Pianists' names. Rating of the best pianists. The most awarded film composer

Every classical music lover can name his favorite.

Alfred Brendel was not a child prodigy, and his parents had nothing to do with music. His career began without much fanfare and developed slowly. Perhaps this is the secret of his longevity? At the beginning of this year, Brendel turned 77, however, his concert schedule sometimes includes 8-10 performances per month.

A solo performance by Alfred Brendel has been announced for June 30 concert hall Mariinsky Theater. The pianist for this concert could not be found on the official website. But there is a date for the upcoming Moscow concert, which will take place on November 14. However, Gergiev is distinguished by his ability to solve insoluble problems.

READ ALSO:

Another contender for first place in the improvised ranking is Grigory Sokolov. At least that's what they will say in St. Petersburg. As a rule, once a year Sokolov comes to his hometown and gives a concert in Great hall The St. Petersburg Philharmonic (the last one was in March of this year), Moscow is just as regularly ignored. This summer Sokolov is playing in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Portugal and Poland. The program includes sonatas by Mozart and preludes by Chopin. The route points closest to Russia will be Krakow and Warsaw, where Sokolov will reach in August.
If you call Martha Argerich the best pianist among women, someone will certainly object: among men too. Fans of the temperamental Chilean are not embarrassed by the pianist’s sudden mood swings or frequent cancellations of concerts. The phrase “the concert is planned, but not guaranteed” is exactly what it means.

Martha Argerich will spend this June, as usual, in the Swiss city of Lugano, where her own music festival. Programs and participants change, but one thing remains unchanged: every evening Argerich herself participates in the performance of one of the works. In July, Argerich also performs in Europe: in Cyprus, Germany and Switzerland.

Canadian Marc-Andre Hamelin is often called the heir to Glen Gould. The comparison is lame on both legs: Gould was a recluse, Hamelin actively tours, Gould is famous for his mathematically calculated interpretations of Bach, Hamelin marks the return of the romantic virtuoso style.

Marc-Andre Hamelin performed in Moscow as recently as March of this year as part of the same subscription as Maurizio Pollini. Hamelin is touring Europe in June. His schedule includes solo concerts in Copenhagen and Bonn and a festival appearance in Norway.

If anyone sees Mikhail Pletnev playing the piano, immediately notify news agencies, and you will become the author of a world sensation. The reason why one of the best pianists in Russia ended his performing career cannot be understood by the ordinary mind - his last concerts were just as great as usual. Today Pletnev's name can be found on posters only as a conductor. But we will still hope.
A serious boy beyond his years in a pioneer tie - this is how Evgeny Kissin is still remembered, although neither the pioneers nor that boy have long been seen. Today he is one of the most popular classical musicians in the world. It was him who Pollini once called the brightest of the musicians of the new generation. His technique is magnificent, but often cold - as if the musician lost something very important along with his childhood and will never find it.

In June, Evgeny Kissin tours Switzerland, Austria and Germany with the Kremerata Baltica orchestra, playing Mozart's 20th and 27th concertos. The next tour is scheduled for October: Kissin will accompany Dmitry Hvorostovsky in Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and London.

Arkady Volodos is another one of those “angry young people” of current pianism who rejects competitions on principle. He is a true citizen of the world: he was born in St. Petersburg, studied in hometown, then in Moscow, Paris and Madrid. First, the young pianist's recordings, released by Sony, arrived in Moscow, and only then did he himself appear. It seems that his annual concerts in the capital are becoming the rule.

Arkady Volodos began June with a performance in Paris; in the summer he can be heard in Salzburg, Rheingau, Bad Kissingen and Oslo, as well as in the small Polish town of Duszniki at the traditional Chopin festival.

Ivo Pogorelic won international competitions, however, his defeat brought him worldwide fame: in 1980, the pianist from Yugoslavia was not allowed into the third round of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. As a result, Martha Argerich resigned from the jury, and fame fell on the young pianist.

In 1999, Pogorelich stopped performing. They say that the reason for this was the obstruction that the pianist was subjected to in Philadelphia and London by disgruntled listeners. According to another version, the cause of the musician’s depression was the death of his wife. Pogorelich recently returned to the concert stage, but performs little.

