The Hot Box

The Hot Box


The Hot Box #096 - The Maybeck Recitals

March 21, 2023

The 96th edition of The Hot Box!


This an all-piano affair that marks the re-release (on Spotify) of all 42 albums recorded in the 90’s, of the solo piano recitals branded as The Maybeck Recitals. Recorded by the independent Concord Jazz label, they present a who’s who of jazz pianists of the last decade of the last century. The real biggies aren’t there - the Herbie Hancocks, the Oscar Petersons - perhaps Concord couldn’t afford their fees - but taken overall the recordings represent a diversity of brilliance. From stride to modernism.


In this edition we sample 9 of the players, from JoAnne Brackeen to Jim McNeely, and have cause to celebrate the amazing acoustics of the hall itself - lined with rosewood panels and an audience of only 50 - and the Yamaha grand piano at its centre. If the very best piano music is your bag, tune in to The Hot Box.