Pianist respected among jazz artists

Chris Anderson, 81, an influential jazz pianist whose innovative approach to harmony made him a favorite for an array of notable players, died Feb. 4 in New York City of complications from a stroke, the New York Times reported.

A native of Chicago, Anderson was self-taught on the piano and grew up with a brittle bone disease and a degenerative eye condition. Blind by the age of 20, he nevertheless forged a steady career working with the likes of Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and Billy Higgins.

Herbie Hancock studied with him as a young man and would later refer to him as a “master of harmony and sensitivity,” the paper reported.

After settling in New York in the early 1960s, Anderson’s health further declined when he broke both of his hips. His limited mobility restricted his ability to work.

He recorded just a handful of albums on the Alsut label, the Times reported.