Well, Alex, that explains why I couldn’t find the album you posted in his credits. Please note that in your post with the clips you wrote Fred Katz, not Kaz; that was the beginning of the confusion. Anyway, not a total loss for me since I was able to rediscover Fred Katz. Re Fred Kaz:
The crazy thing is that there are a lot of parallels between the two different players. Both were film composers, both Classically trained and how they started, and both had an interest in Eastern music.
My earlier comments about his piano playing also apply. There is nothing “wrong” with his piano playing. He certainly has good “command” of the instrument as you point out, but I don’t think he is an exceptional piano player nor stylist. He has a certain swing feel and general approach that is not, as you say, rooted in the blues; what some, fairly or not, refer to as “too white”. As with Katz I find his compositions more interesting than his piano playing which is good, but not anything that I would consider exceptional. In the clips you posted the compositions are the focus, IMO. In fact on the third clip, “Sand”, there is not one single note that is improvised; it is entirely through composed. Still, interesting musician. I’m glad to have learned about him. Thanks for that.
The crazy thing is that there are a lot of parallels between the two different players. Both were film composers, both Classically trained and how they started, and both had an interest in Eastern music.
My earlier comments about his piano playing also apply. There is nothing “wrong” with his piano playing. He certainly has good “command” of the instrument as you point out, but I don’t think he is an exceptional piano player nor stylist. He has a certain swing feel and general approach that is not, as you say, rooted in the blues; what some, fairly or not, refer to as “too white”. As with Katz I find his compositions more interesting than his piano playing which is good, but not anything that I would consider exceptional. In the clips you posted the compositions are the focus, IMO. In fact on the third clip, “Sand”, there is not one single note that is improvised; it is entirely through composed. Still, interesting musician. I’m glad to have learned about him. Thanks for that.