Deaf Again

History of the Jazz Piano

Some say that in order to truly understand music, as a musician you must learn the piano. Musically one’s mind is said to never reach its possibilities without knowing how to play the piano. (It is said to be the one instrument that opens your entire musical mind.) Since I already play the piano the one thing I have always wanted to know was the history of it, particularly the jazz piano. In order to find the history of the jazz piano you must first look at the genres, artist, and innovators that came before the jazz era. As my grandmother says “You can’t know where you are going unless you know where you came from”

Before the arrival of the radio or television the piano was a major form of home entertainment. During this era ragtime, the immediate predecessor of jazz, was played on a regular basis. One person who revolutionized Rag was Scott Joplin. His most famous works are “The Entertainer” and “Maple Leaf Rag” which are still heard today from advertising commercials to ice cream trucks. They were popularized again in the 70’s thanks to the movie “The Sting”

From Rag the stride piano playing style was introduced. This style came mainly out of Harlem. Some of this style included players like Lucky Roberts, Willie “The Lion” Smith, as well as James P Johnson. This style adapted from left hand rag pattern. It has been said that Art Tatum is responsible for the accumulation of stride piano. He added amazing runs and arpeggios as well as a sophisticated harmonic form that was fused with a basic style.

Next came the Swing era this is where the solo piano became much more refined and in my opinion less aggressive. Duke Ellington and Count Basie were among the leaders in this era.(New Grove)

Bop was the next era. In the 40’s piano players finally got to free the left hand from the burden of having to keep time, which allowed them innovatively to create two handed chord voicings. (New Grove pg284) I really try to imitate these types of chord changes because they in my opinion, bring more life to the song. These new concepts of playing came mainly from informal sessions or what musicians call “jam” sessions. Although Thelonius Monk was a true pioneer in the Bop movement, he was concerned with the rhythm placement; therefore, for many tunes he set up with the left hand a simple bass line for the bassist. Pure Bop piano reached its peak in the work of Bud Powell: “his linear right hand improvisation

shows supreme creativity and technique. His left hand exhibits a number of interesting devices: sustained octave leaps on the dominant against the tonic harmony; space intervals such as tenths and sevenths”(New Grove pg 284).

The acoustic Piano