There were great pianists in jazz before Hines, like James P. Johnson and Jelly Roll Morton, but Hines's "trumpet-style" right hand changed the role of the instrument, with a bold and percussive attack that allowed the piano to solo in a band on equal terms with the horns. This compilation is an excellent introduction to the range of Hines's early accomplishments, from soloist to leader of one of the great big bands of the swing era. His accompaniments could propel a band, and that's apparent from this CD's opening track, "Weary Blues," from a 1927 date led by clarinetist Johnny Dodds and featuring Louis Armstrong and Barney Bigard. A soloist of surging rhythmic invention, his unaccompanied piano performances here include Hines's best-known compositions, "Rosetta" and "A Monday Date," a lovely ballad rendering of "Body and Soul," and even the proto-expressionism of "Child of a Disordered Brain." The overview of Hines's big band extends to the period when Billy Eckstine was the vocalist for the blues-infused "Jelly, Jelly" and "Stormy Monday Blues." --Stuart Broomer
Introduction to Earl Hines,Earl Hines,Best of Jazz,Big Band,Classic Jazz,Composer,Jazz,Jazz Music,Leader,Pop,Swing
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Introduction to Earl Hines
Earl Hines Manufacturer: Best of Jazz ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
Swing General
| Swing Jazz
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000001N0D Release Date: 1997-11-25 |
Tracks:
- Weary Blues
- A Monday Date
- Caution Blues
- Fifty-Seven Varieties
- Glad Rag Doll
- Deep Forest
- Cavernism
- Harlem Lament
- Rosetta
- Pianology
- Piano Man
- Rosetta
- Boogie Woogie On St. Louis Blues
- Body And Soul
- Child Of A Disordered Brain
- Save It, Pretty Mama
- Easy Rhythm
- Jelly, Jelly
- On The Sunny Side Of The Street
- The Earl
- Second Balcony Jump
- Stormy Monday Blues
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There were great pianists in jazz before Hines, like James P. Johnson and Jelly Roll Morton, but Hines's "trumpet-style" right hand changed the role of the instrument, with a bold and percussive attack that allowed the piano to solo in a band on equal terms with the horns. This compilation is an excellent introduction to the range of Hines's early accomplishments, from soloist to leader of one of the great big bands of the swing era. His accompaniments could propel a band, and that's apparent from this CD's opening track, "Weary Blues," from a 1927 date led by clarinetist Johnny Dodds and featuring Louis Armstrong and Barney Bigard. A soloist of surging rhythmic invention, his unaccompanied piano performances here include Hines's best-known compositions, "Rosetta" and "A Monday Date," a lovely ballad rendering of "Body and Soul," and even the proto-expressionism of "Child of a Disordered Brain." The overview of Hines's big band extends to the period when Billy Eckstine was the vocalist for the blues-infused "Jelly, Jelly" and "Stormy Monday Blues." --Stuart BroomerJazz Music: