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Progs' best Keyboard players
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Son.of.Tiresias View Drop Down
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Points: 441 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son.of.Tiresias Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 26 2016 at 02:38
Originally posted by micky micky wrote:

Originally posted by Son.of.Tiresias Son.of.Tiresias wrote:

Originally posted by micky micky wrote:

ummm one of...not... not the greatest.. that has to belong to Gianni Leone and is the centerpiece of what can't be considered as anything but the greatest keyboard based album ever.

Introduzione man...  that thing is and forever will be centerpiece of the definition of ass kickery in the prog rock dictionary.
Ah, for sure Gianni Leone of Il Balletto di Bronzo is a great instrumentalist and his style defines the heavies alongside Keith Emerson´s...
but I personally prefer more classical and melodic style of the Nocenzi Bros.
A fine document of their force can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INZUSrytMko


I can dig that...

ahhh...  yeah. I can see that and respect that.. but I see it this way. If I want to hear hear classical and melodic.. I put on Rachmaninoff...

if I want to hear prog keyboards.. I want to hear keyboards take over the cliched guitar lead and DRIVE the music and have kick ass solos thundering melodies, dissonant and aggressive playing  and all kinds of that Progessive stuff man.

It is prog man.. it can rock hard and not be all fairies stoned soporific, and light in their loafers Genesis clones man....and it is rarely better than when keyboards take center stage

Ah, for classical I first put on Sibelius´ 7 symphonies and Rimsky-Korsakov´s Scheherazade.

One of my favs is Dave Greenslade, I really dig his classical inspired style, he is also an excellent vibraphone player, documented in COLOSSUM LIVE... probably the very best live album of all time, one of top 5 anyway. I also very much like the dual keyboard attack on with Dave Lawson in Greenslade, mid 70´s.

I never get tired of hearing Tony Banks with early GENESIS. And Rick Wakeman´s Birotron. 
These guys are my heroes but I sometimes get a bit bored with Rick´s Moog playing because he easily gets repeating the same runs over and over again. (Like Joe Satriani does , if you get my point). He should have used Birotron´s colder and rawer sound more often to add certain drama to his playing... his style is often too soft to my taste actually. And he could play an acoustic piano more often as he´s a superb pianist. Of course his work with Yes is always superb and fits Yes perfectly. But in his later career I miss something in his sounds. But Tony Banks is always joy to hear. And Tony Kaye on early Yes has a great taste for melody and rhythm. l listen these albums on regular basis... alongside many Italian masters like Joe Vencovi, Tony Pagliuca, Elisa Montaldo, Emanuele Tarasconi to name a few, of course. 


 
You may see a smile on Tony Banks´ face but that´s unlikely.
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Originally posted by Aquiring the Taste Aquiring the Taste wrote:

Kerry Minnear is the most gifted Keyboard player I have heard.

He must be. You spelled keyboard with a capital K.
"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno
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Eddy Spence of Strange Days definitely deserves mentioning,,,
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All of the above and of course Jon Lord and Don Airey.
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Richard Wright
Dave Stewart
Robin Lumley
Keith Emerson
Rick Wakeman
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My vote goes to Luca Zabbini of Barock Project.  Not only is he a virtuoso, but he has a wide range of styles and applies them with taste.  And of course a fantastic composer.  And he tends to use a piano a lot of the time - I like synths, but a real piano played well wins most of the time.
 
I also enjoy the work of Martin Orford, Clive Nolan and Tony Banks.
 
Richard Wright is overrated in my opinion.  While he was a good composer (Great Gig n the SKy) I think his abilities were limited.  "Any cOlour You Like" could have been much more interesting but sounds a bit like a kid playing around on a synthesizer.
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my favorite keyboard player is Barbara Dennerlein


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Mark Kelly (Marillion)
 
Jim Gilmour (Saga)
 
Eddie Jobson (UK. etc.)
 
