Meanwhile, Back on the Desert Island...
It's been a couple of years since we last loaded up the jazz boat and dropped off area (or KC-connected) musicians on their own little islands with their favorite recordings. This time we surveyed pianists. As expected, there was no shortage of variety with this eclectic bunch.

DAVE BAKER -- pianist with Dean Stringer's River City Jazz Orchestra
1) Art Tatum -- Group Masterpieces Vol. IV. Art is astounding. Any pianist who believes he/she has mastered the craft should listen to Tatum in order to be appropriately humbled.
2) Chick Corea -- Light as a Feather. Three of my favorite Corea compositions -- "You're Everything," "500 Miles High," and, of course, "Spain" -- are on this one. Chick is an inspiration from the standpoint of performance and composition.
3) Ahmad Jamal -- At the Pershing. You have to have lived through the '50s and '60s to really understand the impact Jamal had on the music world. One of my all-time favorites is on this one: his treatment of "Poinciana."
4) Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue. Bill Evans is a harmonic monster. His contributions to this set of recordings by one of the greatest jazz ensembles ever assembled are significant.
5) Dave Brubeck -- Dave Digs Disney. Brubeck has earned a special place in my personal jazz hall of fame for both his inventive performances and his ability to choose repertoire. His experiments with non-traditional jazz time signatures in the '60s led to the first million-seller jazz single, Paul Desmond's "Take Five." One of my
favorite waltzes, "Alice in Wonderland," is on this album.

WARREN BOWMAN -- freelance pianist, member of the Julie Turner Group
1) George Shearing Quintet -- That Shearing Sound. This is the guy who turned me on to a whole bunch of obscure (but beautiful) tunes that he just happened to play masterfully.
2) Stan Getz -- Apasionado. The consummate tenor man, playing with all the necessary quantities of lyricism and drive to leave the fans ooh-ing and ah-ing.
3) Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim -- The Man From Ipanema. What can I say? His music takes my breath away.
4) Sergio Mendes -- Classics: Volume #18 (A&M 25th Anniversary edition). I would follow this group anywhere.
5) Monty Alexander -- Live! Montreux Alexander. No other reason than he's one of my very favorite players.

DR. RONNELL BRIGHT -- freelance pianist, singer, composer, accompanist
1) Dr. Ronnell Bright -- Seamist. I composed all 18 songs, played piano and sang. (Available at: Streetside Records, Borders Books, Music Exchange, and Barnes & Noble on the Plaza.)
2) Art Tatum -- Here's Art Tatum. A stylist with dexterity, creativity and shadings in dynamics.
3) Ahmad Jamal -- But Not For Me. A colorful stylist with shadings in dynamics, musical taste, originality and creativity.
4) Erroll Garner -- Concert By the Sea. A fluid right hand chord soloist with a strong left hand, Erroll was original, creative and spontaneous.
5) Phineas Newborn Trio -- Piano Portraits by Phineas Newborn. A superb soloist with fantastic technique; sensitive and creative, a strong two-handed player and stylist.

CAROL COMER -- pianist, vocalist, educator, "aging jazzer"
1) Dave Grusin -- The Gershwin Connection. With Chick Corea, Lee Ritenour, Gary Burton, Eddie Daniels et al; timeless material, brilliant arrangements, great musicians.
2) Take 6 -- Take 6. Tight, a perfect blend of modern harmony, gospel-oriented (takes me back to my "preacher's kid" roots), great for spiritual escapes.
3) Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue. A classic. No abandonment would be complete without this.
4) Chick Corea/Miroslav Vitous/Roy Haynes -- Trio Music. Some of the best small ensemble avant garde ever recorded; wonderful for its endless parallel improvisations.
5) Carmen McRae -- The Great American Songbook. In Carmen's own words, "This session was the most gratifying of my musical experiences." (And I'd have to sneak in Marian McPartland's Ambiance as a reminder of how wonderful a composer, pianist and person she is.)

JO ANN DAUGHERTY -- freelance pianist (currently based in Chicago)
1) Danilo Perez -- Panamonk. Great writing, great groove, and a truly unique and recognizable piano sound.
2) Brad Mehldau -- Songs. A classic piano trio format with lots of interaction, space and development of ideas.
3) Wayne Shorter -- Native Dancer. Wayne + Milton Nascimento = great tunes and high energy.
4) Toninho Horta -- Serenade. This Brazilian guitarist/singer makes me wonder how one person can make so much music with one instrument and his voice.
5) Stevie Wonder -- Songs in the Key of Life.

