New Wave of Piano Jazz - a Tsunami of Tsound

Taylor Eigsti
Geoffrey Keezer
Jacky Terrason
Brad Mehldau
Antoine Hervé

  Check out these amazing players.  These are 5 contemporary pianists that are stretching the boundaries of Solo Jazz Piano in a refreshing direction and I think it makes sense to group them together.  Each is unique, of course, but there is something they share.   They are helping to morph jazz away from the traditional improvising over existing tunes into an art form that is difficult to distinguish from formal 20th century more formal composition.  They do it in a way that is elegant and controlled, yet heavily improvised and often heavily rhythmic, heavily influence by classical music and their solid classical training.  These pianists are all fully competent at traditional jazz styles but have evolved from that foundation to  spearhead a new and fresh approach to jazz.  It is not free-jazz, it is not traditional, it is not swing, it is not latin.  It is not atonal but the tonality is not transparent most of the time.  It is certainly eclectic, complex, and energetic but remains accessible in the same way that any abstract art is accessible. The approach is full of surprises, harmonic and rhythmic twists and turns and grooves that defy description, with stylistic influences from around the globe.   They are all consummate musicians, highly trained, technical wizards and able to play the piano with a classical touch, sensibility and control.   Most are young, with the exception of Hervé who is 50 something, but young at heart.
  It is risky putting any of these players in a category of any kind as they all do so many different things.  Suffice it to say that it's all worth good time spent researching and listening to their music.  All have a presence on Rhapsody and iTunes.