The last position on the list is the most difficult to fill. After all, there are still so many excellent pianists left: Polish-born Christian Zimmerman, American Murray Perahia, Japanese Mitsuko Ushida, Korean Kun Woo Peck or Chinese Lang Lang. Vladimir Ashkenazy and Daniel Barenboim continue their careers. Any music lover will name his favorite. So let one place in the top ten remain vacant.

To recognize the world's only best contemporary pianist is an impossible task. For each critic and listener, different masters will be idols. And that's the point strong point humanity: the world contains a considerable number of worthy and talented pianists.

Agrerich Marta Archerich

The pianist was born in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires in 1941. She took up the instrument at the age of three, and at the age of eight she made her public debut, at which she performed a concerto by Mozart himself.

The future virtuoso star studied with teachers such as Friedrich Gould, Arturo Ashkenazy and Stefan Michelangeli - some of the most outstanding classical pianists of the 20th century.

Since 1957, Argerich began to participate in competitive activities and won her first big victories: 1st place in the Geneva Piano Competition and the International Busoni Competition.

However, Martha’s real stunning success came at the moment when, at the age of 24, she was able to win the international Chopin competition in the city of Warsaw.

In 2005, she won the highest Grammy award for her performance of chamber works by composers Prokofiev and Ravel, and in 2006, for her performance of Beethoven’s work with an orchestra.

Also in 2005, the pianist was awarded the Imperial Japanese Prize.

Her ardent playing and amazing technical abilities, with the help of which she masterfully performs the works of Russian composers Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, cannot leave anyone indifferent.

One of the most famous contemporary pianists in Russia is the musician Evgeniy Igorevich Kisin.

He was born on October 10, 1971 in Moscow, at the age of six he entered the music school named after the Gnessins. His first and only teacher for the rest of his life was Anna Pavlovna Kantor.

Since 1985, Kissin began to demonstrate his talent abroad. In 1987 he debuts in Western Europe.

After 3 years, he conquers the United States, where he performs Chopin's 1st and 2nd concertos with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and a week later performs solo.

Another one of the most outstanding modern Russian virtuoso pianists is the famous Denis Matsuev.

Denis was born in the city of Irkutsk in 1975 into a family of musicians. Parents taught their children to art from an early age. The boy's first teacher was his grandmother Vera Rammul.

In 1993, Matsuev entered the State Conservatory Moscow, and after 2 years he already becomes the leading soloist of the Moscow State Philharmonic.

He gained worldwide fame after winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998, when he was only 23 years old.

He prefers to combine his innovative approach to playing with the traditions of the Russian school of piano.

Since 2004, he has been holding a series of concerts called “Soloist Denis Matsuev,” inviting domestic and foreign leading orchestras to collaborate with him.

Christian Zimmerman

Christian Zimmerman (born 1956) is a renowned contemporary pianist of Polish origin. In addition to being an instrumentalist, he is also a conductor.

His initial music lessons were taught to him by his father, an amateur pianist. Christian then continued his studies with teacher Andrzej Jasinski in a private format, and then moved to the Katowice Conservatory.

He began giving his first concerts at the age of 6 and in 1975 won the Chopin Piano Competition, thereby becoming the youngest winner in history. Over the next year, he honed his piano skills with the famous Polish pianist Arthur Rubinstein.

Christian Zimmermann is considered a brilliant performer of Chopin's work. His discography includes recordings of all the piano concertos of Ravel, Beethoven, Brahms and, of course, his main idol, Chopin, as well as sound recordings of works by Liszt, Strauss and Respiha.

Since 1996 he has been teaching classes at the Basel Hochschule für Musik. Received the Chigi and Leonie Sonning Academy Awards.

In 1999 he created the Polish Festival Orchestra.

Wang Yujia is a Chinese representative of piano art. She gained fame thanks to her virtuoso and incredible quick game, for which she was awarded the pseudonym “Flying Fingers.”

The Chinese contemporary pianist's birthplace is Beijing, where she spent her childhood in a family of musicians. At the age of 6, she began her tests on the keyboard instrument, and a year later she entered the Central Conservatory of the capital. At the age of 11 she was enrolled to study in Canada and after 3 years she finally moved to a foreign country for further studies.

In 1998, she received the prize of the International Competition for Young Pianists in the city of Ettlingen, and in 2001, in addition to the award described above, the judges gave Wang an award awarded to pianists under 20 years old in the amount of 500,000 yen (in rubles - 300,000).

The pianist also plays Russian composers with success: she has recorded Rachmaninov’s Second and Third Concertos, as well as Prokofiev’s Second Concerto.

