Top Ten Prog Keyboard Players - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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tempest_77 View Drop Down

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Topic: Top Ten Prog Keyboard Players
Posted: April 10 2018 at 23:47

No particular order, and I'm sure I'm missing some as well:

Tony Banks

Peter Bardens

Rick Wright

Rick Wakeman

Chick Corea

Page McConnell

Matt Bellamy

John Evan

Steve Walsh

Martin Orford

Edited by tempest_77 - April 10 2018 at 23:48

xylot

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Posted: April 02 2018 at 08:58

Emerson
Wakeman
Banks
Lord
Rachel Flowers
Moraz
Rudess
Downes
Argent
Roger King

BrufordFreak View Drop Down

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Posted: February 13 2018 at 08:42

Can't believe I overlooked this poll nine years ago!

Old:

Tony Banks

Chick Corea

Klaus Schulze

David Sinclair

Larry Young

John Tout (Renaissance)

Patrizio Fariselli (AREA)

Dave Stewart

Mike Ratledge

Patrick Moraz

Ken Hensley

Rick Wakeman

New:

Jørgen Hagen (Airbag)

Ana Camelo (EKOS)

Giovanni Parmeggiani (Accordo dei Contrari)

Richard Barbieri

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Hiromi Uehara

Lalo Huber (Nexus)

James Blake

Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio delle Clessidre)

Paolo Botti (Yugen, et al.)

Olga Podgaiskaja (Five-Storey Ensemble, Rational Diet)

< ="text/"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}

Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/

Hrychu

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Posted: February 13 2018 at 06:36

Here's a list of my fave keyboard players (at the moment) in terms of not only technique, but also songwriting and style.

5. Hans Lundin - pretty voice (at least in the 70s) and the skill to write sweet, catchy songs.

4. Jordan Rudess - THIS GUY CAN PLAY ANYTHING. JUST.. WOW!

3. Neal Morse - great taste in sounds and the ability to orchestrate complex passages without making them sound cheesy (most of the time).

2. Rick Wakeman - impressive and original approach to soloing and fun 70s output (Journey, King Arthur, Six Wives, Criminal Record etc.), great compositional skills plus he's one of the few who truly mastered the Mellotron.

1. Andy Tillison - amazing songwriting/composition skills, awesome taste in sounds, solid technique and most importantly he's the brain behind the sheer beauty that's the music of The Tangent. Bonus points for paying tribute to the Canterbury classics.

Honorable mentions: P. Moraz, J. Skrzek, T. Bodin

Edited by Hrychu - February 13 2018 at 06:38

Frenetic Zetetic View Drop Down

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Posted: February 13 2018 at 02:31

Joe Zawinul

Kerry Minnear

Herbie Hancock

Tony Banks

Patrick Moraz

Rick Wakeman

Chick Corea

Eddie Jobson

Jan Hammer

Edited by Frenetic Zetetic - February 13 2018 at 02:31

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021

Jzrk

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Posted: February 12 2018 at 20:56

I have to go with the ones I have been familiar with over the years
John Lord
Herbie Hancock
Chick Corea
Jan Hammer
Greg Rollie
Kieth Emerson
Klaus Schultz
Joseph Zawinul
Davis Sanctous
Rick Wakeman
Joe Sample

Edited by Jzrk - February 12 2018 at 20:56

Guldbamsen View Drop Down

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Posted: February 09 2018 at 08:55

Ten of my favourite keyboard players? How about 5?
Alright, no ranking:

Dave Sinclair
Edgar Froese
Dave Stewart
Klaus Schulze
Robert John Godfrey

“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams

Braka

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Posted: February 09 2018 at 08:46

1. Jerry Lee Lewis

(I'm half serious here. The antecedent of Keith Emerson)

But really, Jon Lord is so far and away my fave KB player, the rest of the top 10 would be in a separate category.

Mortte

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Posted: February 07 2018 at 22:00

1. Jukka Gustavson

2. Sun Ra

3. Rick Wakeman

4. Jon Lord

5. Dave Greenslade

6. Jon Evan

7. Rick Wright

8. Tony Banks

9. Simon House

10. Irmin Schmidt

noni

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Posted: February 07 2018 at 16:56

1. Pete Bardens

2. Keith Emerson

3. Rick Wakeman

4. Edgar Froese

5. Dave Greenslade

6. Ton Scherpenzeel

7. Martin Orford

8. Kit Watkins

9. Clive Nolan

10. Tony Banks.

YESESIS

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Posted: February 07 2018 at 16:04

Mista-Gordie wrote:

Well I think in the prog world these four stand well above the rest:

1-Rick Wakeman
2-Keith Emerson
3-Kerry Minnear
4-Tony Banks

Then it gets trickier because there are so much outstanding ones but my ranking would look like that:

5-Dave Sinclair
6-Dave Stewart
7-Peter Bardens
8-Eddie Jobson
9-Hugh Banton
10-Thijs Van Leer

I excluded the fusion legends on purpose (Hancock, Zawinul, Corea, Hiromi and so on) because it's so hard to compare them with some less gifted players which are perfect for the context of their own band's sound, and also because the line would be thin between including these and having to include jazz greats such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

Those top 4 I couldn't agree more with. And right on mentioning David Sinclair.. Nine Feet Underground is one of the absolute greatest prog epics ever, and he is a major reason why.

