Best Keyboard player

[Va Lefty]

Was talking about this with some friends this weekend. Just wondered what you guys think. Only so many spots so I know I'll leave out some greats

[flvegan]

1. Geddy Lee is the most talented.

Unfortunately the music that comes out is horrid. His voice makes it worse.

Come to think of it, the keyboarding isn't very good either. Nevermind.

:hide:

[TZ]

22. hmm. don't you actually need to know what "singing" is

before you make a judgement? As opposed to whatever screechy sounds the Beastie Boys make....

[Dr. Strange]

32. I might be able to take your musical musings more seriously...

if you took off your Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch t-shirt.

[flvegan]

36. Feel the vibrations! Feel it feel it!

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Glenn Gould.

[taterguy]

3. Leon Russell, Pinetop Perkins, Billy Preston, some classical dude

But of the ones in your poll I'd probably vote for Jerry Lee Lewis

[av8rdave]

4. Rick Wakeman

[asdjrocky]

5. +1

Not a huge 'progressive' music fan, but when I was very young I say Yes in Oakland and Wakeman was amazing. Gentle Giant opened for them, quite a show.

[MissMillie]

29. +2

and I find the omission of him in the list highly offensive.

[Jetboy]

6. Jerry Lee Lewis is the very best.

I wish another Jerry Lee or Little Richard would come along.

[old mark]

16. Jerry Lee is still playing well into his 70's. He is the man. nt

[Throd]

7. Deep Purple

[BlueJazz]

8. Other: Fif Ty thous and and a few others

[kwassa]

9. Art Tatum

the finest ever.

Tatum Pole Boogie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyKOPXP2Z88&feature=related

Yesterdays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaPeks0H3_s

Tiger Rag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Cs_zb4q14&feature=related

[HughBeaumont]

17. Yep.

It's not even close. This guy could play what others only dreamed of hearing.

[HamdenRice]

25. That's what I was going to say. Plus McCoy Tyner. nt

[Orrex]

10. Chico Marx

[Tuesday Afternoon]

11. Keith Emerson, Nicky Hopkins

[EastTennesseeDem]

12. Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists

[Amerigo Vespucci]

13. First choice, Jerry Lee. Second choice, Wakeman. Saw them both in concert.

Emerson's a wanker. He's the CC DeVille of keyboard players, just a total WANKER.

:hide:

[begin_within]

14. Oscar Levant, Van Cliburn and Victor Borge

[mitchum]

30. Good call...Levant was Gershwin's favorite interpretor of his work...

and he was a hell of a wit also

[begin_within]

55. Here are a few of his bon mots:

Behind the phony tinsel of Hollywood lies the real tinsel.

Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember.

I am no more humble than my talents require.

I envy people who drink. At least they have something to blame everything on.

I once said cynically of a politician, 'He'll doublecross that bridge when he comes to it.'

I'm going to memorize your name and throw my head away.

So little time and so little to do.

The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too.

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

Underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character.

What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left.

Every time I look at you I get a fierce desire to be lonesome.

I can remember Doris Day before she was a virgin.

I don't drink. I don't like it. It makes me feel good.

A pun is the lowest form of humor - when you don't think of it first.

I have given up reading books; I find it takes my mind off myself.

I have no trouble with my enemies. But my god damn friends... they are the ones that keep me walking the floors at night.

I think a lot of Bernstein - but not as much as he does.

I'm a study of a man in chaos in search of frenzy.

Once I make up my mind, I'm full of indecision.

"You can't possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven's Seventh and go slow."

When asked what he does for exercise, "I stumble and I fall down."

I was once thrown out of a mental hospital for depressing the other patients.

Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, and so am I.

There are two sides to every question: my side and the wrong side.

It’s not what your are, it’s what you don’t become that hurts.

[bluesbassman]

15. Bruce Hornsby

Saw him on tour with Bonnie Raitt some years back. I love Bonnie, but Bruce stole the show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvpL2kAw7Dc

[JBoy]

24. That's who I was thinking.

[chknltl]

18. Enjoyed the hell out of Emerson and Wakeman

Looking at this list, I can see that I'll need to check out a few more.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

19. Keith Jarrett

The old stuff still sounds great.

:hi:

[Frank Cannon]

20. What, no love for Liberace?

[Dinger]

46. Lots Of Love For Lee Here. I Had His Old Piano Teacher When I Went To

The Wisconsin Conservatory.

[bbernardini]

21. No love for Bernie Worrell?

Don't get me wrong, I love most of the players people have been listing, but it saddens me that he's missing from this thread.

[lukasahero]

23. There's a difference between keyboard players and piano players

As such, your poll is impossible for me to answer.

