"The Best......" Piano player.

[tsmba]

Its been awhile since one of these ran, and I'm still checking out some of the guitar players from last time around. I don't listen to classical, so I have no knowledge about that breed of pianist.
Here's a few to start it off:
Nat King Cole: known for his vocals, but he was one fine pianist, too
Art Tatum
Fats Waller: and other stride-kings like Willie "The Lion" Smith, James P. Johnson, etc.
Duke Ellington
Earl Hines
Eubie Blake
Bud Powell
Otis Spann
Ray Charles
Donald Lambert
Dick Wellstood
Don Ewall

Man, I could go on and on....

 

[Spivey]

Keith Jarrett
McCoy Tyner
Junko Onishi (may be spelled wrong)
Chick Corea
Herbie Hancock

I guess I am partial to the Miles/Coltrane schools...

 

[Bobtrumpet]

Oscar Peterson
Ronnie Milsap (actually a damn fine pianist)
Count Basie
Stan Kenton

 

[mmack66]

Liberace

 

[olps]

Glenn Gould!

 

[Austin]

Liberace

 

[rickw]

Classical
Vladimir Horowitz
Franz Liszt
Brooks Aehron
Nina Postolovskaya
Chopin
To name a few.

 

[blantyre]

Oscar Peterson
Elton John
Warren Zevon
Alfred Brendel
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Ashkenazy

 

[BrianL]

Dave Brubeck
Ray Charles
Art Tatum

 

[DGS]

+1 for Nat King Cole as a piano player. One of the best. Here are some more:

Jazz:

Bill Evans (my all-time favorite).
McCoy Tyner
Tommy Flanagan
Hank Jones
Art Tatum
Keith Jarrett
Chick Corea
Bud Powell
Barry Harris
George Cables
Cedar Walton
Horace Silver
Wynton Kelly
Randy Weston
Martial Solal
Michel Petrucciani
Jessica Williams
Enrico Pieranunzi
Mary Lou Williams
Bill Charlap
Billy Taylor
Eddie Palmieri
Arturo O'Farrill
Monty Alexander
Dave Brubeck
Teddy Wilson
Oscar Peterson
George Shearing

Classical:

Vladimir Horowitz
Arthur Rubinstein
Murray Perahia
Maurizio Pollini
Arturo Benedetto Michelangeli
Serge Rachmaninoff
Alfred Brendel
Claudio Arrau
Rudolf Serkin
Vladimir Feltsman
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Robert Casadesus

 

[Bertilak]

Victor Borge

(Well, it depends on the mood you're in, doesn't it?)

 

[mk-ultra]

Many great ones listed here.

I'd like to add Red Garland, one of my favorites.

 

[Shane]

Most all of the great jazz pianists have been covered. Fantastic classical pianists I like are:
Van Cliburn
Earl Wild
Emanuel Ax
Garrick Ohlsson
William Wolfram
Andre Watts
Daniel Barenboim

 

[saltypete]

I'm real surprised noone has mentioned Thelonious Monk. Or as his wife was said to have called him 'Melodious Thunk'.

Pete

 

[Walter Sobchak]

JELLY ROLL MORTON has to mentioned in this conversation. But there are at least a dozen others already mentioned above who have to be considered, too.

 

[soapbox]

Victor Borge

(Well, it depends on the mood you're in, doesn't it?)

Well done!

Also, I would add Memphis Slim and "Champion" Jack Dupree.

 

[Brodirt]

For pop/rock

Elton John
Stevie Wonder
Ben Folds
Tori Amos
Carol King
Billy Joel

 

[Spivey]

I'm real surprised noone has mentioned Thelonious Monk. Or as his wife was said to have called him 'Melodious Thunk'.

Pete

DOH!

 

[tsmba]

Sunnyland Slim
Roger Williams
Doctor John
Professor Longhair

Every time I start listing, I forget a whole bunch. You gotta know there were many barrelhouse piano players lost to obscurity.

 

[DGS]

DOH!

+100!!

Iheard another anecdote about his name: Sax player Jimmy Heath's mother couldn't pronounce "Thelonius"; she used to call him "the onliest." Kinda appropriate.