Pianists on Handful of Keys range from the teenaged Joey Alexander to the nearly 90-year-old master Dick Hyman. The breadth of artistry is similarly wide, from Helen Sung’s stellar McCoy Tyner arrangement to Myra Melford’s rollicking Latin-rooted original, “The Strawberry.” The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s own Dan Nimmer closes with a bright swinger, “Temperance,” while brilliant newcomer Isaiah J. Thompson captures the majesty of jazz’s historical sweep in his two selections.
- 2015
- Benny Benack III
- Branford Marsalis Quartet & Kurt Elling
- Christian McBride
- Nicholas Payton
- Dexter Gordon Quartet