What makes a great jazz pianist?
Is it blazing virtuosity, harmonic daring, rhythmic invention—or something harder to define, like feel or soul? Across the history of jazz, the piano has been both a foundation and a frontier: anchoring rhythm sections, shaping harmony, and launching improvisations into the unknown. From smoky clubs to grand concert halls, these artists have stretched the expressive power of 88 musical keys in thrilling, unpredictable directions.
Take Thelonious Monk, whose angular melodies and percussive style were once misunderstood but are now considered cornerstones of modern jazz. Or Bill Evans, whose introspective touch and lush harmonies helped redefine the jazz trio. Dave Brubeck fused classical ideas with cool jazz elegance, while Chick Corea broke boundaries with electric experimentation and Latin-tinged energy. Keith Jarrett’s solo improvisations feel like spiritual journeys, while Jelly Roll Morton claimed he “invented jazz” and wasn’t entirely wrong—his early recordings shaped the genre’s DNA.
This list of the 15 greatest jazz pianists isn’t just about technical mastery or popularity. It’s about those who changed the music: inventors, rebels, poets, and pioneers. Some brought swing to life; others deconstructed it. All of them brought something unmistakably their own to the keyboard. Here are the titans who made the piano one of jazz’s most vital and visionary voices.
Best jazz pianists: the top 15
15. Dave Brubeck (1920-2012)
Dave Brubeck rose to fame with his college circuit success and 1959’s Time Out, featuring the iconic “Take Five.” Though critics dismissed his classical influences and unconventional swing, he remained true to his expressive, risk-taking style. Over time, Brubeck’s reputation has grown, revealing an intuitive pianist who defied categories—and proved that jazz, at its best, dares to go beyond the expected.
Start here: The Essential Dave Brubeck
14. Chick Corea (1941-2021)
Chick Corea’s vast jazz career spanned acoustic to electric, hard bop to Latin fusion. Rooted in classical training and early jazz influences, he left Juilliard to pursue a bold, expressive path. His work with Miles Davis shaped fusion history, but he sought deeper drama in projects like Return to Forever and acoustic duets with Gary Burton. Corea’s legacy is one of fearless creativity, genre-blurring innovation, and enduring musical passion.
Start here: Crystal Silence (1973): Lyrical, spacious, shimmering dialogue with vibes.
13. Cecil Taylor (1929- 2018)
Defying category, Cecil Taylor’s furious, free-form piano improvisations split critics over his jazz credentials, yet his creative intensity is undisputed. Conservatory-trained but rooted in Ellington, Monk, and the blues, Taylor pounded the keyboard as “88 tuned drums,” forging what he called “rhythm-sound-energy.” Though likened to the European avant-garde, he insisted his music was Black expression—his way of “holding on to Negro culture.” Start here: debut Jazz Advance (1956) still brims with blues and swing.
12. Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941)
Jelly Roll Morton claimed he invented jazz in 1902—and while that’s debatable, he was certainly its first great composer. A New Orleans original, Morton blended blues, ragtime, and opera into structured yet spontaneous compositions. His Red Hot Peppers recordings from 1926, like Black Bottom Stomp, revealed jazz as sophisticated, not chaotic. Morton’s flamboyance matched his artistry: he truly backed up the boast with dazzling, dynamic music.
Start here: 'Black Bottom Stomp'
11. Fats Waller (1904-1943)
Entertainer and virtuoso, known for his witty vocals and joyous swing, Waller was also a master of stride piano, admired by jazz peers. A pupil of Leopold Godowsky and a Bach enthusiast, Waller brought classical finesse to jazz. Though his comedic image masked deeper artistry, his recordings—from Ain’t Misbehavin’ to Shortnin’ Bread—reveal brilliance, subtlety, and a unique personality that burned bright before his untimely death at 39.
Start here: Ain't Misbehavin' is the perfect intro to Waller's irresistible world.
Jazz pianists: the top 10
10. Count Basie (1904-1984)
Basie’s minimalist piano style and powerhouse big band were a perfect match. His subtle touch shaped the band’s rhythm and lifted its famed swing feel. Rising from Kansas City in 1936, Basie’s crew featured stellar soloists like Lester Young and Buck Clayton, igniting excitement with riff-driven tunes like One O’Clock Jump. In the ’50s, Basie embraced slicker arrangements and precision, producing hits like April in Paris—but never lost his signature groove and infectious swing.
Start here: The Atomic Mr Basie: a big-band jazz pinnacle.
9. Earl Hines (1903-1983)
Once hailed as the king of jazz piano, Earl Hines was a dazzling virtuoso whose innovative style shaped a generation. In the 1920s, groundbreaking recordings with Louis Armstrong made him famous; in the ’30s and ’40s, he led a major big band featuring future bebop stars. Though later confined to Dixieland, a 1964 solo concert comeback revived his career. Hines remained a commanding force until his death in 1983, just shy of 80.
Start here: The Earl: vintage performances from 1928 to 1941.
8. Art Tatum (1909-1956)
Art Tatum’s 1933 solo recordings stunned pianists, whose disbelief stemmed from his seemingly impossible virtuosity. Nearly blind from birth, the Ohio prodigy revolutionized jazz piano with extraordinary dexterity and innovative harmonic and rhythmic mastery.
His spontaneous, dazzling transformations of standards led to Fats Waller dubbing Tatum “God in the house,” and Vladimir Horowitz was equally amazed. Tatum thrived in jazz clubs, coaxing brilliance from imperfect pianos.
