Results 1 to 25 of 25

Thread: Favourite 'live' keyboard solo ?

  1. #1

    Favourite 'live' keyboard solo ?

    All the band has left the stage except the keyboard player . Which are your favourite solo's ?

    1. Rick Wakeman - Excerpts from Henry the VIII
    2.Keith Emerson -Piano Improvisations
    3.Jon Lord - Beethoven Improvisations
    4. Geoff Downes - White Car Suite
    5. Jordan Rudess - Solo from live at the Budokan
    Last edited by Rufus; 05-15-2013 at 05:34 PM.

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    52
    I like Emerson's solo from the first ELP tour in 1970, he was throwing in bits of what turned in to Eruption in the solo.
    ...or you could love

  3. #3
    Without a doubt...

    Kenichi Mitsuda-Echi Dal Foro Romano

    from the stunning 2005 performance of Kenso at Nearfest

  4. #4
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    I like Thomas Dolby's keytar solo in ABITW II in Roger Water's "Wall" in Berlin. He's dressed as the school teacher and he totally throws himself into it as Cyndi Lauper dances around. A fun moment!

  5. #5
    Keith Jarrett: the entire Kyoto disc from The Sun Bear Concerts
    Glenn Gould: the entire Art Of The Fugue album
    Peter Hurford: any of his Bach recordings
    John Cage: Sonatas And Interludes For Piano (I've forgotten the soloist, but the recording I have is on Mode Records, reputedly the only one done on the same model Steinway that Cage actually composed the piece on)
    Ken Hensley: Mood Symplifier solo on Gypsy from Uriah Heep Live (though he actually has Lee Kerslake backing him on that, so maybe it doesn't quite count)
    Tim Blake: Octave Doctors And The Crystal Machine (from a studio album, but I see no reason to not believe it was done in a single take)
    Sun Ra: all the solo pieces on My Brother The Wind Vol. 2, as well as the solo bits in Atlantis, Hiroshima, The Magic City, and the madcap organ solo from...I think it's the Montreux 76 performance (there's also a really cool organ solo and Crumar synth solo in the A Joyful Noise film)

  6. #6
    May 31, 1987, Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. Jon Lord played Let It Be and Fur Elise before going into, I believe, Knocking At Your Back Door while dressed in a white tux. One of my coolest memories from any concert. The place went wild..

    R.I.P. Lord Hammond.

    T. Lavitz opening for the Steve Morse Band in the early nineties. He killed up there all by himself.

    That's all I've got.

  7. #7
    Jordan's Live at bodukan solo is so sick.

  8. #8
    Member MoZo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Idaho, by way of Pluto
    Posts
    7
    I will second Keith's "Piano Improvisations". I will also throw one in there from jazz land........ Lyle Mays' solo on "San Lorenzo" off of the Pat Metheny Group's "Travels" CD. Just a great example of how Lyle builds the tension during a longer solo.

  9. #9
    Banned
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Mission Viejo, California
    Posts
    0
    I second White Car Suite. Although, it would have been nice of Yes to do a progged-up, full band arrangement of Video Killed The Radio Star on the Drama tour. Geoff's keyboard solo on the Asia In Asia video is nice, too. It's a hoot seeing him move from keyboard to keyboard. I'll bet he got a workout, too.

  10. #10
    I assume we mean solo piece/song section here, not solo lead break... I'd have to think on it, many good ones cited so far but I'd add T. Lavitz's opening section to I'm Freaking Out, something by Patrick Moraz (but not sure what yet) and Roger Powell's solo section on Singring and the Glass Guitar.

    (Edit- I just realized I'm ignoring the "live" part of the o/p although these did get performed in some iteration or another live...)

  11. #11
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    Quote Originally Posted by Louis Arsenault-mahjoubi View Post
    Jordan's Live at bodukan solo is so sick.
    I like it too, even though I know it occasionally gets pummeled here on PE (wankery, etc.).

  12. #12


    In the words of Rick Wakeman, "You think you can bluff your way through that one?!"

  13. #13
    Easy one; Eddie Jobson's keyboard solo when touring with Jethro Tull.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox2Fe2dD6uw

    (Starts at 7.02)

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by MoZo View Post
    I will also throw one in there from jazz land........ Lyle Mays' solo on "San Lorenzo" off of the Pat Metheny Group's "Travels" CD. Just a great example of how Lyle builds the tension during a longer solo.
    That would be my choice.

  15. #15
    Profondo Giallo Crystal Plumage's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Sneek, The Netherlands
    Posts
    314

    ..is a favorite of mine...
    HuGo
    "Very, very nice," said a man in the crowd,
    When the golden voice appeared.
    She was gold alright, but then so is rust.
    "Such a shame about the beard."

  16. #16
    Wakeman's solo in the Wurm section of Starship Trooper at the Wembley show in 1978, that one in particular always stands out. I've also always loved Emerson's improvised Aquatarkus where he borrows parts of Dick Hyman 'The Minotaur', Blues Variations on Pictures is pretty awesome as well.

  17. #17
    I'm partial to Wakeman's solo from the ABWH tour.

    http://youtu.be/-02MNtr0D50?t=17m57s

    (Tried to embed the full concert video, but I can't get it to automatically cue to the solo)
    Last edited by TheBar1; 05-16-2013 at 08:53 AM.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    Justin

  18. #18
    Boo! walt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Oakland Gardens NY
    Posts
    5,626
    Garth Hudson on organ,The Genetic Method, from The Band's live Rock Of Ages.Outstanding.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  19. #19
    Member Man In The Mountain's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Chicago area
    Posts
    1,066
    Quote Originally Posted by killmymusic View Post
    Easy one; Eddie Jobson's keyboard solo when touring with Jethro Tull.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox2Fe2dD6uw

    (Starts at 7.02)
    WOW!! Great footage, I've never seen that.

    I'm partial to most Wakeman solo's however... the one from Yessongs and ABWH in particular are incredible, in that they're completely memorable.

  20. #20
    Member Dave the Brave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    115
    Heavy Organ - Bach Live At Fillmore East 1989
    Virgil Fox playing Tocata and Fuge in D minor

    It totally rocks.

    D t B

  21. #21

  22. #22
    Intro - Dave Greenslade - still gives me goosehump

    Colosseum - Lost Angeles


  23. #23
    Ra showing how to make the "auto-accompaniment" sound cool:


  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Rufus View Post
    5. Jordan Rudess - Solo from live at the Budokan
    This as well as Ryo Okumoto's solo from SB's Don't Try This At Home came readily to mind.
    'The smell of strange colours are heard everywhere'- Threshold

  25. #25
    Member old school's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    La Crescenta Ca USA
    Posts
    2
    Mist's solo on Solar Music Live from Live At Kassel 1978-2 Silver Mint Series Grobschnitt!

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •