[78-L] OT(?): Big Band leaders as pianists

[Bud]

So sue me.  I liked Eddy Duchin.

Bud

Sent from my iPad

> On Dec 7, 2015, at 7:11 PM, Julian Vein <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk.invalid> wrote:
> 
> 
>> On 07/12/15 21:51, Kristjan Saag wrote:
>> Was listening to the Duke Ellington 1961 album "Piano In The Foreground"
>> (with Aaron Bell/ Jimmy Woode, Sam Woodyard) and noticed the unusually
>> uneven mix between piano and bass/drums. The piano was really in the
>> foreground, the percussion was hardly heard.
>> Thought:; well, Duke was a nice pianist, but this was a situation where
>> he was part of a trio and didn't excel in nifty soloing - why give him
>> prominence in this way?
>> Next thought: how high in regard as pianist was he? And what about other
>> Big Band leader pianists: Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Stan Kenton, Earl
>> Hines?
>> Well, I know Hines was probably more valued as pianist than band leader,
>> and Kenton, certainly the opposite - I'm a big fan of Kenton's big band
>> sound but find him mediocre as pianist.
>> Other names I should have mentioned? Carla Bley, Mike Westbrook?
>> Eager to hear your opinions about these guys.
>> Kristjan
> ===============
> I don't care for Duke too much as a soloist, apart from the odd chorus 
> with the band. Didn't care for "Money Jungle" which, apart from being 
> inadequately recorded, was just repetitive, thumpy and dull. And, of 
> course, there were those, innumerable, feared "Ellington medleys"...
> 
> There was Claude Hopkins, who I like as a pianist, and his band too, 
> which isn't held in much regard these days, and whose approach 
> anticipated Basie's to some extent. I think it's a question of 
> overstaying their welcome--if they just stick to intros and an 
> occasional chorus that's fine, including Eddy Duchin!
> 
> Basie's playing was a beacon of light on the band's Decca recordings, 
> many of which were pretty mediocre despite the adulation they have received.
> 
> Then, of course, there was Sun Ra.
> 
> I suppose pianists can hide their limitations to some extent, unlike 
> horn players.
> 
>      Julian Vein
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