> Who is the best pianist to listen to for transcription purposes? Bill
> Evans seems to deviate too far from the melody, and Oscar is, well,
> nearly impossible to imitate.
While I think the Chet baker recommendation is a good one, I think anyone
you like is a good place to start. You don't have to transcribe an entire
solo to get some mileage out of doing transcription. I think of multiple
levels of transcribing, from learning a lick or two (not writing it out),
to copying an entire album- bass, drums, etc. While whole solos are a
terrific source of study, often one ends up using just a fraction of what
was learned in their improv. OTOH, sometimes learning a simple phrase and
taking around through different keys and harmonic situations can be a real
eye opener. I've heard a few Oscar Peterson solos that didn't go all over
the place, and there are plenty of single line oriented pianists like
Wynton Kelly, who might be easier to grab onto.
Clay