diana krall, oh wait you don't want jazz.

I am interested in the same thing.

The closest thing I listen to occasionally with piano in it is Elton John and Supertramp and they both sound incredible.

BTW, have fun rediscovering your music and DVD collection with the new speakers.

George Winston. 'Forest' would be my favorite, although all of his stuff is excellent if you are a lover of the piano.

How about Vince Gauraldi Trio doing A Charlie Brown Christmas!

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Recording-Television/dp/B000000XDJ

I also recommend anything by Coldplay.

Savatage - "The gutter Ballet" if that counts as piano. Why not, it does have piano here and there

Just to clarify further, I am talking about CDs with JUST piano on them, an artist that his sole focus is piano playing with original melodies that are just plain and simply relaxing.

So, purely instrumental, no vocals at all...

-Hutz

I do have a set of CD's I bought for my wedding and its just titled Piano Dinner music, I have no idea what's on it as far as titles or who is playing it but it sounds incredible the few times I have played it.

When you come to get the FMB's I will let you have a listen.

You should try an old crazy bayou dude named James Booker. He was magic on piano.

if you want I could record myself playing the entertainer, or how about a little boogie woogie?

I don't know about Robb but I think I would like that very much, just ship the disc up with the Ep 600 and M80's so I could get the full sound.

My suggestion would be Tori Amos, as she is a terrific pianist. Her "Little Earthquakes" CD is predominantly her on the piano and singing. All of her CDs are recorded very well. Most of her later CDs also incorporate a band.

If you want to expand into piano-based rock/pop, then check out the following artists. You should already be familiar with a few of these, at least:

Tori Amos
Fiona Apple
Jackson Browne
Ray Charles
Ben Folds
Billy Joel
Elton John
Norah Jones
Jerry Lee Lewis
Rufus Wainwright
Tom Waits
Stevie Wonder

Ya, I gotta get some Norah Jones, i love her stuff.

Keep em coming!

OK, getting a little outside of the piano regime but another CD I really enjoy is "O" by Damien Rice. If you ever seen the movie "Closer" than you may heard one of the songs on the CD.

David Lanz---New age artist.

1-Nightfall
2-Heartsounds

EDIT: The above titles are now being released as a Two Disc Set.

OK, since someone said New Age, I'll have to name drop someone.


Yanni.

I too love the sound of the piano. Even more so now since I am an Axiom owner There's a short part early on in The Corpse Bride where Victor plays piano. I never really noticed how beautiful the sound itself was until I heard it on these speakers.

Nora Jones sounds fantastic, especially her first CD available in SACD. I'm growing fonder of the higher resolution audio whenever I can find it.

If you are a Radiohead fan, then there is always this.

In the New Age genre, there's always the Fresh Aire series by Mannheim Steamroller (albums 1-4 are rich in piano).

And this may fall in the Classical genre, Claire de Lun by Debussy is wonderful.

I just picked up Norah Jones on SACD. Can anyone suggest a Diana Krall SACD to those who are new to her? I have seen several studio and live versions but not sure which one to pick...

Depends on your taste. If you really like the old standards (as I do), done in her inimitable jazz style, I'm very partial to When I Look In Your Eyes.

(Link to the redbook version so you can check out the tunes if you wish)

If you'd like something a bit more modern, The Girl In The Other Room is a very tasteful collection of originals written by her husband, Elvis Costello, and herself, along with others by Tom Waits, Mose Allison, Joni Mitchell, etc. I'm find the song Narrow Daylight hauntingly beautiful. YMMV

Link to the redbook version

I enjoy both SACDs.

P.S. Her Live In Paris DVD Concert in DD 5.1 surround sound is well worth your attention as well. She's a delight to the eyes as well as the ears.

Redbook version

For fine piano music give an artist by the name of Kostia a listen.
Try this... www.rhapsody.com/kostia

umm, it's jazz but...

Have you heard Keith Jarrett? Piano, original melodies, no vocals (well, not intentional at least). Some of the best music - not just piano music - ever played, recorded or heard.

Bill Evans? Erroll Garner? Oscar Peterson?

All artists mentioned have recorded solo sets; worth a listen. As far as I know (and please correct me) most solo piano without vocals is either jazz or classical.

Or you could come and hear me bang the keys after a few drinks (saving grace: I don't sing - don't hum... actually I barely even play).

NADishman
(post #2 - hello everybody)

A little jazzy but Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea Live is really excellent. Not your typical jazz. Chick and Herbie have a great chemisty. It's piano ONLY.

Nice to know that "your typical jazz" is really mindless pap.