Lady Gaga is one of the best piano players ever?

Vibrationbaby wrote: I guess none of you guys have ever heard of Art Tatum or Oscar Peterson. If you want to see them both go at Honky Tonk Train Blues just punch in Keith Emerson & Oscar Peterson Honky Tonk Train Blues on nyoutube. It's  from a 1976 Oscar Peterson CBC special. Peterson never played with sh*t musicians so this speaks volumes about Emerson's playing. If you want to hear the chit chat between Emerson & Peterson punch in Keith Emerson, Oscar Peterson's Piano Party Jan 1976.

I trust all of this is not to suggest Emerson could play piano at the same level as Peterson.  Because, by that logic, Herbie Hancock played to Christina Aguilera's rendition of Song for you and it was an over-riffy, melismatic horror of a showboat rendition. 

I liked Emerson's playing on that clip you mention but I would hesitate to suggest he could have become a great jazz pianist had he wanted to because he didn't quite give THAT convincing an account for himself in that performance.  Perhaps, playing alongside Peterson overwhelmed him for he looked unusually tense and uncomfortable while Peterson was in his element, improvising beautifully and, once again, with a lot of feeling.

Apparently 18 when she performed that gig...nice!  It may not be the most virtuoso playing around but on the other hand, she played it about as well as those songs could have been, nothing much to fault her for.  

jammun wrote: Good Lord, I'm back, due to further failing brain cells. This is okay as it happens and is in fact expected as we age. Really, I like pop music. I like Lady's music, at least what I've heard, which admittedly is not a lot. She's a good popster. But let's not compare her with the likes of Nicky Hopkins, keyboard-wise, nor for that matter with ABBA, pop-wise. She's got a good gig going, for the time being. And please let's leave Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum out of the discussion. What drug did I take today that they would be even mentioned in a Gaga thread? I don't remember any, but a hit of acid will do that to ya I suppose. Those two (Oscar and Art)  understand music and keyboards beyond the pale, things a guy can't even reasonably imagine coming out of their fingers. As for Gaga, let's see how it plays out. For now, she's a second-rate Bette Midler.

I agree that there would be no point in comparing her with ABBA.  But this is about how progheads sometimes suggest that the best musicians are all in prog and it's MTV that's not giving them their due.   There are musicians more gifted than the Emersons and Wakemans and some of them choose to work in pop, some in jazz and so on and so forth.   And as that above clip Truth posted shows, she can play the instrument pretty well.  Sure, she may not be the best ever or anything but it's not like they crowned some nutcase who can't play as the greatest.   Depending on whoever that "They" is because this is the first I am hearing of Lady Gaga being the best pianist and such and I wonder what magazines or programmes suggested as much.


Edited by rogerthat - February 29 2012 at 23:35

The T wrote: If someone said GaGa is the best piano player in the world that is not an offense to prog musicians but probably to many other musicians who even play in pop records who just aren't so well known. .

Exactly.  Let alone sessions musicians, I wonder on what grounds have they decided she is better than Fiona Apple at the piano.  She may well be, but I would like to hear some arguments in favour in that case. 

I've listened to the songs. She is at best a good accompanist, keyboard-wise. For comparison, just check out Elton John's early stuff, when he was if nothing else a consummate pianist working in the pop realm. Really, listen to Elton's 11-17-70 album if you want to hear a real piano player, who understands musical history and can transform it into something current.

rogerthat wrote: The T wrote: Using Emerson as the highest standard for quality piano playing seems very ridiculous to me too. Exactly.  On an unrelated note, has Emerson ever performed Brubeck?  Would love to hear.  I love Brubeck's playing so much more, wonderful touch...not something Emerson seems to have much use for....in ELP.  Would be interesting if there is in fact a different side to his playing that is not tapped in prog rock.

First off I  said that Oscar never played with musicians that weren't up to his standard. Emerson got on the show at the suggestion of one of Oscar's sons. He was skeptical at first until he heard some of Emerson's solo piano playing. Although Oscar has had his fair share of criticism from the jazz community particularily after the disbsbandment of the second trio with Ed Thigpen on drums. But there are few jazz pianists that can can touch him and Emerson certainly was understandably a bit nervous playing back to back with Oscar. Just as Oscar was uneasy playing in the presence of Art Tatum. Ray Brown and Herb Ellis would play practical jokes on him by telling him that Tatum was in the audience when he wasn't anywhere near where the gig was taking place just to f**k him up.

Still, I find Lady Gaga's "music" unlistenable. She's just  manafactured product fo people who know nothing about music. When Howard Stern says that was the most beautiful performance I've ever had  on his show his liegons of fans will definitely be swayed . I don't thing the masses are capable of making their own musical choices and look to to the media in order to know what to buy or listen to. The masses like to be with the "in crowd".


Edited by Vibrationbaby - March 01 2012 at 10:47

BLA 

That video was nice enough. I like it when Fiona Apple or Nora Jones does that thing better though.

Vibrationbaby wrote: Still, I find Lady Gaga's "music" unlistenable. She's just  manafactured product fo people who know nothing about music.

I personally think that's a little harsh - I may not like LGG's music, but I can see the appeal; I think there is a fair degree of talent behind the hype and the image (all of which is pretty much borrowed from old Madonna videos then stuck through a 'R' rated filter). Sure it's manufactured, but she knows exactly what she's doing.

No problem with her at all.