Fazil Say is a Turkish contemporary pianist and composer born in 1970. He studied at the Ankara Conservatory, and then in the cities of Germany - Berlin and Dusseldorf.

In addition to his piano work, it is worth noting his qualities as a composer: in 1987, the pianist’s composition “Black Hymns” was performed in honor of the 750th anniversary of the city.

In 2006, the premiere of his ballet “Patara” took place in Vienna, written on the basis of Mozart’s theme, but already piano sonata.

Two composers occupy an important place in Sai's performing piano repertoire: musical titans Bach and Mozart. At concerts he alternates classical works with your own.

In 2000, he made an unusual experiment, taking the risk of recording the ballet “The Rite of Spring” for two pianos, performing both parts with his own hands.

In 2013, he came under criminal investigation for statements in social network related to the topic of Islam. The Istanbul court concluded that the musician’s words were directed against the Muslim faith and sentenced Fazil Say to 10 years of suspended imprisonment.

That same year, the composer filed a petition for a retrial, the verdict of which was again confirmed in September.

Other

Talk about everything in one article modern pianists there is simply no possibility. Therefore, we list those whose names are significant today in the world of classical music:

• Daniel Barenboim from Israel;
• Yundi Li from China;
• From Russia;
• Murray Perahia from the United States of America;
• Mitsuko Uchida from Japan;
• from Russia and many other masters.

Every classical music lover can name his favorite.

Alfred Brendel was not a child prodigy, and his parents had nothing to do with music. His career began without much fanfare and developed slowly. Perhaps this is the secret of his longevity? At the beginning of this year, Brendel turned 77, however, his concert schedule sometimes includes 8-10 performances per month.

A solo performance by Alfred Brendel has been announced for June 30 at the Mariinsky Theater concert hall. The pianist for this concert could not be found on the official website. But there is a date for the upcoming Moscow concert, which will take place on November 14. However, Gergiev is distinguished by his ability to solve insoluble problems.

READ ALSO:

Another contender for first place in the improvised ranking is Grigory Sokolov. At least that's what they will say in St. Petersburg. As a rule, once a year Sokolov comes to his hometown and gives a concert in the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (the last one was in March of this year), but he just as regularly ignores Moscow. This summer Sokolov is playing in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Portugal and Poland. The program includes sonatas by Mozart and preludes by Chopin. The route points closest to Russia will be Krakow and Warsaw, where Sokolov will reach in August.
If you call Martha Argerich the best pianist among women, someone will certainly object: among men too. Fans of the temperamental Chilean are not embarrassed by the pianist’s sudden mood swings or frequent cancellations of concerts. The phrase “the concert is planned, but not guaranteed” is exactly what it means.

Martha Argerich will spend this June, as usual, in the Swiss city of Lugano, where her own music festival will take place. Programs and participants change, but one thing remains unchanged: every evening Argerich herself participates in the performance of one of the works. In July, Argerich also performs in Europe: in Cyprus, Germany and Switzerland.

Canadian Marc-Andre Hamelin is often called the heir to Glen Gould. The comparison is lame on both legs: Gould was a recluse, Hamelin actively tours, Gould is famous for his mathematically calculated interpretations of Bach, Hamelin marks the return of the romantic virtuoso style.

Marc-Andre Hamelin performed in Moscow as recently as March of this year as part of the same subscription as Maurizio Pollini. Hamelin is touring Europe in June. His schedule includes solo concerts in Copenhagen and Bonn and a festival appearance in Norway.

If someone sees Mikhail Pletnev playing the piano, immediately inform the news agencies, and you will become the author of a world sensation. The reason why one of the best pianists in Russia ended his performing career cannot be understood by the ordinary mind - his last concerts were as magnificent as usual. Today Pletnev's name can be found on posters only as a conductor. But we will still hope.
A serious boy beyond his years in a pioneer tie - this is how Evgeny Kissin is still remembered, although neither the pioneers nor that boy have long been seen. Today he is one of the most popular classical musicians in the world. It was him who Pollini once called the brightest of the musicians of the new generation. His technique is magnificent, but often cold - as if the musician lost something very important along with his childhood and will never find it.

In June, Evgeny Kissin tours Switzerland, Austria and Germany with the Kremerata Baltica orchestra, playing Mozart's 20th and 27th concertos. The next tour is scheduled for October: Kissin will accompany Dmitry Hvorostovsky in Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and London.

