David R

It really depends on the gig, but some of my go-tos: Scarbee Classic EP88 for Rhodes Scarbee A200 for Wurly (likely to be replaced by Cherry Audio Whirlybird soon) IK Multimedia Hammond B3X Arturia OBXa Arturia Mini V/Softube Model 72 (I go back & forth) Softube Model 84 (for Juno polysynths… Cherry Audio DCO106 is encroaching on it though) uhe Repro 5 Arturia Pigments for more modern/less obviously analogue things Native Instruments Guitar Rig for amp sim & effects

Looks like an older Motif 61 on top, and a Roland Juno (unsure of the model) to his right. I can’t tell what the 88 on the bottom is but it looks Yamaha-esque to me.

I mean, there is a wedding DJ here in town that also uses DJ Jazzy Jeff and I have no sweet clue how he gets any work at all…

I need to fact-check this but I’m pretty sure Sergio was responsible for the influx of many other Brazilian musicians to the USA in the early 1970s (Hermeto, Airto, Flora Purim). He’s definitely responsible for opening North American ears to so many post-bossa songwriters, from Jorge Ben to Gilberto Gil, Hermeto Pascoal to Carlinhos Brown. For a long time I was a snob towards his work, but then a DJ friend urged me to really listen (and of course he was right). A classmate of mine from McGill was his second backup singer for the last 15 years, and she told me how sweet Sergio and Gracinha were in helping her learn the lyrics. He’s not directly an influence on what I do and my path through Brazilian music, but his collaborators (Jorge, Hermeto, Carlinhos) certainly are. It’s impossible to deny his legacy. Descanse em paz, Sergio.

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https://www.softube.com/model-77-dual-layer-synth I generally like Softube’s emulations, their Model 72 and Model 84 are often my go-to Moog & Juno plugins. I’m curious how people more knowledgeable in CS80 land compare it against the Arturia & Cherry Audio. It’s on introductory sale for $99, and all the Model synths are on sale as well.

I had the opposite issue! It really did not like my USB hub, but using a regular USB-B to USB-A printer cable with Apple’s A-to-C adapter, I have never had problems.

I love my Key Largo, and especially on fly dates it has made my life so much simpler. Universal switching power supply, 5-pin midi in and out so I can make any backline keyboard work if necessary, sustain & volume pedal jacks for all channels, and an effects loop! The caveats of the Key Largo have been noted above: - no headphone outs - one master output (in the sense, no aux mixes to send click or tracks on separate outputs out of Mainstage, and you are sub mixing any/all keyboards that come out of the KL) - no XLR inputs If those things are truly important to you & you decide you want to run a dedicated audio interface for Mainstage, I’d recommend the MOTU M4 or Ultralite or the UA Volt (the model with 5-pin midi, whatever it is). I haven’t personally used the Arturia Audiofuse but I’m curious to hear them.

Marcus Miller is serving as music director for the gig and Julian has played in Marcus’ band for a while. I love Terrace too but I think Julian is a better call for copping those classic ARP patches and dealing with the intricacies of Headhunters music.

My gateway into Keith was Whisper Not. It’s his first concert back from battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so there’s much more restraint (relatively speaking). The version of “Bouncing With Bud” is what finally opened everything up for me. Also, that arrangement/ostinato of “What Is This Thing Called Love” is phenomenal. Check out “Backhand” from Backhand and “Long As You Know You’re Living Yours” from Belonging for that vaguely Americana-ish melodic language he had in the 1960s & 70s

(Hope this isn’t breaking any forum rules - cannabis & CBD are legal in Canada…) I use a CBD topical stick on my neck & shoulders after gigs sometimes. I find it very relaxing and it’s a good way to temporarily relieve the pain. It is not a solution long-term (like osteo/masso/physical therapy to realign the body). I also used juniper essential oil in a hot bath. That worked the best to relax the muscles. Unfortunately, juniper oil seems to be increasingly difficult to find - I don’t think its muscle relaxant properties are well known so the health stores and pharmacies don’t always stock it. And no, drinking gin doesn’t have the same effect, I wish it did!

2022. Driving from SFO to California World Fest in Grass Valley, about four hours north. Super long travel day, we were tired & hungry. We parked our rental car with Arizona plates and a barcode at an Outback Steakhouse 90 minutes north of SFO. By the time the waitress took all our orders, someone said “hey is that your car?” Back window smashed - they grabbed my backpack with laptop, Key Largo, camera and passport; our trumpet player’s horn case with extra mouthpieces; various suitcases. They left the Strat and the cymbals behind. Very expensive lesson - I always bring my backpack inside now, no matter how short the stop.

I want to push back on this a bit. I agree with ProfD’s point that buying Herbie’s Rhodes won’t make you play or sound like Herbie; however, I have played some instruments that have magic fairy dust of their own that have been phenomenally inspiring. Part of it might be context — the beat-up upright piano in Bob Marley’s house in St Ann, Jamaica is objectively not a good instrument but it had such a vibe and exuded spirit. I played three Steinway Bs side by side at the Steinway shop in Düsseldorf and there was one that drastically fit my playing more closely than the two others. I asked the employee whether there were any differences and she replied, “there isn’t supposed to be.” I’m not a guitarist by any stretch but there have been a couple that got away - I should have bought them on the spot because they were so easy to play in my hands. Even when I look up similar models, they don’t feel the same as those specific specimens that were in my hands at the time.

Many people have beat me to the issues of dismissing a genre out of hand (and specifically hip-hop and the tired trope of its lyrics). I’m just going to drop a couple of things here – not in an attempt to convince people to like something they don’t like, but specifically to counter the argument that hip-hop is unmusical: - I don’t know of another genre in the past 40 years that has so indelibly influenced MULTIPLE other genres (besides maybe dancehall reggae). The Pete Rock & J Dilla swing are everywhere in jazz, and trap hi-hat patterns and huge 808 kicks are in everything from pop to country. - I listened to MCs with new ears when Robert Glasper said his biggest influence as a soloist was Busta Rhymes. - I am biased because of my deep love of Brazilian culture, but one of the reasons I love Brazilian rappers like Emicida, Criolo and Marcelo D2 is that they understand the continuum from samba to hip-hop. They are not afraid to collaborate with elders or interact with the various traditions of Afro-Brazilian music. (also Emicida plays some pretty legit flute) - if you haven’t watched or listened to Black Thought’s epic 10 minute freestyle (10 minute continuous IMPROVISATION, for all you Keith Jarrett & Bobby McFerrin fans) it is a modern masterpiece of the genre:

I love both of them and they have both been deeply influential on me. I would make the following observations: - Billy relies on transposing his controller to the new keys he sings in whereas Elton actually plays them in the adjusted keys (from all the footage I have seen); - Elton has a much deeper command of boogie-woogie and pre-rock blues piano (Billy’s “Root Beer Rag” notwithstanding) - the piano break in Billy’s “Stiletto” is more intricate than anything Elton recorded at the time but I have not seen Billy play this tune live at all in recent years. I think it’s a draw in terms of musicality and composition overall, but as a pianist with technical capacity - in 2024 at their ages - I think Elton is the stronger pianist.