Hello All,
I recently hosted a webinar called “Practice Makes Progress”.
The subject of listening came up. I think that listening to music is integral to the process of learning to become a musician.
But it’s not so easy these days. There are so many choices, and many families barely listen to music at all!
Sometimes during a lesson, I like to take what I call an ‘inspiration break’. Below are my favorite go-to living piano players (Except for Dr. Austin).
I embedded an example video for each artist, but go ahead and check out their channels. Each one has many great videos.
Yohan Kim
At the top of my list, Yohan Kim is from South Korea. He is a master jazz player. At 13 years old, he recorded himself playing Peter Bence’s arrangement of MJ’s “Bad”. It went viral. Now he’s in his 20s and puts out lots of amazing stuff, including jazz standards, Christian music, and popular covers.
Here is his ‘Bad’ cover arranged by Peter Bence (below). Kim is 13 years old in this video, which has 2.9 million views to date.
Peter Bence
Peter Bence is a Hungarian pianist. He is classically trained, and you can definitely tell. He does lots of creative covers of popular music. He prepares his piano (in the style of John Cage) uses percussive effects, and loops to make his music sound absolutely awesome.
Jacob Collier
A native of England, Jacob Collier is an all-around musical genius. He plays multiple instruments and sings. He is super tech-savvy and makes very cool videos. I love his piano arrangements. Great to listen to and fun to play too!
Sanga Noona
Sanga Noona is South Korean. She has fabulous renditions of popular music and jazz standards. She is a very well-trained pianist and a delight to watch and listen to.
Jimin Park
Jimin Park is a crossover jazz pianist. I love her ‘Hazel Scott’ style swing playing. She also plays jazz, blues, and classical music.
Jarrod Radnich
Jarrod Radnich is a U.S.-born pianist. He is famous for his stunning arrangements of popular pieces and virtuosity.
Ethel Caffie Austin
Dr. Austin is no longer living, but I love her playing. Years ago, I bought a set of her DVDs so that I could learn to play gospel-style piano. She’s amazing, and the kids love to watch her play. She was given an honorary Doctor of Arts Degree.
Some of your suggestions,
Anderson and Roe
Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe are United States Steinway artists. They tour worldwide and play exciting and unique music.
Ludovico Einaudi
Einaudi is an Italian-born pianost/composer. He has scored the music for many movies and television productions.
That’s my list. Please leave your favorite pianists (other than yourself, lol) in the comments below.
Comments & Discussion