Piano Music

For a time this winter, the new Okonski record, “Entrance Music” was popping up seemingly everywhere, and for good reason. It’s an incredible album, perfect for all kinds of situations. The trio, comprised of Steve Okonski on piano, Aaron Frazer on drums and bassist Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery, manage to capture a moving, calm energy that holds a nocturnal moodiness- a combination difficult to synthesize.

Listening to this record got me thinking about piano music in general. The piano has a sort of nostalgic ubiquity in American culture. A lot of us grew up with one in the house, and I know tons of people- musical and not musical- that have taken piano lessons at some point in their life- often times their only foray into formal music training. It’s a beautiful instrument that can be taken for granted. I’ve compiled some of my favorite piano music here, in solo, duo, or trio arrangements- all (well, mostly all) examples where the piano is the lead melodic instrument.

Listening through, it’s fun to notice the sound of the different pianos being used. The aforementioned Okonski tracks were recorded using a small spinet piano- the house piano at Colemine Studios- which provides a thin tone, only adding to those recording’s mood. It seems like an intentional choice. It sounds like you might stumble upon the trio playing together in the back room of a house party you were lucky to be invited to. The sound of that instrument reminds me a bit of Keith Jarrett’s legendary record, “Koln Concert”, where he famously requested a grand piano for the gig, only to show up and find an out of tune busted little practice piano with sticky keys and pedals that didn’t really work. You can hear Jarrett wrestle with the piano throughout the performance and the story goes, he had a pretty bad time at the concert- a point underscored by his signature grunts and groans, audible throughout the recording. In spite of the difficulties, this recording became one of the best selling jazz records ever and it stands the test of time due to Kieth’s commitment to getting everything he could from the provided instrument.

Compare the sound of the Koln piano to something like Ahmad Jamal’s track here, where the piano is big and full and dynamic, or Bill Evans “Peace Piece” where you almost feel like you’re at home tucked in inside a warm grand piano. Regardless of the instrument, these players take control and use it to their advantage- and the results are beautiful.