I'm so fuckin' supriced that MOST of you folks mention female pianists and leave these too pioneering ladies:




Hazel Scott

The 1st black female to have her own TV music show and the biggest sensation in Harlem's Cafe Socioty Jazz community back in the 40's. Check these from her, she was the one who pioneered the infamous fusion between the classical and & the boogie-woogie piano playing:









Mary Lou Williams
The 1st female & BLACK female MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST & BAND LEADER and the mentor for MANY bebop greats such as Dizzy, Bird, Monk, Jamal, Miles, Bud Powell & etc. Miles, Jamal & Monk credit her the influence for the "Space/Silence" sound & the moody chordal changes. This is def someone you wanna hear, check these 2:

-Which is her MOST acclaimed album.


Now, my piano HERO is this man,,,,



Mr.Misty AKA Erroll Garner

If there's anybody who portray the PIANO VERSION of Billie Holiday then it must be this man(every key, every note, every melody & every run is filled with depth, emotions & moods to the fullest degree). Its funny how critics used to mock him for playing with so much sophistication without knowing how to READ or WRITE music, completely by EAR with a high understanding for classical, swing, bebop, boogie-woogie & ragtime. These are my FAVE from him:






And of course anything by Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, The Duke, Oscar Peterson, Monk, Bud Powell, Ahmad Jamal, Bobby Henderson, Willie "The Lion" Smith & James P. Johnson.