DAN DE LUCA -- freelance pianist
1) Gil Evans/Cannonball Adderley -- New Bottle Old Wine. Evans is one of my favorite arrangers and I'm always impressed by his voicings.
2) Bill Evans -- Everybody Digs Bill Evans. This was my first Evans album; his ability to reharmonize a tune and his overall sensitivity make this one of my favorites.
3) Thad Jones/Mel Lewis -- Consummation. Thad's writing, the chords, voicings and textures make this as enjoyable today and when I first heard it.
4) Thelonious Monk -- Criss-Cross. I like the sound of this group; and, of course, how does one describe Monk? I just listen and enjoy.
5) Bill Evans -- Turn Out the Stars. (Disc #2 of this six CD set.) There's enough here to keep a pianist busy for a long time.

DAN DORAN -- pianist, singer, songwriter
1) Oscar Peterson -- Night Train. Oscar swings hard on this album.
2) Professor Longhair -- New Orleans Piano. If 'Fess doesn't make you smile, check the obituaries. You may be in there.
3) Bill Evans -- Trio '64. Evans plays with great intellect and heart, and I love the way he works with Paul Motian in this trio.
4) Herbie Hancock -- Thrust. Herbie brilliantly layers keyboards and synths to create exotic textures in this funk-inspired recording; Bennie Maupin is outstanding on reeds.
5) Toots Thielemans -- Only Trust Your Heart. I wouldn't want to spend an extended period without Toots, and this recording, with pianist Fred Hersch and others, captures his magic.

CANDACE EVANS -- pianist, vocalist
1) George Shearing -- Favorite Things. These are some of my favorite tunes played by my favorite jazz pianist.
2) Nat King Cole Trio -- The Instrumental Classics. The clarity of Cole's playing stands out in his drummerless trio on such tunes as "Prelude in C# Minor."
3) Diana Krall -- Love Scenes. The combination of Krall's sultry voice and her smooth piano is refreshing and unique.
4) Frank Sinatra -- Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely. Among many songs of despair, "One For My Baby" (with Bill Miller's lone piano) stands out as my all-time favorite Sinatra.
5) Tony Bennett -- Steppin' Out. Singer Bennett and pianist Ralph Sharon are at their best with these lively Gershwin, Porter, Berlin and Kern standards; especially the title tune.

MAX GROOVE -- recording artist and producer
1) Gabor Szabo -- High Contrast. I loved his style of guitar playing, as well as the production with Bobby Womack.
2) Weather Report -- Heavy Weather. This turned me on to another style of music.
3) Blind Faith -- Blind Faith. A once in a lifetime band for that style of music.
4) Chick Corea -- Light as a Feather. This also turned me on to another form of music.
5) Led Zeppelin -- Led Zeppelin II. At an early age, this evoked emotion in me, even though I came from a classical background.

WAYNE HAWKINS -- pianist, recording artist with Ida McBeth, the Doug Talley Quartet, Sons of Brasil, the Bill Crain Group
1) Bill Evans -- Alone. Some of the most personal playing is done while playing solo. On this album Bill shows some great examples of this rare side of the jazz pianist.
2) Chick Corea and Return to Forever -- Light As a Feather. When I bought this recording in January of 1977, I had never heard anything like it. I consider it very influential on my approach to playing.
3) Miles Davis -- The Complete Concert 1964 (My Funny Valentine, Four and More). I have always enjoyed group interaction, and this concert features a rhythm section (Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams) at the height of spontaneity and creativity. Also, Herbie Hancock is a model for the modern jazz pianist -- a great accompanist and soloist, he swings hard, and he can take the music in about any direction.
4) Art Tatum -- Piano Starts Here. The title states a fact, not a whim. His version of "I Know That You Know" is enough to scare the hell out of any pianist.
5) Keith Jarrett -- Solo Concerts, Bremen/Lausanne. All of the performances are great, but what can only be referred to as
"Lausanne Part 2" has touched me very deeply for almost twenty years.

RICH HILL -- keyboardist, educator
1) Sviatoslav Richter -- Chopin, Rachmaninof, Prokofief, Ravel. The sense of occasion in this concert recorded live in 1960 is palpable; it was the pianist's first American tour, and the playing is transcendental.
2) Bill Evans -- Since We Met. A personal favorite featuring Evans' principal early-'70s trio in an intimate set recorded live at the Village Vanguard.
3) Chick Corea -- Light As a Feather. As fresh as when it was recorded 25 years ago, this recording brought Brazilian samba and musicians into the jazz mainstream.
4) Duke Ellington -- Ellington at Newport. This recording includes the legendary performance of "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" in which Paul Gonsalves blows 27 choruses of mind-bending blues.
5) Thelonious Monk -- Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane. Genius.