Arkady Volodos is another one of those “angry young people” of current pianism who rejects competitions on principle. He is a true citizen of the world: he was born in St. Petersburg, studied in his hometown, then in Moscow, Paris and Madrid. First, the young pianist's recordings, released by Sony, arrived in Moscow, and only then did he himself appear. It seems that his annual concerts in the capital are becoming the rule.

Arkady Volodos began June with a performance in Paris; in the summer he can be heard in Salzburg, Rheingau, Bad Kissingen and Oslo, as well as in the small Polish town of Duszniki at the traditional Chopin festival.

Ivo Pogorelich won international competitions, but his defeat brought him world fame: in 1980, a pianist from Yugoslavia was not allowed into the third round of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. As a result, Martha Argerich resigned from the jury, and fame fell on the young pianist.

In 1999, Pogorelich stopped performing. They say that the reason for this was the obstruction that the pianist was subjected to in Philadelphia and London by disgruntled listeners. According to another version, the cause of the musician’s depression was the death of his wife. Pogorelich recently returned to the concert stage, but performs little.

The last position on the list is the most difficult to fill. After all, there are still so many excellent pianists left: Polish-born Christian Zimmerman, American Murray Perahia, Japanese Mitsuko Ushida, Korean Kun Woo Peck or Chinese Lang Lang. Vladimir Ashkenazy and Daniel Barenboim continue their careers. Any music lover will name his favorite. So let one place in the top ten remain vacant.

You can make a living from music, but you will never make a fortune from your talent. But these people - the richest pianists in the world - managed to break into the elite, moreover, their capital amounts to millions of dollars. These are real stars who masterfully play the piano, perform in shows and give grandiose concerts, themselves writing music or simply putting their whole soul into the instrument.

Musicians and showmen

Briton Jools Holland ( full name– Julian Miles Holland balances his career as a musician with his work in the television industry. A composer and showman, he, while still a boy, worked in London pubs and earned his own money. In addition, he discovered a good voice and his own singing style, so this became an additional advantage for the young performer. He released several albums and collaborated with Sting and George Harrison, David Gilmour and Eric Clapton, Bono and Mark Knopfler. Performances around the world brought Jules a net worth of $2 million.

American singer and pianist Michael Feinstein gives more than two hundred shows a year. His passion for the piano arose in his childhood - his parents sent their son to take music lessons, and it was then that he discovered that he could play without notes in front of his eyes. At the age of 20, he, like Jules, entertained people in bars, and then he was lucky to get into a grandiose project. He recorded an extensive collection of records (works by Ira Gershwin). The work took 6 years, at the same time the musician performed on Broadway, and later Carnegie Hall, Sydney opera house, White House and Buckingham Palace - Michael gave everywhere big concerts. As a result, Feinstein's net worth is $10 million.

Gifted multi-player pianists

The list of the richest pianists also includes a native Soviet Union– Regina Spektor. She was born in Moscow, into a musical family; later her parents (who gave the girl her first lessons) moved to America. There she began to play the piano in the synagogue. Regina studied with Sonia Vargas, wrote songs, and later graduated from the conservatory. In 2001, the girl’s first album was released, and three years later she already had a contract with Sire Records. Regina's interests are varied: not only classical music, but also folk, punk, hip-hop, rock, jazz, Russian and Jewish music. Tours and recordings brought the pianist $12 million.

Spector's same age, 35-year-old Sara Bareilles, started out as a member of the school choir, then moved to music group, specializing in a cappella singing. As a student, Sarah worked in nightclubs and bars, and later began performing at festivals and large venues. Bareilles's debut disc earned recognition, she soon signed a contract with Epic Records, her career took off - and now Sarah is performing on tours throughout America. Her style is piano rock with jazz and soul influences; she plays not only the piano, but also the guitar, harmonium and ukulele. Concerts, duets with Sheryl Crow and Norah Jones, performances for the Obama family, guest appearances on TV shows, albums and singles allowed Sarah to earn $16 million.

