Dave Ferris

I stopped in and played the newer Yamaha CFX today at Faust-Harrison in Sherman Oaks. I played it back in Dec. and felt then it was hands down the best Yamaha piano I've ever played in my life. They moved it from the front of the store to a new recital room in back where it sings out even more. The beautiful Thad Jones tune "A Child Is Born" in 2/4.

.

.

He had one of the Gastric procedures a few years back. He also appears to have had some type of hair replacement procedure as well. I didn't even recognize him when I saw him at NAMM. A little early in life for all that while still in your 20s but I guess whatever it takes these days to establish a career. He looks healthy and always appears very happy when he's "on". An incredible talent. Forum member, Roger Friedman/ Piano4u sponsored his arrival to the US and helped him to navigate the admission process to get into Berklee. He showed me video of him in Colombia before anyone knew about him. While musically he's not my thing and I can't really listen to him for more then 30 seconds, I'm still very happy for him. What it took to come here and lift himself out of extreme poverty and to accomplish all of what he has in not even ten years, that's a very inspiring story.

Brad, I'm sorry you had to make the long drive to Burbank but glad you were able to play it and confirm my experience. I had no issues with the tone but it was simply impossible to connect with because of the action, which for me was simply shockingly unplayable. I agree 100% about the build quality and sleekness of it. All top notch. I owned four Rhodes back in the day - three stages and one suitcase- from around 1974 to 1984. About a year after the DX7 came out, I sold my tricked out suitcase for pennies on the dollar. My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be now but I can certainly attest that none of my Rhodes, even a totally stock model, ever felt anything like that particular VV suitcase model. After mistakenly referring to the console model at Vintage King as the "Deluxe", I went on the Vintage Vibe site to refresh my knowledge about the names of the different models. They call that particular model their "Concert" line. The only possibility for its glaringly horrendous action I can think of is perhaps it's an older early prototype model that was still in development, no one bought it from VK and it's just been sitting on the floor of their showroom all this time. I'm trying to give VV the ultimate benefit of the doubt because I can't fathom any discerning players, name or otherwise, buying their pianos if that is representative of their action. There are a couple people here that own them and I've read nothing but glowing reviews and positive impressions about them. Something has to be very wrong with the one at Vintage King. Someone (maybe me lol) should call the company and get to the bottom of this.

Will be interested in hearing your opinion of both Brad. I was in the Burbank Vintage King just recently playing that Vintage Vibe "suitcase" type model they call the Deluxe. It's the same red sparkle one they've had for a number of years now. I posted a not very flattering short review of it a few years back. Revisiting it again a few weeks back, nothing has changed. Simply and bluntly put- I can't believe that this particular model is representative of the current product line. They had a Nord Stage 3 (?) right next to it. Not a Nord fan but it felt my Steinway in comparison to the VV. Let me know what you think. Glad to hear the Santa Barbara MK8 site is still operational. We're going up there in June for my birthday and our anniversary. I'd like to stop in and play it for a short while out of curiosity.

CP88 is not my favorite but it works better for what I do and need then anything else out there currently. Plus I will say with the CP88 and RCF TT-08A mk2s, I've yet to have a gig where the sound was off a bit. With the CP4 and original RCF TT-08As, there were quite a few times, depending on room acoustics, where the CP4 sounded kinda dead and lifeless. That problem with the C6-C7 octave dropping off didn't help matters. The CP88 while being more digital sounding, is more consistent sonically, in addition to being even across the entire range of the keyboard to my ears. The TT-08A mk2s have better dispersion and overall a more hi-fi sound then the originals, so that plays a big part in the equation too. Overall, until Yamaha releases a flagship successor to the CP88, that's my tool for the gigs I am doing these days.

CP4 without a doubt. CP88 sound is very good, once your ear gets accustomed to the more digital sounding change over the CP4, but just not the same vibe or player connection in the action.

Koenraad, I can recommend the DXR8mk2s. I used them and the QSC K8.2s for almost a year, both with my P-515 and CP88. Both were excellent - with the P515, I'd maybe give a slight edge to the Yamahas for a more round tone. Conversely, the QSC K8.2s seemed to make the CP88 CFX sample sound more alive and pop with the rhythm section. But I don't think you could go wrong with either speaker. It's very very close. I eventually went for the gold with the newer RCF TT-08A mk2s for the increased detail and hi-fidelity. I sold both pairs of speakers literally what I paid for them and got a great price on the RCFs. I've been very happy the last 9 months with the CP88, the JMK Audio JM-110 and TT-08A mk2 combo. In a true acoustic jazz type context, where the keyboard is trying best to mimic an acoustic grand, a 10" speaker (or larger) can easily smother, or overwhelm, an acoustic bass, as well as a smaller jazz kit with an 18" bass drum. On the other hand if you are playing in larger rooms, and you are running piano, vocals, and sax through them in a foh application, I could see using the DXR10mk2s, or QSC K10.2s. Otherwise just for your own monitoring, the DXR8mk2s or QSC K8.2s all the way. A fwiw, the DXR8mk2's cabinet design precludes them from being used in a wedge/ floor monitor position, where the QSC K8.2s do the wedge position. I set my Yamahas on short Yorkville speaker poles or 13" folding steps. The K8.2s worked great on the short Yorkville speaker stands.

