Keyboard solos

Cactus Choir wrote: JeanFrame wrote: According to the web, the best keyboard players of the progressive rock era were Keith Emerson, Tony Banks, Billy Ritchie, Rick Wright, and RIck Wakeman. Funny thing is, I never heard any of them play what I'd call a great solo. The closest of the bunch has to be Rick Wakeman, he certainly seems to have the best technique of all the other candidates, and his clever use of sound textures by way of range of instruments is unsurpassed. Some of his solo pieces are outstanding, though mainly on his own without a band at all, clearly a different strategy, and not really accountable to anyone but himself. Although the only one of those nominees to actually carry a band on his own fully and properly (and the first to do so) was Ritchie (of Clouds), I would say that he is one of the poorest of the bunch when it comes to actual solos. Emerson, though fully deserving his accolades as King of the keyboards, often showed that solos weren't his strong point either. Rick Wright isn't really on a par with the others as far as technique and dynamics go, but he was unbeatable at soundscapes and atmosphere, solos weren't really ever his domain. Banks is another fine foot soldier of the keys, and can boast many fine moments in performance, but not in solos of any stature. Solos are almost another context from what the keyboardist does in his other routine functions as part of the band. It's the moment when he stands apart from the others and takes centre stage. The content of the solo can't be just fast or flashy (though that can help!), it has to be meaningful. Personally, the finest piano solo I've heard in recen times is from a virtual pop radio song 'That's the way it is'. It sparkles and jumps and never settles into wondering what the next note is, it soars over the cliff and takes its chances. That's what I call a solo. You make some good points but I have to disagree about Emerson. It's all a matter of taste of course but I can think of a lot of great solos he did - KE9 prts 1 and 3, The Barbarian, Rondo (loads of different live versions), Stones of Years (again some stonking live versions). The Three Fates is one of my favourite Emerson pieces and that's almost one big solo. Trying to think of who was good at solos I'd say the Daves Lawson and Greenslade from Greenslade, and Jon Lord from Deep Purple who did a lot of great stuff both live and in the studio. Brian Auger is one of the most creative Hammond soloists I've heard working in rock music and Vincent Crane of Atomic Rooster is another worth a mention. Tony Kaye did some good work on the first two Yes albums but seemed to have turned into a session man just holding down chords by the time of The Yes Album. I agree about the Bruce Hornsby song!

You make some good points too. And I don’t disagree about some of those Emerson solos at least. I didn’t say that he couldn’t play solos, just that he wasn’t consistently great at playing them. Most of his best playing is what I would call ‘set pieces’, and where he plays ‘free’, he is often too sloppy and very much more of a standard organ-riff Jimmy McGriff kind of player, it’s not really his forte (if you’ll pardon the pun!). He definitely led the way into the synth/prog keyboard era, and as I said, deserves his accolades. But we’re talking purely about solos here. I agree that the Greenslade guys are great players, but that kind of jazz soloing is more about freehand doodling than it is about thought or true participation in the songs or meaning of the pieces, it’s often selfish, self-indulgent, disconnected, and nothing to do with the heart of any composition at all – it’s a different approach.

Jon Lord and Vincent Crane I’d place at the top of the second division in terms of keyboard support players, Lord ahead of Crane because Crane (like Ritchie) was purely an organist, Lord had more strings to his bow, and he translated himself into the prog era, Crane (and Ritchie) didn’t. If this topic was about keyboard techniques, I’d choose Wakeman, the two Greenslades, Auger (who nevertheless was more of a very fine piano player playing organ than a born organist); if this was about the Hammond rock organ alone, Ritchie and Emerson (in that order) would be ahead of anyone by miles on a live stage, Emerson the greater showman, Ritchie the ultimate one-man band; if it was about Masters of progressive rock keyboards, it would be Emerson and Wakeman in that order - even though I rate Wakeman’s technique first, Emerson has more dynamics and deals with it all wonderfully well without the support of a full band, the band couldn’t exist without him. Wakeman was a luxury item – a fantastic asset to have – but his absence wouldn’t stop the band. Looking at all aspects, I still say Emerson is the King of the Keyboards, and Wakeman the Prince.

Getting back to the point though, solos, I place Wakeman ahead of any of the rest – just.

Thank you for the Bruce Hornsby link – I couldn’t remember his name, just the piano solo!