Asian phenomenon

And here is a classical pianist - one of the richest pianists in our “hit parade” - the representative of China Lan Lan. He, the youngest in the ranking, achieved fame (and a 20 million net worth) quite early. His first meeting with western music there was a fragment from cult series"Tom and Jerry" (where the characters perform Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2"). He graduated from the conservatory and after several victories in competitions was considered the best pianist in the country. Already at the age of 14, Lan Lan moved to Philadelphia and entered the Curtis Institute of Music. A 3 million contract with Sony, concerts for world leaders, tours in Europe, the USA and Asia made him everyone’s favorite and allowed him to be included in the hundred most influential people on the planet according to Forbes.

Arranger, improviser, producer

Composer, performer, music producer, arranger, organizer of the band of his own name, Yanni Chrysomallis was born in Greece, but now lives in the USA. He did not immediately decide that music was the most important thing in his life. Initially, Yanni entered the psychology department at the University of Minnesota, and there he began to learn to play the keyboard. His first recognition came on the 1988-1989 tour, when he performed with the Dallas symphony orchestra. After this, Yanni had an amazing career with a huge amount concerts, music awards, unique recordings. Chrisomallis's capital today is $40 million.

Director of La Scala

U music director of the legendary La Scala theater, 72-year-old Daniel Barenboim has Russian roots. His parents moved from the USSR to Argentina, where Daniel grew up. The gifted boy gave his first concert at the age of 7 (his father and mother were pianists, and they taught their son). Creative path The musician is amazing: he led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Orchestra, the Berlin State Opera, he is an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire, the Legion of Honor, and was awarded a Grammy seven times. The pianist's fortune is estimated at $50 million.

The most awarded film composer

The most famous and award-winning film composer, John Williams, is also one of the richest pianists in the world. 100 million dollar capital, five Academy Awards (and 49 nominations), 21 Grammys, 4 Golden Globes and many other awards - this is very significant! Williams wrote music for all of Steven Spielberg's films and George Lucas' masterpieces, including " Star wars"and the Indiana Jones series. John started out as a jazz pianist performing in New York clubs. He began writing music for films in the 1960s, and since then he has earned the title of the most famous film composer of all time.

Music legends

The second line in our ranking of the richest pianists is rightfully occupied by Billy Joel. His “net worth” is $160 million. Musician, singer, songwriter William Martin Joel grew up in a musical family: his father was classical pianist, he became a teacher for his son. Billy earned money playing the piano while still in school to help his mother with money. He later attended Columbia University. His first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, was a complete disaster, but some of the songs started playing on the radio, and Joel managed to sign a contract with Columbia Records, after which things started looking up for him.

The leader of the rating is fabulously rich – $440 million. He began to take an interest in the piano at the age of three and took lessons at the age of seven. Very soon the boy managed to win a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music; during his studies, he performed in a nearby pub. People from all the surrounding streets flocked here to listen to the boy. The young pianist became a rock star, gained a sea of ​​fans, conquered thousands of stages, sang a duet with greatest singers of all time, recorded albums, won many awards. Have you guessed who it is yet? The richest (and most talented) pianist in the world is Elton John.

1. Jamie Cullum (Jamie Cullum) Popularity - 1.95 million | Born 08/20/1979 | United Kingdom Known for his charisma and supreme skill as a jazz pianist and vocalist. He is mainly presented as a “performer,” that is, as a person who, first of all, puts on a show at concerts. Recognized several times by various publications as the best jazz performer of the year. And just my favorite musician :)

Some of his favorite “tricks” are to climb with his feet on the piano and sing from there, tapping rhythms on the piano, mixing everything with beatboxing. Mainly writes and performs music in the style pop jazz, plays wonderful and original covers of both songs from the 30s and songs recent years, for example, on Rihanna's song "Please Don"t Stop The Music". You can also find many recordings jazz standards performed by him, for example, "I"ve Got You Under My Skin" or "Devil May Care".

Platinum album Jamie Cullum Twentysomething became (and remains) the UK's best-selling jazz album of all time in 2003. The latest albums "The Pursuit" and "Momentum" (by the way, a few months ago I was at the presentation of this album in London during his world tour) gravitate more towards pop music than classical jazz. Notice how melodic and complete all his improvisations are, as well as the funky riffs he uses when he plays alone.

2. Keith Jarrett Popularity - 3.55 million | Born 05/08/1945 | USA Keith is famous not only as one of the best jazz pianists and improvisers of our time, but also as a performer of the classical piano repertoire. He is also a composer: at the age of 7 he gave his first concert, in which he performed 2 own compositions, and at 17 he gave a concert entirely consisting of his own works.