[yellowdogintexas]

38. this is so true. So VanCliburn, Olga Kern, Jon Nakamatsu, Jose Feghali

do not fit into this poll.

or Horowitz, Rubenstein, Oscar Levant, or The Five Browns.

Hey I live in Fort Worth, Texas,

We live breathe and eat piano every 4 years down here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XuEUWQCJSA

this year's co-medalist, performing tonight in Bass Hall..wish I could go!

[lukasahero]

44. Oh my, how lucky you are!

I'm a piano player. I wish I was a pianist. ;)

I can pick a few favorites from a variety of genres: Kerry Livgren, Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman; Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis; Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk and Art Tatum; Horowitz, VanCliburn, Ashkenazy and Gould...

But to compare Glenn Gould to Jerry Lee Lewis? That's just not reasonable.

Someday I'll make it to the Cliburn competition (in the audience, obviously. ;) )

[yellowdogintexas]

58. oh I do hope you get to attend it one day.

The Cliburn is a real experience. Did you know there is an amateur one
in 2011? It is held at Texas Christian University in the alternate odd numbered years to the big competition.

However the big competition in Bass Hall is just amazing. This year they had live webcast for the first time and it went very well.

[HamdenRice]

26. If you're going to include Jazz (Basie) at least include the Jazz greats

As listed above, Tatum and McCoy Tyner. Also Thelonious Monk. Bill Evans. Duke Ellington. Basie was a great musician but not in the top tier.

[tishaLA]

40. and Oscar Peterson

[Richardo]

27. E Power Biggs

Plus, the best name ever.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Power_Biggs

I think I actually had this album in the 70s

[Burma Jones]

28. Bill Payne of Little Feat deserves mention.......

[mitchum]

31. Mr McCoy Tyner

[seemunkee]

33. Ladies and gentlemen, I play piano, but god is in the house tonight

Supposed quote by Fats Waller when Art Tatum entered the club

[TrogL]

34. Most of those guys just play chords

I've shaken hands with Keith Emerson.

Pretend you're shaking hands with a six-year-old. I felt like that six-year-old shaking hands with him - his hands are HUGE.

I've got my grade 9 piano and I've been playing for about 50 years. I still can't play Tarkus or Karn Evil 9 - second impression despite years of effort.

[Zomby Woof]

35. Billy Powell

Just because no one else mentioned him.

[BurtWorm]

48. Bud Powell

For the same reason.

:hi:

[Zomby Woof]

51. He's one of my faves too!

Others named Tyner and Tatum first, which are also at the top for me.

I also want to mention my favorite Hammond B-3 player, Jimmy McGriff. :toast:

[Captain Hilts]

37. Billy Preston and Earl "Fatha" Hines. nt

[Sanity Claws]

39. Keyboard cat

He had some help but, still, his keyboarding is iconic.

[gmoney]

41. Steve Nieve

Started with Elvis Costello since the Attractions were first formed back in 78 or so. Classically trained, he created some amazing musical atmosphere that more than made up for Elvis' sometimes, uh, modest guitar skills. Some of EC's biggest hits depended largely on Steve's keys, especially Pump it Up. Inexplicably changed his name to Maurice Worm for a record or two back in the day...

The Attractions are IMO among the best group of backing musicians evar. Pete Thomas and Bruce Thomas (no relation) also ruled on drums and bass.

[madrchsod]

42. pinetop perkins

[DevonRex]

43. Steve Winwood. nt

[PBS Poll-435]

47. Yep

:thumbsup:

The first tape I ever bought was Steve Winwood's "Back in the High Life".

[Beer on a stick]

45. Ray fucking Manzerek?!?!? He couldn't play his way out of a.....

ah, fuck.

Never mind.

[Iggo]

49. He kicked ass at spooky circus music, though.

I'll give him that.

[Bennyboy]

50. Kyle Hollingsworth is the correct answer....

He plays for String Cheese Incident and he is amazing.

But why do these polls only have freaking geezer rockers in them? And even then it is off the Classic Rock playlist.


try some Jimmy Smith. or Herbie Hancock. Or John Medeski. Or Page McConnell who was the star of the show this summer with Phish. Or Marco Benevento. Or Ivan Neville. Or the thousands of great musicians that are playing right now and kicking ass....

[BulletproofLandshark]

52. Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgZhiYff7nM

[southpaw]

56. Jordan Rudess certainly deserves credit

Dream Theater aren't my thing, but Rudess is jaw-droppingly skilled and plays with way more feeling than most 'technical' players.

[VOX]

53. Fats Waller. n/t

[Doc_Technical]

54. Nicky Hopkins

He deserves a mention.

[unpossibles]

57. No Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Joe Jackson, Richard Wright, Billy Preston, Booker T...

.... Brian Eno, George Duke, Bernie Worrell, or Herbie Hancock?