Like the number of keys on a piano, this book contains 88 portraits of jazz pianists. Doerschuk covers a wide range of styles from Jelly Roll Morton, through the stride players, the bop and post-bop players, and more. There are separate chapters on Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and others. He examines the art of European players, free players, and the renewed interest in jazz’s African roots, culminating with a lengthy chapter on today’s young lions and lionesses. The author discusses influences, both in general and specific terms, analyzes individual styles and techniques, includes anecdotes from personal interviews, and suggests worthy recordings by each artist.

Robert L. Doerschuk has been writing about music since 1977 and has won two ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in music journalism. He has held several editorial positions and was editor-in-chief of Musician magazine for four years. He is editor of Playing from the Heart: Great Musicians Talk About Their Craft. He is also a jazz pianist who has performed extensively in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.