Hanon yes or no? Is it useful to study the 60 exercises of Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist? In this lesson we will see when is the right time to start Hanon and how to study it correctly, avoiding wasting time but also working wrongly and risking injury.Continue readingHanon, The Virtuoso Pianist. When and how to study it
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[Monday Notes no. 119] James P. Johnson was one of the greatest pianists of the 1920s, also famous for his composition The Charleston, which contributed to the spread of the dance of the same name. James P. Johnson’s music marks the transition between ragtime and stride piano, the earliest form of jazz piano. Let us…Continue readingJames P. Johnson, The Carolina Shout. From ragtime to stride piano
[Monday’s Notes No. 108] Oscar Peterson was one of the greatest jazz piano virtuosos. His long solos are legendary, as are his fast and perfect lines. Under his skilled hands, the piano keyboard often becomes hot, but not in the interpretation of this splendid ballad, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.Continue readingOscar Peterson, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
[Monday Notes no. 107] Great musicians have the ability to be inspired and stimulated by their peers. This is certainly the case with Miles Davis, who chose Joe Zawinul’s song In A Silent Way as the title for his eponymous album, a masterpiece recorded in 1969.Continue readingIn A Silent Way, a Joe Zawinul piece that Miles Davis made his own
[Monday Notes no. 106] Estate is the only Italian piece to have permanently entered the repertoire of jazz standards, to the point of being included in one of the famous Real Books, the sheet music collections dedicated to jazz music. The piece was written by Bruno Martino, the most famous international performers were Joao Gilberto,…Continue readingMichel Petrucciani, Estate. A piece by Bruno Martino in the jazz repertoire
[Monday’s Note No. 3] Jelly Roll Morton boasted that he had invented jazz, he had a diamond in his tooth, and he often used to exhibit his gun to persuade his musicians to play his way. Eccentric and over-the-top, the character long overshadowed the musician. Let’s listen to his curious composition Hyena Stomp.Continue readingJelly Roll Morton, Hyena Stomp. Laughter is contagious
[Monday Notes no. 82] Scott Joplin was the main inventor of ragtime. The composer wrote on his sheet music ‘Don’t play this piece too fast. It is never correct to play Ragtime too fast’, an instruction rarely respected by pianists. In fact, ragtime is often considered a virtuoso exercise and is played at excessive speed…Continue readingSolace Mexican Serenade, Scott Joplin recommends: don’t play too fast
[Monday Notes no. 7] There have been many virtuoso pianists in the history of jazz, Art Tatum, however, represents a unique and unparalleled case. Art Tatum mastered both the classical piano repertoire, from Chopin and Listz to Ravel, and the masters of the stride piano such as Fats Waller, James P. Johnson and Jelly Roll…Continue readingTea For Two, Art Tatum the unsurpassed virtuoso
[Monday Notes no. 79] Pete Johnson was one of the greatest boogie-woogie pianists, Roll ‘Em Pete was one of his favourite pieces. On this recording he is accompanied by singer Joe Turner, another blues specialist. The two musicians provide an outstanding performance, a duet that sums up the most salient features of the blues.Continue readingRoll ‘Em Pete, Pete Johnson & Joe Turner. Simply, the blues.
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Bruno Martino, E la chiamano estate
[Monday No. 77] Bruno Martino was one of the greatest Italian songwriters. A musician by vocation from a very young age, he found a unique style that made him the greatest Italian nightclub musician. Let us listen to and analyse one of his great classics, E la chiamano estate.Continue readingBruno Martino, E la chiamano estate