"Earl Hines was profoundly influenced by Louis Armstrong’s rhythmic and harmonic discoveries, and he became the brilliant prime mover in the development of jazz piano. Starting in 1929, he led a fine big band which during the ’30s and early ’40s became an incubator for the bebop-to-come." .....The Jazz Image "Even Armstrong stopped developing long before he reached his 70s in the 1970s. But Earl Hines at 74 shows no sign of diminishing powers....he can scare the hell out of you with his creativity." ........Doug Ramsey, writer