PAUL HOFMANN -- pianist, composer, producer, teacher, columnist, recording artist, owner of MHR Records
1) Art Tatum -- The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces. Tatum's unique combination of (a) astonishing overall musicality, (b) an all-encompassing, mature and consistent conception, (c) virtuosity, (d) inventiveness, (e) infectious swing, and (f) humor, makes virtually anything he appears on a timeless aural treat.
2) Bud Powell -- (on Art Blakey's) Paris Jam Session. These live 1959 performances reveal the solid, baroque approach of the most influential pianist in jazz history.
3) Miles Davis -- Almost anything recorded from 1954 to 1969. Miles' amazing combination of (a) playing trend-setting compositions and arrangements, (b) employing equally great (and varied) musicians as sidemen, and (c) his uncompromising individuality, musicianship and leadership, helps make the recordings of this period vital examples of what a creative approach to music can accomplish.
4) Herbie Nichols -- The Complete Blue Note Sessions. These trio recordings are pure genius, and reveal an absolutely singular conception from perhaps the most underrated pianist, composer and musician of the century.
5) Keith Jarrett -- Facing You. Jarrett's first solo piano recording in 1971 contains all the grand elements that were to follow in subsequent years, in capsule form: a virtuosic technique combined with (a) the broadest possible stylistic contrasts, (b) tremendous risk-taking and musical imagination, and (c) a uniquely organic approach to improvisation.

BILL LAURSEN -- freelance pianist/soloist/singer, currently with Bill Henry & the Shouters
1) Cedar Walton -- Eastern Rebellion 2. Perfect musical interpretation of the reflective nature of the most beautiful yet emotionally ravaging day of the week: Sunday! Cedar proves his genius as a player and a composer.
2) Keith Jarrett -- Solo Concerts, Bremen/Lausanne. This is such a spiritual approach to spontaneous creative flow. The power in his push for expressive redemption is extraordinary.
3) Oliver Nelson -- Blues and the Abstract Truth. Bill Evans (always great!) is the pianist, but special kudos to Oliver for somehow getting such incredibly diverse musicians to paint his original musical picture so effectively.
4) Joe Henderson -- Power to the People. Great imaginative playing by everyone. Herbie ("Black Narcissus"!!) challenged many of us playing electric pianos from the '60s to play the instrument for the sounds it gave us instead of perceiving it as an inferior substitute to the acoustic piano.
5) Jay McShann -- The Last of the Blue Devils. A classic rendering of traditional Kansas City-style piano playing. The original himself!

CARROLL LEWIS -- pianist, music educator
1) Kim Richmond -- Passages. This is the way Stan Kenton would sound today! Marvelous writing.
2) Don Sebesky -- I Remember Bill. This keeps the Bill Evans memory alive.
3) Oscar Peterson/Stan Getz -- Stan Getz & the Oscar Peterson Trio. A good example of swing feel with the correct way to divide the beat.
4) Diana Krall -- All For You. A great tribute to Nat King Cole.
5) Arch Martin/Ed Dix -- One More Time!! Good friends, good playing. (And I have to add Frank Sinatra's "In the Wee Small Hours," because my wife told me to include FRANKIE!!)

FRANK MANTOOTH -- pianist, arranger, composer, educator, author
1) Miles Davis -- A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Heavy funk, wide compositional canvas, one tune per side.
2) Gil Evans -- The Individualism of Gil Evans. Groundbreaking, innovative big band writing.
3) Morgana King -- A Taste of Honey. The only release of King I know of. Unforgettable voice, killer string writing.
4) Frank Mantooth Jazz Orchestra -- Suite Tooth. I'd have this to remind me that I'm capable of getting off the couch and writing something of substance.
5) John Browning -- Ravel: Concerto for the Left Hand. An unbelievable piece, and an unbelievable performance by the pianist.