Edited by YESESIS - February 07 2018 at 16:05

Argo2112

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Posted: February 07 2018 at 12:35

Just going to do the rock players, (excluding jazz fusion guys)

1. Keith Emerson

2. Rick Wakeman

3. Jordan Rudess

4. Tony Banks

5. John Tout

6. Eddie Jobson

7. Jon Lord

8. Neil Morse

9. Dave Stewart

10. Rick Wright

Kingsnake

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Posted: February 07 2018 at 12:13

In no particular order:

Peter Bardens (Camel, solo)

Jim Gilmour (Saga, solo)

John Evans (Jethro Tull)

Tim Blake (Gong, Hawkwind, solo)

Hannes Folberth (Eloy, Echo Park)

Rick Wakeman (Strawbs, Yes, solo)

Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music, UK, Jethro Tull, solo)

Tomas Bodin (Flower Kings, solo)

Manfred Mann (Earth Band, Chapter Three, solo)

Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak, Camel, solo)

I recently discovered Beardfish, but Rikard Sjöblom could be in the list.
I should have listed Martin Orford, Mark Kelly and Clive Nolan, but I'm recently not in the mood for this neo-prog-synth-sound, maybe another time.

Honourable mentions:
Stuart Wooly Wolstenholme and Mike Pinder (for their outstandig mellotron-work)

Freddy Mercury (such an underrated pianist)
Susanna Sundør (another great pianist)
Kate Bush (another great pianist)

Fusion:

Chick Corea (Miles Davis, Return to Forever, Electrik Band, Akoustik Band, solo)

Joe Zawinul (Miles Davis, Wheather Report, solo)

Herbie Hancock (Miles Davis, Headhunters, solo)

Edited by Kingsnake - February 07 2018 at 12:24

BaldJean

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Posted: February 07 2018 at 12:01

Mista-Gordie wrote:

I excluded the fusion legends on purpose (Hancock, Zawinul, Corea, Hiromi and so on) because it's so hard to compare them with some less gifted players which are perfect for the context of their own band's sound, and also because the line would be thin between including these and having to include jazz greats such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

or Barbara Dennerlein

A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta

Mista-Gordie View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2018 at 10:04

Well I think in the prog world these four stand well above the rest:

1-Rick Wakeman
2-Keith Emerson
3-Kerry Minnear
4-Tony Banks

Then it gets trickier because there are so much outstanding ones but my ranking would look like that:

5-Dave Sinclair
6-Dave Stewart
7-Peter Bardens
8-Eddie Jobson
9-Hugh Banton
10-Thijs Van Leer

I excluded the fusion legends on purpose (Hancock, Zawinul, Corea, Hiromi and so on) because it's so hard to compare them with some less gifted players which are perfect for the context of their own band's sound, and also because the line would be thin between including these and having to include jazz greats such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington.

SeeYouInSpain View Drop Down

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Posted: February 13 2016 at 04:24

1. Tony Banks
2. Kerry Minnear
3. Rick Wakeman
4. Richard Harvey
5. Pete Bardens
6. Keith Emerson
7. Thjis Van Leer
8. Vangelis
9. Dave Stewart
10. Anthony Phillips

Upbeat Tango Monday View Drop Down

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Posted: January 31 2016 at 17:30

Keith Emerson
Rick Wakeman
Patrick Moraz
Jordan Rudess
Tony Banks
Peter Hammill
Jon Lord
Kerry Minnear
Mike Oldfield
Peter Bardens

Two random guys agreed to shake hands. Just Because. They felt like it, you know. It was an agreement of sorts...a random agreement.

akaBona

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Posted: January 31 2016 at 17:16

Tony Banks
Hugh Banton
Peter Bardens
Keith Emerson
John Evan
Ken Hensley
Jon Lord
Kerry Minnear
Dave Stewart
Rick Wakeman

sublime220 View Drop Down

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Posted: January 31 2016 at 10:36

markobarrows wrote:

These lists are whack. Ridiculous, and I would know. I am 55 and roadied for LAs best prog band in the 80s...The Fents. The New Yorkers, with Chris Poland on guitar, and the Fents were the deepest bands at the time beside Holdsworth, who was from San Diego/England. Most of the bands listed had players that can not be compared to Holzman, or Watkins (Happy the Man). Watkins came from DC.

There is no dark side in the moon, really... Matter of fact, it's all dark...

markobarrows View Drop Down

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Posted: January 31 2016 at 02:54

These lists are whack. Ridiculous, and I would know. I am 55 and roadied for LAs best prog band in the 80s...The Fents. The New Yorkers, with Chris Poland on guitar, and the Fents were the deepest bands at the time beside Holdsworth, who was from San Diego/England. Most of the bands listed had players that can not be compared to Holzman, or Watkins (Happy the Man). Watkins came from DC.