I can’t pick one. Here are the ones I listen to most often.
Ravel’s piano music, especially “Valse Nobles et Sentimentales”
Debussy’s piano music
Chopin - etude Op. 25 - No. 1 in A-flat major
Schubert - Impromptu in G-flat major, op.90 no.3
Liszt - Un Sospiro (Concert Etude No.3)
That scintillating piano solo in Sing Sing Sing at Carnegie Hall.
It’s promoted as an improv, but I would guess the pianist had been working on it secretly. At any rate, the band was probably in on it. Ah, but Benny Goodman, the band leader was not.
There are several solos in this piece - sax, trumpet (Harry James) drums (Gene Krupa) and clarinet (Goodman). Benny’s bit came last, of course,and it was supposedto be the highlight and endpiece of Sing Sing Sing. From there the band would launch the wind-up. Goodman’s solo was gorgeous and the audienced applauded as they did the others.
But throughout the applause Gene Krupa kept the beat going and that gorgeous piano solo came on. The live audience absolutely loved it, as do millions of us whose hearts still go pitter patter when we hear the recording.
But Benny the dick, who so pissed by that thunder-stealing solo, it was never performed again. as far as I can tell.
If you want to buy the recording of this concert, check out this one.
But first read all the reviews.
Oh, yes, definitely Scott Joplin. Should’ve mentioned him! This album is particularly good: http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Joplin-Piano-Works-1899-1904/dp/B000003ESR/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215656986&sr=1-7
More on Windham Hill… check out Scott Cossu, Switchback; and four by George Winston, Forest, Autumn, December, and Winter Into Spring; and also the Windham Hill Records Sampler '81. You won’t be sorry.
I stumbled a few years ago across Phantasys by Danny Wright, which isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I like it. Very light and atmospheric.
I’ve also lately been listening a lot to the soundtrack from the movie Pride & Prejudice (Decca 2005), which has some wonderful music by Dario Marianelli, performed by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Original solo piano and orchestral music composed in the classical style; breathtakingly gorgeous and highly evocative of the period.
Anything by Rachmaninoff or Chopin.
What, no Clair de Lune? Crazy.
Nothing really jumps out* but I wanted to mention Michael Hedges. I know his earlier work was all solo guitar.
*could it be I don’t listen to solo piano or guitar? nah that’s just crazy talk. I’m just too lazy to actually think about it.
Arrrrgh. That’s what I get for being in a hurry and letting iTunes do my research for me. Yes, I refer to the 1981 recording.
Guitar? Probably Django Reinhardt’s “minor swing”