Search - Johnny Costa :: Flying Fingers

S'Wonderful

chris s. mares | 08/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album of classic jazz treasures is absolutely wonderful. Costa's talent was immeasurable. On his albums, as well as on Mister Rogers Neighborhood (His fingers are the ones behind that tinkling piano music you hear all through the show) he improvises the particulars of each tune and plays it by ear, adjusting boring and familiar melodies into refreshing music. I am from his home town of Pittsburgh, and at the age of 15, it's perhaps odd for me to be writing this, but growing up hearing Costa's music on television, no matter how juvenile the show is, you can't help but love a good piano arrangement. I picked up his CD quite by chance one day, and I can't tell you how glad I was to have. His albums are responsible for introducing me to jazz long before the current swing revolution, and for that, I am grateful to him."

Art Tatum would have loved this recording!

chris s. mares | Jazz, Classiacal, and Blues Pianist from Albuquerq | 05/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are very few jazz pianists who have not been inspired by or aspired towards the genius capabilities of Art tatum. Johnny Costa was one of the very fortunate few that reached the realms of Tatum. The chordal voicings, harmonics, runs, and split and suspended tempos are all there, but most true to the Tatum tradition are the beautiful flights of musical imagination. Not a Tatum copy but Costa gems using the Tatum canvas of colors! "Tea for Two" was a Tatum tour de force that very few pianists would ever want to tackle after Tatum's versions, but Costa plays his OWN VERSION so well, that Tatum would have smiled with appreciation. Tatum was like that, and he loved pianists. Musically, Costa and Tatum were of kindred spirits. It is a shame that both of these pianists were not given enough top drawer treatment and concert appearances on a world class venue during their lifetimes. In Costa's case, it is a sad statement that he was tragically underrecorded. Anyone who was a jazz pianist and ever heard the musical backgrounds on the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood show knew there was a hidden but not unheard genius pianist at work! Johnny Costa should have recorded as many albums as say, Oscar Peterson, Tatum, Waller, Brubeck, Evans, etc, etc. He also shares a sad similarity with tatum in that in the last few years of his life efforts were made by others who knew of his musical importance, to get as much of it within the remaining time on tape. Sadly, Mr, Costa left this world before much of his works could be recorded. Like Art Tatum, many young, learning, carefully listening pianists just forming their styles will now have two great musical mountains to climb, along with many others, but the Tatum and Costa musical mountains will always stand alone!"

A Beautiful Blend of Classical and Jazz

08/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"John Costa is incredible. I've have never heard anyone blend Classical and Jazz to this degree. John Costa demonstrates a tasty blend of Bach, Beethoven, Tatum and Peterson."