, Sold by insomniacsonline rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from South Hackensack, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by GRP Records.
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