Jazz Piano?

Coming from a rock perspective, you might try "The Bad Plus"...a piano, bass, drums trio that's comprised of young guys who play balls out. Their album "Give" is incredibly well produced. This is no lounge act piano trio. This is to piano what Hendrix was to guitar. For example, they do a version of Black Sabbath's"Iron Man", in addition to their own material. Get the idea? Interesting, challenging stuff.

The Smithsonian Collection of Jazz Piano is a great place to start. It takes you through the beginnings and all of the subsequent major movements in jazz, as well as some of its most important practitioners. The performances that they choose are great, and beautifully illustrate all of the stylistic elements that make jazz so cool to listen too. Indispensible.

Art Tatum

Wow... plenty of responses. I'll have to start searching for some of the names. Should be fun.

I have loved jazz piano for more than 40 years, and had the great pleasure to hear some of the "giants" of the instrument, including Earl Hines, Erroll Garner, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Teddy Wilson, George Shearing, Jimmy Rowles, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Randy Weston, Marian McPartland, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Chick Corea, Chucho Valdez, Michel Camillo, Gene Harris, and Michel Petrucciani. If I had to pick a "short list" of my "favorite four" to listen to for pure personal enjoyment, it would be Garner, Evans, McPartland, and Petruciani.

As Caroline452 notes above, however, no list of piano "greats" would be complete without the name of Art Tatum, one of the most gifted jazz musicians in the history of the music. And from the 1930's era, no one should overlook such greats as Willie "The Lion" Smith, Albert Ammons, Jelly Roll Morton, Meade "Lux" Lewis, and Pete Johnson.