Keith Jarrett's jazz improvisations are some of the most recognizable. His melodies are organic and soulful, which is worth his “whining” during the game (they usually even install microphones for him to add audio). During the performance of the most emotional moments, he stands up and is touchingly shaken. In his youth, he wore an afro hairstyle and played with Miles Davis. Winner of many international jazz awards.

3. Bill EvansPopularity - 97.70 million | Born 08/16/1929 | USA One of the most significant jazz musicians of the 20th century. He made a huge contribution to the development of jazz. His harmonies and solos are sophisticated to the extreme, but at the same time easy to perceive and listen to. He was nominated for a Grammy Award more than 30 times and received 7 times. He received one of the awards posthumously.

This jazz performer is included in the jazz pantheon of fame. The genius of his art. When he plays, it feels like he merges with the instrument. What can I say? Watch and listen for yourself:

4. Herbie Hancock (Herbie Hancock) Popularity - 4.79 million | Born 04/12/1940 | USA Herbie is a jazz pianist who is today rightfully considered the most influential jazz pianist of our time. He has won 14 Grammy Awards, recorded more than 45 studio albums, and is known for his use of synthesizers and guitars.

This pianist was one of the first to use a synthesizer during solo performances. His piano riffs are so pumping that some of them would be great to hear as motivational music when heavyweight boxers enter the ring. The style in which Herbie plays is jazz with elements of fusion, rock, and soul. Considered one of the founders of post-bebop. He played with Miles Davis, Marcus Miller, and in general it is difficult to name a world-class musician with whom Herbie Hancock did not have joint projects. The musician is so versatile that many of his recordings at first glance seem to have been played by some kind of experimentalists, and some by romantic pianists. I advise all musicians to carefully study his work; I once downloaded all his albums, starting from the 60s, and followed his entire musical career. This approach will allow you to see the evolution of the musician’s work, which is very informative and interesting. As you listen, pay attention to the crazy sounds he chooses on his synthesizer. For me, Herbie is one of my favorite keyboard players.

5. Ray Charles Popularity - 170 million | Born 10/23/1930 | Died 2010 | USA One of the most famous and significant musicians of all time. Winner of 17 Grammy awards. The main directions of creativity are soul, R"n B, jazz. As a 7-year-old boy, he went blind and had not seen all his life. He held more than 10 thousand concerts at which he sang and played the piano. A man of legend.

Possessing an extraordinary manner of performing his vocal parts, turning screams, moans, exclamations and giggles into music, emphasizing everything with rhythmic jazz piano and memorable body movements, Ray Charles is one of the most significant figures in music of the 20th century. Author of more than 70 albums. Being a multi-instrumentalist, Ray still prefers the piano to other instruments. His parts are so thoughtful and organic that it seems impossible to remove or add a single note. It is rightfully considered one of the best jazz pianists and vocalists last century.

6. Bob JamesPopularity - 447.00 million | Born 12/25/1939 | USA The most popular pianist in this collection. Member of the group Fourplay, winner of 2 Grammy awards. Composer, pianist, arranger, music producer. one of the most famous jazz musicians of all time.

His music is so diverse that it's worth just taking a few weeks to study his work.

7. Chick Corea (Chick Corea) Popularity - 2.38 million | Born 06/12/1941 | USA A genius of classical and Latin American jazz motifs. Winner of many international awards, including Grammy. Chick Corea's compositions are considered very serious and difficult to perform among musicians. Many call his music higher mathematics. He loves loose, colorful shirts.

You need to be prepared spiritually and intellectually for the music of Chick Corea. His melodies are melodic, sometimes dramatic and difficult to understand at first. When playing, he uses non-standard intervals (for example, seconds), which, when played by other musicians, often hurt the ear. However, when Chick is at the instrument, his music is so captivating with its melody, complexity and at the same time extraordinary “airiness” that the listener simply forgets about everything and goes into a kind of trance, following the hands of the great pianist.

8. Norah JonesPopularity - 7.0 million | Born 03/30/1979 | USA A gentle and at the same time very serious jazz pianist and vocalist, actress. He performs his songs and has a memorable voice.

This singer and pianist is a fragile girl in appearance, but inside she has the solid core of a real jazz player. Pay attention to her cute face during performance. I like to draw and think while listening to her concerts.

P.S. If you like Norah Jones, I think you'll probably like Katie Melua(Ketie Melua), she also sings very soulfully.