SCOTT MCDONALD -- freelance pianist
1) Anything by Oscar Peterson. Why? Oscar is my greatest influence.
2) Art Tatum -- Masterpieces. Art Tatum was Oscar Peterson's greatest influence.
3) Monty Alexander -- Live at Montreux (1976). Monty combines the style of his greatest influence, Oscar Peterson, with his own Jamaican heritage, and produces a wonderful Latin jazz style that I love. I was at that concert in Switzerland; it was awesome!
4) James Taylor -- The Best of James Taylor. I do a lot of his songs; they lend themselves well to my voice and piano style.
5) Ron Kenoly -- Lift Him Up. A wonderful, exiting, well-done Christian album with a great horn section.

FRANK MEEKER -- pianist, former educator and administrator
1) Bill Evans -- Trio 64. This I would take for the nostalgia and freshness of program, but I could have easily picked almost any of his, such as Montreux II, Sunday at the Village Vanguard or the more pop-oriented From Left to Right.
2) Art Tatum -- The Complete Capitol Recordings. A piano giant of technique and harmony on some of his best representative work, rivaling the Granz Solo Masterpieces.
3) Oscar Peterson -- At the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. One of the best live trio performances, although his solo Tracks and the more commercial Motions & Emotions are favorites of their type.
4) Pete Jolly -- Yeah! A favorite pianist since I first heard him with
Shorty Rogers; this is a recent recording of a program my daughter and I heard live in L.A. in 1996.
5) Alan Broadbent -- Live at Maybeck Hall, Vol. 14. Delightful solo piano; but I regret not having Powell, Previn, Hawes, Tristano, Shearing, Garner, Tyner, Jamal, Jarrett, Corea, et al on the island.

BILLY MEYNIER -- freelance jazz pianist
1) Dave Grusin -- Tribute to Ellington. Why? Jazz and horns, no vocalist.
2) Dave Grusin -- Tribute to Gershwin. Why: jazz and horns, no vocalist.
3) Keith Jarrett -- Standards. This is a chance to hear how standards should be done.
4) Shania Twain -- Woman in Me. This is a good example of contemporary country/rock. (I'd need at least one sexy female vocalist on the desert island...)
5) Art Tatum -- Best of Art Tatum. An important jazz reference point.

JOE MIQUELON -- pianist/saxophonist with Boko Maru
1) John Coltrane -- A Love Supreme. This recording never ceases to amaze me. It basically changed my life.
2) McCoy Tyner -- The Real McCoy. This album made me want to be a piano player when I "grew up."
3) Weather Report -- Black Market. Electronic music was on the rise as I was coming up; this is my favorite from that era.
4) Eastern Rebellion (Cedar Walton/Sam Jones/Billy Higgins) -- Two albums: #1 with George Coleman, #2 with Bob Berg. This group, led by the often overlooked Cedar Walton, floored me. It still does.
5) Thelonious Monk -- Solo Monk. I'll never grow tired of Monk

MIKE NING -- pianist, recording artist
1) Bill Evans Trio -- Portrait in Jazz. This is the trio that started the concept of trio improvisation.
2) Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette -- Standards. This group is the continuation of the Bill Evans trio.
3) Bill Evans -- Conversations with Myself. This is perfect solo piano playing. Every pianist should try overdubbing when recording.
4) Irene Kral/Alan Broadbent -- Where is Love/Gentle Rain. A perfect combination of arrangements, vocals with piano, and choice of songs.
5) Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue. This group, with John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb or Philly Joe Jones, set the standard for group (sextet) playing.

ED PHARR -- freelance pianist
1) Bill Evan Trio -- Sunday at the Village Vanguard. Bill Evans' notions of the "collaboration" trio are perfectly realized.
2) Chick Corea -- Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. Chick's piano lines are firmly structured and supported by two masters of sound: Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes.
3) Steve Kuhn/Gary McFarland -- October Suite. Kuhn becomes pointillism artist Georges Seurat in a jazz context.
4) Herbie Hancock -- Maiden Voyage. Herbie's tunes seem to inspire a session filled with dramatic solos.
5) Larry Young -- Unity. A great Hammond sound meets the modes.

GREG RICHTER -- pianist, arranger, percussionist, member of KC Chief's "Pack Band"
1) Duke Ellington/Louis Armstrong -- The Complete Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington Sessions. I'd just have to have my "Pops." After all, this is one of the classic jazz recordings of all time.
2) Thelonious Monk Quartet -- The Tokyo Concerts. Monk sounds very "happy" on this double album set; I always feel a recharging of my own spirit when I study these Monk performances.
3) Pat Metheny -- 80/81. I would need something "modern" on my list, but also something with depth. The wide variety of moods, sidemen, the amazing creative flow, and the numerous "psychic moments" have kept this side on my frequent play list since it first came out.
4) Duke Ellington -- And His Mother Called Him Bill. If I could, I would take the entire Ellington library, but since that would break the rules, I chose this one; it was the first Duke album I ever bought, and I still think it was among his finest.
5) Ray Charles -- Ray Charles' Greatest Hits (Vol. 1&2). If you need to know why I chose this one, then I just can't explain it to you.

