[bigmillz]

I played piano for the better half of a decade, and even though I don't anymore, I love to sit down and enjoy from time to time. Going to a concert isn't always an option, but I do have a really nice home stereo, and can play high res formats (SACD, DVDA, Bluray-audio, etc).

Any suggestions for some piano-focused recordings I might enjoy? Really feeling in the mood for something heavy & bold - almost like when pianos are used in hip-hop beats.

Thanks for any input, looking forward to some good listening material!

 

[Bill Mac]

Here are a few suggestions but they would mostly be jazz. A few titles are hard to find but have outstanding SQ IMO .

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio - Midnight Sugar and Misty SACDs

Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz and Explorations SHM-SACDs

Gene Harris - Plus One with Stanley Turrentine and Listen Here! SACDs

Dave Brubeck - Time Out APO SACD

Warren Bernhardt - Amelia's Song SACD

Larry Fuller Trio - Easy Walker SACD

Bill

 

[bigmillz]

Here are a few suggestions but they would mostly be jazz. A few titles are hard to find but have outstanding SQ IMO .

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio - Midnight Sugar and Misty SACDs

Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz and Explorations SHM-SACDs

Gene Harris - Plus One with Stanley Turrentine and Listen Here! SACDs

Dave Brubeck - Time Out APO SACD

Warren Bernhardt - Amelia's Song SACD

Larry Fuller Trio - Easy Walker SACD

Bill

Appreciate this, I'll take a look!

 

[Peter M]

Not to everyone's taste and not in hi-rez, but Bruce Hornsby's stuff is very piano heavy. This is an old one that I really like ...

Cheers,

 

[Benje2]

Keith Jarret Koln Concert is a good piano jazz stereo recording on ECM label.

 

[acebreathe]

Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is available on all three formats, and a few of his earlier works like Madman Across the Water were released on SACD. OOP now but show up on Ebay.

 

[mlknez]

You might like AIX records DVD-Audio of Chopin Four Ballades played by Anita Chang. It has 2 channel, 5 channel stage and 5 channel audience mixes all RECORDED at 96khz / 24 bit instead of just being recorded on analog then converted. It even comes with some video of the recording session.

 

[bigmillz]

Checking these all out...you guys are going to break my bank

 

[rdgrimes]

Piano Starts Here is a Zenph release. Its a "computerized piano" reproduction of the original recording by Art Tatum.

Hybrid SACD, its a state of the art recording. It does lack a certain "human quality", but the OP was about high quality and this qualifies.

Any discussion of jazz piano starts and ends with Art Tatum. Many aspiring jazz pianists have given up after hearing Tatum play.

 

[rdgrimes]

And since you got me started on jazz piano SACDs, there are many fine releases from Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Monty Alexander and more.

Keith Jarret Koln Concert is a good piano jazz stereo recording on ECM label.

This is also available in a 24/96 format download from HDTracks. By most accounts its an upgrade over the CD.

 

[FLCanuck]

Here are a few more you might check out....

Oscar Peterson - Exclusively For My Friends - Vol I - Action (SACD)
Oscar Peterson - Exclusively For My Friends - Vol III - The Way I Really Play (SACD)
Oscar Peterson - Night Train (Blu-ray audio)
RCA Living Stereo - Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (SACD)
Chopin - The 2 Piano Concertos - Sa Chen (SACD)
Dvorak - Works for Violin & Piano (SACD)

 

[rdgrimes]

^^^
I have all 6 of the "Oscar Peterson - Exclusively For My Friends" SACD set. Great quality recording but I don't care much for the sound of the "studio" used. Those were recorded in someone's living room.

 

[acebreathe]

Not one of my favorites and can't guarantee the fidelity but there are a number of Billy Joel MFSL SACD's. Are you particular to any one genre of music?

 

[bigmillz]

Not one of my favorites and can't guarantee the fidelity but there are a number of Billy Joel MFSL SACD's. Are you particular to any one genre of music?

Appreciate the additions!

In daily life, I'm actually big on house, trance, and some hip-hop. But I grew up listening to classical and various acoustical type things (obviously piano centric music included).

I enjoy almost anything that's dramatic and heavy. Tchaikovsky in general, but specifically Swan Lake, always appealed to me in this manner.

 

[Media Hostage]

Ola Gjeilo - Stone Rose (SACD) and Piano Improvisations (Blu Ray audio), 2L. They have excellent resolution and he plays powerful in the lower register quite a bit.

 

[JA Fant]

Nice suggestions All-
my reference SACD is easily;
Jamie Cullum- twentysomething- (2004) Verve.

 

[acebreathe]

Appreciate the additions!

In daily life, I'm actually big on house, trance, and some hip-hop. But I grew up listening to classical and various acoustical type things (obviously piano centric music included).

I enjoy almost anything that's dramatic and heavy. Tchaikovsky in general, but specifically Swan Lake, always appealed to me in this manner.

Elusive Disc is having a 1/2 price SACD sale but from what I've seen it's almost all classical with naturally some piano centric recordings. Not sure how long the sale lasts may be over this weekend.