9. Count BasiePopularity - 2.41 million | Born 08/21/1904 | USA Big band leader, virtuoso pianist, organist. He made a significant contribution to the development of swing and blues. He allowed the musicians in his orchestra to improvise freely, which was one of the serious trump cards of his orchestra.

Listen to this jazz orchestra from the sixties, immerse yourself in the jazz of that time.

10. Oscar Peterson (Oscar Peterson) Popularity - 18.5 million | Born 08/15/1925 | Died 2007 | Canada Oscar Peterson is a legend of world jazz. A virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher, he played with such world jazz legends as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. One of the city squares in Toronto is named after Peterson.

The phenomenal speed of playing, virtuoso original bebop passages, harmonious chords, enormous length of fingers and the size of his torso make Oscar Peterson one of the most memorable figures in world jazz. One can often hear from modern smooth-jazz musicians that there is no need to “water on notes”, it is enough to play one note and if it is correctly chosen and played where needed, this is enough for a musical masterpiece. In the case of Oscar Peterson, it becomes obvious that 10-15 notes played in 1 second, but played the way Oscar does, is also a musical masterpiece. Numerous jazz publications still write that Oscar Peterson is best jazz pianist 20th century.

11. Lennie Tristano (Lenny Tristano)Popularity - 349 thousand | Born 03/19/1919 | USA Famous blind pianist who made significant contributions to the development jazz music. He recorded with Charlie Parker, winner of many awards, and was recognized several times as the best pianist of the year by various magazines. Towards the end of his life he concentrated entirely on teaching music.

Unfortunately, Lenny Tristano's concerts are not so easy to find, but after listening to him play you will become his fan. In addition to the excellent sound, I am also amazed by the beauty of his playing. Yes, yes, exactly beauty! Watch his long fingers as he plays, they dance across the keys like living creatures!

12. Michel Petrucciani (Michel Petrucciani)Popularity - 1.42 million | Born 12/28/1962 | France Famous jazz pianist. His discography includes more than 30 albums. He passed away at the age of 37 from a congenital disease.

I love his improvisations, which grow in intensity every minute and develop into energetic passages with serious deviations in harmony.

13. Brian Cullbertson Popularity - 1.66 million | Born 01/12/1973 | USA One of the best smooth jazz pianists, also plays the trombone. Winner of numerous awards, author of more than 13 albums.

Frankly, I was only able to rethink his work a few years ago when I listened to several of his funk records. Before that, I had only heard it in the smooth-jazz style and, despite the high level of performance, I thought the sound of jazz was a little commercial. Later, I decided to get to know this jazz pianist better and listened more carefully to several of his concerts and albums. The compositions So Good and Back In The Day, as well as the pianist’s manner of mixing light smooth melodies with funky aggressive passages, made such a strong impression on me that today Brian Culbertson is one of the best jazz pianists for me. Notice in the recording below how harmoniously his band plays. I listened to this video dozens of times and each time I discovered something new in the arrangement and solo. By the way, this jazz pianist almost always plays standing, facing the audience.

14. Thelonius Monk (Thelonius Monk)Popularity - 1.95 million | Born 10/10/1917 | USA One of the founders of bebop, composer and pianist. He has a super-original style of playing. without this musician modern jazz might not have happened. At one time he was considered an avant-garde artist, a primitivist and the creator of new experimental jazz styles.

Pay attention to his fingers - they don’t seem to bend! Listen to his notes, despite the wide abundance of intervals that are incomprehensible at first glance, you can trace a clear melody that he leads. This pianist had a significant influence on me. By the way, he loved playing with a hat, it looks great.

15. Diana Krall (Diana Krall)Popularity - 3.4 million | Born 11/16/1964 | Canada Professional jazz pianist, recognized old-timer of modern jazz music. IN to a greater extent performs classical jazz, winner of 3 Grammy awards, and has been recognized as the best jazz performer in different years.

This jazz performer was born and raised in a musical family, her parents and her grandmother were musicians and, naturally, Diana was instilled with a love of music, especially jazz, from childhood. Her voice has a twist, listen to it and you will understand what I mean.

I would like to note once again that this selection does not pretend to be complete, since within the framework of one article it is simply impossible to talk about all the significant figures of modern jazz piano. Still, I hope that I managed to place the main accents.

Please write in the comments, what other topics are worth doing similar introductory reviews on, is this form of review suitable?