PAUL ROBERTS -- composer, pianist, trombonist, UMKC composition student
1) Giuseppe Sinopoli/Philharmonia Orchestra -- Mahler Symphonie Nr.2. Sinopoli's tempos and transitions are absolute perfection. By far the best interpretation of this I have heard so far.
2) Keith Jarrett -- The Cure. Keith has taken the piano trio and made it into an organic, living thing. His out-cadenza on "Body & Soul" is one of the most mesmerizing moments on any of his albums.
3) San Francisco Symphony/Edo De Waart -- Harmonielehre (John Adams). This is one of the most dramatic works I have ever heard. The second movement digs deep into your soul, building to climaxes that are unresolved. Listening to this piece drains the very life from your body and allows you to look at yourself with a different perspective.
4) Wayne Shorter -- Native Dancer. This album has some of the most beautiful Latin-styled compositions. "Tarde" is my personal favorite.
5) Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays -- As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. Lyle's piano solo on "September 15th" is one of the most beautiful and tragic moments I have ever heard from him on record. I spent my whole freshman year in high school listening to this album.

PAUL SMITH -- freelance pianist, retired music educator, recording artist with Karrin Allyson, Gary Sivils, Mike Metheny
1) Shirley Horn -- Here's to Life. One beautiful album.
2) Bill Evans -- At the Village Vanguard. The magical trio of Evans, LaFaro and Motian.
3) Horace Silver -- Finger Poppin'. A real ROMPER with Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Eugene Taylor and Louis Hayes.
4) Chet Baker -- Chet Baker Sings and Plays from the film "Let's Get Lost." Wonderful playing, singing and tune selection.
5) Oscar Castro-Neves -- More Than Yesterday. I love Oscar's approach to Brazilian music. (To the editor: If I were to do this tomorrow they would ALL be different! Next time, make it "200 for the Desert Island!")

DON WARNER -- freelance pianist, electronic musical instrument technician, current president of Kansas City Federation of Musicians Local 34-627
1) Shirley Horn -- Here's To Life. A moving combination of vocal styling, a great pianist, orchestra, and a super arranger (Johnny Mandel).
2) B.B. King -- Live At The Apollo. Great blues by the Master Of Blues and Class, with a great band of jazz musicians.
3) Johnny Hartman -- Johnny Hartman. Smooth vocals, great arrangements, good tunes, easy to listen to... What else is there?
4) Frank Sinatra -- Trilogy. Actually, any of Sinatra's albums are super, but this collection reflects several periods in his career with great tunes and good arrangements.
5) Tony Bennett -- Movie Song Album. Being older has a few benefits: you remember good movies and good tunes as sung by this master of vocals.

TIM WHITMER -- pianist, recording artist
1) Bettye Miller/Milt Abel -- Feelings of Bettye and Milt. In my youth I would listen to Bettye and Milt four or five times a week; this is soulful playing at its best.
2) Miles Davis -- Kind of Blue. In my opinion, this is the best jazz album of all time.
3) Bill Evans -- You Must Believe in Spring. The Chopin of jazz.
4) Count Basie & Duke Ellington -- Together Again for the First Time. Two giants and two awesome bands dance joyfully down Swing Street.
5) Jay McShann -- Any and all of his recordings. Jay is Kansas City jazz at its "swingingest"!

CHARLES D. WILLIAMS -- freelance pianist, soloist, arranger, composer, producer
1) George Duke -- Snapshot. George would satisfy my musical hunger with his mellow but funky contemporary jazz sound.
2) Chick Corea -- Akoustic Band: Alive. In order for me to survive on the island, Chick would have to be my musical electricity.
3) Oscar Peterson -- The Jazz Soul of Oscar Peterson. If I couldn't hear this guy, I might as well go down six feet under. Oscar is the most awesome!
4) Ramsey Lewis -- Sky Islands. The smooth, enchanting and FAT style of Ramsey would help keep my stress level low.
5) Joe Sample -- Ashes to Ashes. On the desert island I would need to make a fire. Joe's music would be the spark to ignite it.



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