I second Page McConnell, Phish is my favorite band, and i love what Page does.....and Vida BLue, is a kick ass band...some of the best jams in a long while...... Bernie Worrel, of the P-FUnk and COl. CLaypools Bucket Of Bernie Brains......this guy is a mad man....his key playing is out of this world..... Bennevento, of the Benevento Russo Duo, he is a master of the B3-Organ..... Robert Walter, holy shit! this guy tears up the keys, he has some of the best organ lines on the planet.....
yeah but ray manzarek is more overrated than anyone else. he plays the same damn tune through every song.
I like Rick Wright and Brian Eno.. very simple, understated parts that succeed in creating a tangible mood. No need for fancy Emerson Wakeman flying about on the keys. I'm the same way with guitar for most part.. creating a mood and employing simplicity in clever ways are qualities I really dig.
Im the best! but on piano probably Theolonious Monk is my favourite. and organ probably Jimmy Smith and synthesiser probably Brian Eno
my favourite keyboard player used to be ray manzerek but its kinda moved to Dave Sinclair from 'Caravan'
Don't know if it's good or not, but I like what Jon Lord did. I also was looking who was the keyboard player of Rainbow, but they changed members for almost every album.. I love the keyboard on the album Rising though, especially the intro of Tarot woman.
schroeders piano line is played by Vince Guaraldi's Trio Nicky Hopkins Ian Stewart Jon Lord Don Airey Keith Emerson T-Monk - a great one Jimmy Smith - good call there Harry Connick Paul Shaefer Richard Bell Fats Domino Im sure I will think of more, keys can be so versatile. We havent even touched many of the blues players!
Sun Ra (and the Sun Ra Arkestra), definately my favorite... and also one of the first, if not the first to play electric keyboards/piano, in the 50s. Booker T. Jones (Booker T. and the MGs) Danny Louis of Gov't Mule Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band Billy Preston (Mostly works with Clapton and Doyle Bramhall II nowadays) Brian Eno (I don't really have to say much about Eno... he was one of the first to incorporate looping technology into his music) Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone... Page McConnell of Phish Laurence Gowan (Try double-timing Scott Joplin rags...) Mike Finnigan [I'm sure if the name isn't familiar, you'll be familiar with his playing... He plays with Crosby, Stills, Nash, (and Young), as well as Stills' solo projects/tours] Ivan Neville (You may be familiar with him if you've seen The Deepest End live concert video for Gov't Mule. They were auditioning bassists and having guests jam. They happened to do it at the Saenger in New Orleans, which is the home city of the Neville Bros... damn good keys player. I'd like to see him at Jazz Fest someday)