Jazz Piano Masterpieces: From Classic Essentials to Contemporary Favorites
Among the many forms of jazz, Japanese listeners have an extraordinary fondness for piano-centered works—especially piano trios.
There are countless appeals to jazz piano, but when the piano—an instrument capable of everything from delicate phrasing to bold, daring play—teams up with the open-ended genre of jazz, the possibilities are truly limitless.
In this article, we’ve selected classic jazz albums with the piano at the forefront.
From timeless, history-making staples to popular releases by a new generation of pianists, and even works that take more unconventional approaches, we’ve covered a wide range.
Whether you’re new to jazz or looking to fall even deeper in love with piano jazz, this is a must-read!
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Jazz Piano Masterpieces: From Classic Essentials to Contemporary Favorites (11–20)
Tiger RagArt Tatum
Art Tatum, the legendary pianist known as the god of jazz piano.
His album “Piano Starts Here” lets you enjoy two different eras of his playing.
The first half, recorded in 1933, captures his youth in performances brimming with dazzling technique—on the third track, “Tiger Rag,” you can’t help but be enthralled by the overwhelming virtuosity on display.
The latter half features calmer, beautifully rendered recordings from 1949.
Both sides of Art Tatum are wonderful, so be sure to give it a listen!
SpainChick Corea
After attracting attention for participating in Miles Davis’s landmark works, Chick Corea formed Return to Forever in 1972 and achieved great success.
Continuing to lead the music scene through a wide range of boundary-defying projects—both with various groups and as a solo artist—Chick released an eponymous album in 1989 under the Acoustic Band name.
Comprised of original pieces and standard numbers, this highly recommended album not only showcases Chick’s prowess as a performer, but also highlights his gift for crafting beautiful melodies and the exquisite interplay of a superb band ensemble.
Softly, As In A Morning SunriseSonny Clark
Sonny Clark, from Pennsylvania in the United States, was a jazz pianist who passed away at the young age of 31.
Interestingly, his popularity is overwhelmingly higher in Japan than in his home country, where he enjoys tremendous support.
If you’d like to explore the reason why, please listen to the classic Sonny Clark Trio, released in 1957.
While his most famous work, Cool Struttin’, is a quintet recording, if you want to savor his essential appeal as a pianist, a piano trio album is undoubtedly the best choice.
His somewhat shadowy, wistful melodies resonate deeply with the Japanese sensibility.
Circle WaltzDon Friedman
Don Friedman, a white pianist often mentioned alongside Bill Evans, is highly popular in Japan for his intellectual, delicate, and poetically rich jazz piano style.
His historically acclaimed masterpiece, released in 1962, is Circle Waltz.
Lauded as “a masterpiece that opened a new door for jazz piano,” it showcases Friedman’s exquisite playing as a poet of the piano—subtle yet possessing a crystalline, steely resonance.
Whether on original compositions, standards, or a Dave Brubeck number, you can enjoy stellar performances where each player’s individuality truly shines.
RitooriaKeith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett has left us with many masterpieces, but among them I highly recommend his 1971 album “Facing You.” He made this album when he was 27, and it features solo piano performances.
It was his first venture into solo piano, preceding the many improvisation-based solo piano albums he would later record.
It’s a wonderful album for savoring the beautiful tone that is one of Keith’s greatest charms—please give it a listen!
DinahThelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk, known for composing numerous standards like ‘’Round Midnight,’ ‘Straight, No Chaser,’ and ‘Blue Monk.’ Here’s an introduction to his solo piano album ‘Solo Monk.’ It captures his distinctive and powerful playing from the bebop era, with his stride technique—alternating bass and chords in the left hand—being especially breathtaking.
If you love jazz piano, he’s a pianist you’ll inevitably encounter, so if you haven’t listened yet, be sure to give it a spin!
Jazz Piano Masterpieces: From Classic Essentials to Contemporary Favorites (21–30)
Place To BeUehara Hiromi
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Hiromi Uehara is a jazz pianist Japan is proud of, and she currently resides in the United States.
It’s impossible to fully capture her brilliant career and energetic, genre-defying activities in a short text, but it’s no exaggeration to say she is one of the most renowned Japanese jazz pianists in the world, not just in Japan.
Her first-ever solo piano album is Place to Be.
Released in 2009, it won the Gold Award at the 43rd Jazz Disc Awards and reached No.
24 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart in the U.S.
Don’t miss not only her outstanding technique, but also her masterful expressiveness, freely shifting between intensity and restraint.