What's so good about Jon Ballantyne?

Pianist Jon Ballantyne is a bit hard to pin down - and that's a good thing. Equally comfortable playing in small groups or solo; inside the changes or far out; standards or original compositions, Jon always makes each tune, and each solo, his own. A quick look at his performance history demonstrates why he moves smoothly among styles. He's shared the stage with more straightahead players like Woody Herman, Barry Harris, Joe Henderson and Joe Lovano, and also with stalwarts of the more improvisation-based side of jazz like Dewey Redman, Dave Liebman, Kenny Wheeler and Cecil Taylor.

It is no small feat to be truly at home across musical styles. I feel Jon's playing exudes a confidence which comes only from delving deeply into each style. In a group setting, his soloing reflects his influences while still being true to the tune being performed - even with a large vocabulary from which to choose, Jon makes beautiful musical choices. Here's a sample - an excerpted solo from a quartet performance. I like the journey the solo takes - I hear some straight-ahead playing, some Thelonious Monk, and flashes of a player who can easily take things outside as required:

It is perhaps in a solo setting though that Jon's brilliance is most on display. (His solo album Avenue Standard won a 2007 JUNO Award.) Just as he has mastered various musical styles, he has mastered the art of playing solo. He knows how to get the most orchestral sounds out of the piano, and which notes to play when, making it easy to forget there is only one musician on stage. Playing his original solo compositions - or a solo spontaneous improvisation - Jon is also perhaps at his most creative. Without a standard set of chord changes (or even chord changes at all), he's able to take listeners on a unique journey. We may not be sure where we'll end up, but we can be assured of a smooth landing. Here's a sample:

In a recent Artistic Director's Guide to Jazz - Live! session, I asked Bill King about what separates the pianists who can play solo from those that are soloists. He had lots to say on the matter (you can hear the full session here), but what stuck out in particular was his suggestion that great piano soloists know how to use the whole piano - from the very top to the very bottom - and some of the best examples of great piano soloists were stride players. The stride style of playing - with the left hand constantly moving from bass note to chordal accompaniment - required an intimate knowledge of when notes in all registers would sound best. It is perhaps no surprise then that, among the styles in which Jon Ballantyne comfortably performs, is stride piano. Here's a sample which starts off stride-ish, then travels in a whole new direction:

Jon Ballantyne performs solo on Tuesday, June 24, 8 pm at Jazz Bistro. Buy tickets now or, for more information, visit his concert page.

It's sure to be a great ride!

Josh