The Worlds Very Best Keyboard Players

[charlyg]

Well, it is in the Rock N Roll forum! {:^)

[scotty]

Wolfgang Amadeaus Mozart for one and Bach this man who not only played but had a interesting time along the road.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Germany. Bach was the youngest of eight children born to Johann Ambosius Bach and Maria Bach. Johann followed in his family's footsteps, becoming a musician. His uncle, Johann Cristoph Bach, was the first to introduce him to the art of organ playing. In 1694, Johann's mother died, and ten months later, his father did the same. At ten years old, Johann was orphaned. He was then sent to live with his older brother, Johann Cristoph Bach, an organist.
He began his musical career here. Later, he traveled over Europe and Asia, playing the organ and enjoying life.
In 1707, Bach married his second cousin, Maria Barbara Bach. They had seven children, of which four lived to adulthood. Thirteen years later, Maria died, and Bach became a widower. In 1721, he married Anne Wilke. Together, they had thirteen children, six of which lived to become adults.
Over the years, Bach became increasingly blind. While Bach was visiting Leipzig, the celebrated British ophthmologist, John Taylor, operated on Bach. He had previously operated on Handel, another musician, unsuccessfully. Bach died from results of his own unsuccessful eye operation at age 65 on July 28, 1750.
He wrote many pieces for various instruments over the course of his life, and we still remember Johann Bach as what he rightfully has become: one of the world's greatest composers! Oh and he played keyboards too

[ozover50]

Yeah!! One of my fave composers!!

[sloop_john_b]

Gotta give due credit to any organist playing dual manuals and foot pedals - four parts in constant counterpoint. Mind-blowing.

Haydn and Debussy are personal favorites, but their piano music is very playable. The piano music of Schoenberg or Alexander Scriabin can be extremely daunting, usually having no set key, extremely jagged rhythms, and lots of involved dynamics. John Cage's Etudes australes is pretty out there as well, as it's played using star maps rather than musical notation to determine the pitches and note durations. I don't know if the composers themselves could actually play the stuff (Schoenberg was a string player), but there are people out there who can, and they are the world's very best keyboard players.

Oh wait, rock 'n roll?

Garth Hudson.

[whojamfan]

Pete Townshend should at least get a mention for his pioneering work with Bob Moog and incorporating synthesizers in to rock music. "Won't Get Fooled Again" certainly popularized how keyboards could be used in non traditional ways to create mood and substance. John Lord he ain't, but does deserve mention for the previous reasons, and actually is a very good traditional keyboard player as well.

[whojamfan]

If it's just rock and roll we are talking about, one has to tip their hat to Geddy Lee as well. Not only is this guy a monster bass player, he can play great keys with his fingers, and cool bass with his feet using those Taurus Bass pedals. Not many people can do this with the degree of musicianship and creativeness that Geddy does. Worse than that, he makes it look so easy.

[scotty]

Whilst this section is rock`N`roll remember that rock`n`roll is only a place in time.Classical artists that we call now in their day they WERE the rock and roll stars.

[scotty]

but there are people out there who can, and they are the world's very best keyboard players.

Too true john its the regular people who hold regular jobs that can completely blow you away with their musical zenith.

[ted_williams]

Don't forget Johnnie Johnson!

[winston]

Don't forget Johnnie Johnson!

Thanks Ted. To be honest I had to look him up on the net to be sure of who he was and of course as you well know, he is a great addition to the list.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Johnson_(musician)

[lennon211]

Ray Manzerek, Booker T., Isaac Hayes...Those are my contributions. I put Hayes on there because in the studio at Stax, he was often playing the organ parts on Booker T. tracks while Booker was still in school, attending college. Also, in a lot of compilation liner notes and such, it's noted that Booker T would typically stick to piano while Hayes would play the Hammond.

Also, no list would be complete without Earl Van Dyke from Motown. As the de facto leader of the Funk Brothers and one of the keys to their rich instrumental sound, he can't be forgotten.

[winston]

Ray Manzerek, Booker T., Isaac Hayes...Those are my contributions. I put Hayes on there because in the studio at Stax, he was often playing the organ parts on Booker T. tracks while Booker was still in school, attending college. Also, in a lot of compilation liner notes and such, it's noted that Booker T would typically stick to piano while Hayes would play the Hammond.

Also, no list would be complete without Earl Van Dyke from Motown. As the de facto leader of the Funk Brothers and one of the keys to their rich instrumental sound, he can't be forgotten.

Some great additions here. How coud we forget about Earl Van Dyke? The Funk Brothers are such a great band. It's amazing to see when you start a list like this how many greats there really are.

Keep em' coming. This is a great catalyst to go back and revisit some forgotten music or perhaps music that has not been played in a long long time.

[kenposurf]

[lennon211]

Chico Marx...what an original talent. Not necessarily one of the best Rock, but one of the most original when playing. Shooting the keys was always fun to watch when he played.

[JakeK]

1. Nicky Hopkins
2. Paul McCartney
3. Little Richard
4. Jerry Lee Lewis
5. Benmont Tench