Such was the appropriate title of the classic song by pianist Dave Frishberg back in 1998. The humorous ditty captured the joy and attitude of the unsung professional musician who puts in a career supporting the stars of the recordings and concerts. Once in awhile, they put out their own albums, but for the most part they are the ones introduced by the vocalist or bandleader to polite applause. And, as my younger daughter Anna used to point out, “you can always figure out who the piano player is before the show starts, as they always have that classic ‘piano man’ hunch to their back”.
This month, in honor of our interviews with two of the best sidemen/pianists who have released their own albums recently, we’ve put together a list of ten of our favorite piano players who made a living as a supporting artist. Sure, I could have included Oscar Peterson, who’s the backing piano for hundreds of albums on Verve for the likes of Ella, 
Getz and whoever, as well as McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton and Hank Jones. But we’re talking about the “regular” guy, not the star. So, here we go with a TOP TEN (or so)
Tamir Hendelman: Usually the pianist for Jeff Hamilton, he’s the backup man for scores of LA acts- Bill Cunliffe: Possibly the most overlooked Grammy Award winning composer and pianist. He’s always tasteful and always swinging
- Josh Nelson: A true fixture in LA for the past two decades, he’s always either backing a vocalist or horn player with aplomb.
- Harold Mabern: He had been the pianist for Pharoah Sanders as well as tons of hard boppers like Eric Alexander.
- John Hicks: An underrated hard bopper who was deft and lyrical. I saw him with horn players ranging from Jackie McLean to Stanley Turrentine
- Tommy Flanagan: Best known for his work on John Coltrane’s classic “Giant Steps”, Flanagan was the go to guy for countless vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald
- John Malachi: Sarah Vaughan’s pianist for years. Always clever and always out of the limelight
- Bill Miller: Who else can you associate with Frank Sinatra than the ultimate saloon player, Miller? Are there any records from Ol’ Blue Eyes that he’s not on?
Lou Levy: A hard bopper with Getz and later Supersax, Levy was THE LA bopper during the heyday of the club scene at places like Donte’s and 
Carmellos- Kenny Barron: Genetically unable to p lay a wrong note, Barron made his name with Stan Getz, but is considered the ultimate supporting artist for countless artists.
- Tom Ranier: Ubiquitous in the studio, if you ever get a chance to see him play in town. Don’t miss him. And coax him to pull out his clarinet or alto sax as well. I saw him go toe to toe with Phil Woods, and he was the one left standing!!!