Peter Bardens (Camel)
 
Manfred Mann
 
Tim Blake (Gong, Hawkwind)
 
Chick Corea (not prog, but hell, he is awesome)
Herbie Hancock (same as Chick)
Joe Zawinul (see Chick and Herbie)
 
Rick Wakeman (Yes)
 
Jean Michel Jarre
David Arkenstone
All the guys in Tangerine Dream
 
Hannes Folberth / Detlev Schmidtgen (both Eloy)
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Points: 42 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The misanthrope Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2016 at 09:31
it is a toss up between Keith Emerson. or John Evens.
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Points: 383 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Terrapin Station Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2016 at 12:10
If we're including fusion, too, some of my favorites are:

Allan Zavod, Bobby Martin, Brent Mydland, Chick Corea, Dave Stewart, David Sancious, Don Preston, Glen Moore, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Hiromi Uehara, Hugh Banton, Jan Hammer, Jim Beard, Joe Zawinul, Joey Calderazzo, John Evan, Keith Emerson, Keith Godchaux, Lyle Mays, Patrick Moraz, Richard Wright, Rick Wakeman, Robert Irving III, Robin Lumley, Roger Powell, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Russell Ferrante, Tommy Mars, Tony Banks, Vince Welnick
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Earlier in the year, I was very gutted that Keith Emerson had left this planet.  One of my favourite, along with Rick Wakeman.

This thread has some great Keyboard players mentioned.  Vangelis, Clive Nolan, Martin Orford, Dave Greenslade and Dave Lawson, plus members of Tangerine Dream.
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Dave Stewart
Rick Wakeman
John Evan
Keith Emerson
Kerry Minnear
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maryes View Drop Down
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My personal list:
 
Rick Wakeman
Keith Emersom
Tony Banks
Kerry Minnear
Jurgen Fritz
Peter Bardens
 
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Right now I am feelin' the greatness of Tony Banks, Adam Wakeman, Kevin Mooore, Richard Wright, Michael Penella and of course Clive Nolan.

All amazing and one certainly isn't better than the other for me.
Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣
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Points: 4807 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rednight Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2016 at 18:51
Originally posted by maryes maryes wrote:


My personal list:
 
Rick Wakeman
Keith Emersom
Tony Banks
Kerry Minnear
Jurgen Fritz
Peter Bardens
 
What! No Steve Walsh?!
"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno
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1. George Duke - Zappa and George's own bands
2. Joe Zawinul - Weather Report
3. Don Preston- Zappa/ Mothers
"Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes"
and I need the knits, the double knits!
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brainstormer View Drop Down
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Points: 887 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote brainstormer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 18 2016 at 21:09
I have no idea if I already mentioned my favs in this thread but I would say Emerson, Wakeman, Banks, Dave Stewart, Vangelis, Synergy (larry fast), Tangerine Dream classic period 70s, Cherry Wainer, Tomita, Players in the Finnish band Wigwam and those they used on solo records,  and Wendy Carlos.  

Edited by brainstormer - September 18 2016 at 21:26
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Kári View Drop Down
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Wakeman and Emerson for technical proficiency but Tony Banks has a great sound, his keyboard lines are so melodic, just listen to his keyboard solo on Cinema Show if you need proof.
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HackettFan View Drop Down
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Points: 7951 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HackettFan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 13 2017 at 19:57
Originally posted by EddieRUKiddingVarese EddieRUKiddingVarese wrote:

<span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">1. George Duke - Zappa and George's own bands</span>
<span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">2. </span><span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">Joe Zawinul - Weather Report</span>
<span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">3. Don Preston- Zappa/ Mothers</span>
Yeah, George Duke. I think he might have been buried in a couple long lists, but very talented jazz pianist. Did some early work with synthesizers too, thanks to strong arm coaxing from Zappa.
A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now)
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Originally posted by brainstormer brainstormer wrote:

I have no idea if I already mentioned my favs in this thread but I would say Players in the Finnish band Wigwam and those they used on solo records,  

A rare but welcome mention of Wigwam - Jukka Gustavson and Esa Kotilainen.  Not sure I would include Jim Pembroke - the story goes that he only took up the piano to have something to do during the lengthy instrumentals...
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