|
|
Tickle the Ivories - My Top Ten Favorite Keyboard PlayersJun 03 '07 (Updated Jun 16 '07) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Music
The Bottom Line Piano! Keyboards
Ah, the piano! It is my second favorite musical instrument, between the guitar and the saxophone. I enjoy listening to music composed for piano and keyboard, and find that a lot of my favorite music in all genres has the piano in common. So, who are my favorite piano or keyboard players? Well, I couldn't just list Ten! Here are my eleven favorite players. Popular Music Don't Shoot me, I'm only the Piano Player - Elton John has to be on this list, his instrument of choice is the piano, and although he isn't one of my favorite artists, he is one of my favorite popular piano players, especially on classic albums like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. He is also one of the few artists who has releases his catalog in SACD. The Piano Man - Billy Joel On the less flamboyant side of popular music primarily on the piano is the Perfect Stranger that dated an Uptown Girl the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel. All that Jazz Thelonious Monk Just amazing stuff that I have only recently discovered, Monk has been on top ten lists of jazz for decades, the man pioneered a very unique style on the piano. Diana Krall Ah, Miss Krall (now Mrs. Costello sigh), her lovely voice, lovely face, and lovely fingers lured me into the world of jazz, a trip I never regretted. Her entire catalog of jazz standards, covers and original material is a joy to listen to, and most of it is available on SACD and DVD-audio in surround sound. I was lucky enough to see her in concert a few years ago from the fourth row. She is as awesome in person. Keiko Matsui If you don't know this jazz pianist from Japan, you owe it to yourself to check her out, she is amazing. A combination of new age and jazz, her piano compositions will transport you to a zen like state. My favorite album by her is Perfect Blue. Many of her albums are available with bonus DVDs with Keiko in concert. Bill Evans Another relaxing jazz piano player, Bill Evans can mellow out even the most stressed out moods. A romantic piano player, he has a number of great albums out under the Bill Evans Trio. Progressive Rock Rick Wright Pink Floyd has long been one of my favorite groups, and on their albums especially the earlier ones, you can hear some really awesome moody psychedelic keyboard solos by Rick Wright, the keyboard player for Pink Floyd Rick Wakeman My favorite progressive rock band would have to be YES. Wakeman, a classicaly trained piano player helps to give YES its very classical progressive rock sound. Keith Emerson Another of my favorite progressive rock bands of the seventies was Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Emerson's reimagining of several classical compositions with a rock n roll bent, remain my favorites. I heard him even as a kid, since one of his pieces from Brain Salad Surgery was the theme for Creature Double Feature! The Nutrocker Suite still greets hockey fans today! but my Favorite Piano Player outside Classical Music? He defies all genres, playing jazz, blues, gospel, country & western and R&B. Ray Charles I got into the music of Ray Charles late in life, I actually discovered him a couple years ago with the movie Ray. I had no idea this man did so much incredible music. I now own quite a few DVD concerts, and a huge box set called Genius and Soul by this very gifted very talented man. Speaking of Classical My all time favorite piano player? Vladimir Horowitz If I want to hear my favorite classical piano music, whether it be by my favorite, Ludwig Van Beethoven, or one of the many others who wrote for piano, Chopin, Rachmoninoff, Mozart, Schubert, et.al. there was always one man I looked for in the music store for a collection of piano works, and that man was Russian Pianist, Vladimir Horowitz. He was born in 1903, and sadly passed away in 1989 after a long and very prolific life. If any one could make classical music come alive with feeling and passion it was him. His playing of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata can bring tears to your eyes. There they are, my ten favorite piano players! some runner ups (ones I thought about) Tony Banks of Genesis Dennis DeYoung of Styx Other Top Ten Lists to Read: Top 10 SACDs/DVD-Audios(actually 18 albums altogether) My favorite heavy metal albums from "back in the day" Ten Concerts that Rock Ten outstanding performances captured in Surround Sound on DVD. Top Ten Bass Players Top Ten Blues Artists Top Ten Heavy Metal Singers Top Ten Keyboard Players Top Ten Rock Guitar Players Top Ten Sexy Songbirds  |
| Read all comments (8)|Write your own comment |
in Music
- Top 50|
Ads by Google
|
by dopejunkie
by teamfreak16
by nick7jq
by knotheadusc
![Still I Rise [PA] by 2Pac Reviews](http://di1.shopping.com/images/pi/21/15/26/2006751669-100x100-0-0.jpg?p=p7.237908d9d4683aae8f0e&a=2&c=1&l=8071320&t=130409004544&r=2)