Start here: 20th Century Piano Genius is littered with Tatum gems
7. Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)
Oscar Peterson’s death sparked multi-column obituaries, a rare honor for jazz musicians. Known for his astonishing technique and sincerity, Peterson believed jazz meant playing every thought perfectly. Despite some critics finding his style superficial, Peterson’s joyful, virtuosic playing connected deeply with audiences and peers, making him a beloved figure in both clubs and concert halls worldwide.
Start here: Night Train
6. Erroll Garner (1921-1977)
Erroll Garner’s true impact is hard to grasp. Without seeking fame, this elfin pianist became a rare jazz household name, captivating audiences with exuberant improvisation and infectious swing. Starting as a Pittsburgh radio star at ten, Garner impressed peers like Art Blakey. Moving to New York in 1944, his witty, virtuosic style echoed legends like Fats Waller, yet remained uniquely his own, earning him top-rank status alongside Charlie Parker.
Start here: Concert by the Sea
5. Keith Jarrett (b. 1945)
Keith Jarrett’s status divides opinion. Some see his gifts overshadowed by whimsy, others hail him as a spiritual conduit to universal musical consciousness. For Jarrett, jazz is a creative, spiritual process aiming to “reveal the heart of things.” A teen prodigy, he rose to fame with the Charles Lloyd Quartet before achieving cult status through solo concerts. His free-form improvisations span idioms, with his 1975 Köln Concert selling over a million copies.
Start here: Up for It: focused, spontaneous, joyful, swinging.
4. Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
Though jazz celebrates improvisation, Duke Ellington was foremost a composer who called his band his instrument. For over 50 years, he crafted music directly inspired by people and moments. Writing specifically for his band’s unique talents—trumpeters Bubber Miley, Cootie Williams, altoist Johnny Hodges, and baritone Harry Carney—Ellington created groundbreaking harmonies and orchestrations. Miles Davis said all jazz musicians should thank Duke.
Start here: The Blanton-Webster Band: three-minute masterpieces from his 1940-42 heyday.
Jazz pianists: the all-time top 3
3. Bud Powell (1924-66)
Powell mastered bebop piano with dazzling speed, inventive phrasing, emotional depth, and unmatched technical brilliance
Bud Powell, a key figure in bebop, had a career marked by brilliance and tragedy. Despite being a shy, reclusive personality, he revolutionized jazz piano, setting the standard for modern keyboard style. His life was plagued by hardships, including a brutal police beating, mental health struggles, alcoholism, and tuberculosis. During his last decade, his playing fluctuated between flashes of genius and faltering attempts, until his death at age 41 in 1966.
Powell’s solos were explosive, characterized by his right hand weaving rapid, intricate lines while his left punctuated with sharp riffs, creating a nonstop flow of inventive ideas. Unlike a mechanical stream of notes, his performances were full of variety, accent, and nuance, often accompanied by groans that reflected the intensity of his inspiration, making him a towering influence on jazz pianists.
Start here: The wonderful Tempus Fugue-It is chockful of vintage Powell.
2. Bill Evans (1929-1980)
Evans mastered delicate, introspective phrasing, rich harmonies, and interactive trio dialogue, blending classical precision with profound emotional depth
Bill Evans was an anomaly in jazz’s rakish world—bespectacled and unassuming, earning the nickname “the minister.” At the piano, his intensity created luminous, questing lines Miles Davis called “quiet fire.” His role in Davis’s 1959 album Kind of Blue made him a star, showcasing his ideal touch for modal lyricism.
Known as “the Chopin of jazz” for his harmonic genius and purity of sound, Evans combined classical training with deep jazz devotion. He emphasized emotion as jazz’s essence, valuing discipline over wild abandon. His 1961 Village Vanguard trio recordings with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian revolutionized trio interplay, transforming the bass from mere rhythm to active dialogue, especially on tracks like “Waltz for Debby” and “Jade Visions.”
Start here: Evans’s art could be inward-looking - but he could swing too. On Everybody Digs Bill Evans his bright, sharp-angled attack is supported by the straight-ahead drive of bassist Sam Jones and drummer Philly Joe Jones.
And the greatest jazz pianist of all time is...
1. Thelonious Monk (1917-1982)
Thelonious Monk was the embodiment of the jazz musician as a unique character—eccentric, enigmatic, deeply committed to his art. His unforgettable name, flamboyant hats and jabbing, idiosyncratic piano style made him a striking figure.
Often called the ‘high priest of bebop,’ this label only partly captures his true significance. At a time when jazz emphasized virtuosic technique and harmonic complexity, Monk forged a deeply personal musical vision that defied convention.
His compositions are instantly recognizable for their unusual, sharply angled chords, unpredictable rhythms, and melodies that range from mysterious and quirky to deeply lyrical. Monk refused to conform to standard jazz virtuosity—his piano playing could seem uneven or halting, even dismissed by rivals as ‘hamstrung,’ yet he created strikingly original sounds. He explored the piano’s potential as a blues instrument, using silence and space as effectively as notes.
Monk’s music swung with an unusual intensity, marked by spiky accents and clangorous, tumbling runs. His impeccable timing allowed him to galvanize a rhythm section by knowing precisely when to play and when to hold back. Listening to Monk reveals a world of sound unlike any other, making his work endlessly fascinating and a lifelong passion for many.
Start here: Blue Note compilation Thelonious Monk – Finest in Jazz is a collection of classics (‘Round Midnight’, ‘Misterioso’, ‘Straight No Chaser’) imbued with his quirky magic.
Pics: Getty Images