Hey Brad, Dan Goldman passed this on to me awhile ago. I'm not sure if Nick is still involved with them up in Santa Barbara. https://rhodesmusic.com/the-rhodes-showroom-ca/ At that same time he said they were also working on getting a demo at a site in Santa Monica. I don't know if that ever came about but you could drop Dan or Nick an email and find out. I'd also wager a guess that there has to be someone in LA with an MK8 that Dan or Nick could put you in touch with to demo it.

Pierre (actually Pierre's wife) just posted these photos from the closing concert on his recent tour, where celebrated his 84th Birthday. https://www.facebook.com/pierresfinepianos/posts/pfbid0DbrMGbDm1YThDMJ4m92rLcohqpXvyBo7rjrLVWR1JBKLsSAynSJTGrewcj4JDNC9l Check out the huge red road case for Pierre's Fazioli 278. That's Pierre's beautiful wife posing with Herbie and at the piano. Nice closeup of Herbie and Chris Potter. And an entire band shot from a distance.

Obviously not "keyboard" related but I think many of us came up on the Allman Brothers, their concept and signature sound. I know the "Brothers & Sisters" album, when Chuck came on, was pivotal in my development - "Jessica", "Southbound". And how many times in my youth did I play "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and his beautiful "Blue Sky". RIP. https://www.jambase.com/article/allman-brothers-band-dickey-betts-obituary?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0s0gjV21IeeW5XFwEYsHHEcVFCNtUuY8zf9plUMrrs7Txc9SICqfE2kv8_aem_ATIPtXv1wn62akc-7xg_0ZZolKFqW9h-sqo7ZlhCZClyem3gEKb06ShSWEQe48B3v-TZqiS_PKdvGEpg_r_KsgQK

It was Herbie Hancock's birthday yesterday. 84 years young! Long may he continue to play on. My humble birthday tribute to the Master.

This is a little longer video then I usually do. It was around 1 AM the other night after futzing all day trying to get this iRig Pro Duo working with my DPA 4011s. It was working perfectly for awhile, I did a couple short test takes and it sounded good. But for whatever reason it stopped working and I was getting jittery/ distorted audio. So being super frustrated and tired I said F it, and went back to the iPhone 14 mics and made this take of the great Luiz Bonfa tune, "Gentle Rain". What an interruption in the creative flow and total groove killer messing with this tech stuff.

Al, thanks a lot. Yes I have a special place in my heart for Skylark. I've probably played a half dozen CF6s since they were released and this particular one was the nicest by far. So between this CF6 and the new CFX Concert grand I played at the Sherman Oaks location back in Dec., these two were easily the best Yamaha pianos I've ever played in my life. They both had a rich and really sweet tone to them. The new manager there at Santa Monica said they had just gotten this CF6 in to replace the one that was bought in Jan. by the great session / studio player Craig Doerge. A name I hadn't heard in awhile but did I ever listen to him a lot on all those records from the 70s.

About a month ago I was over at Faust-Harrison (formerly Keyboard Concepts) in Santa Monica and had the pleasure of sampling this luscious sounding Yamaha CF6. A fantastic piano in every way! This is "Skylark".

Trippy two hand pattern #2 based off a Minor Maj.7 structure. Going around the circle of fourths with some hiccups in the middle...and then adding a little intercom effect at the very end from the house for good measure.

One chorus on Pensativa, medium up tempo.

And the other thing- the club has a brand new Steinway B that was fine for people like Fred Hersch to Kenny Barron to Brad Mehldau. Did Herbie really need to put the club through all of that? Sounds like a tad bit of ego was involved on his end.

Thanks! Yes Rob linked a video. Here's a little longer one. I was at Pierre's store when they were sizing the 278 to make sure it fit in that flight case. Pretty wild! That particular piano is the one in the photos below, a 2020 year of manufacture. It took the place of the 2017 model that I played in the video. I didn't make a video of the 2020 but I actually preferred the tone of the older one. Regarding the change over-- since Herbie is the most visible non-classical endorser of the brand, Paolo Fazioli, the founder/owner, likes to get him a new one about every 3 years. But because of the higher demand and their limited production, they pushed him getting another one off to next year. Yeah, must be nice.

I'm would assume the Yamaha would be great given their incredible high level of consistency in all their CF/SX/CX models, but especially the handmade CF/SX in particular. The D is another animal. While I feel they are the concert grand that everyone aspires to, they are still hit and miss. You definitely have to play it, they can highly differ, piano to piano. When you have a good one (along with an experienced concert level tech to look after it), a NY or Hamburg, there's nothing like it. Moritaka Kina, who's now the head tech for both the LA Phil and SF Symphony said the other day --" We now have a Fazioli and Bosendorfer in our back room for visiting Artists to choose from at Disney Hall, as well as a newer NY & Hamburg D. To me a Steinway D is the closest piano that would be an extension of the human singing voice". He's super busy but I'm trying to get him over to do some more work on mine this month. Possibly install new hammers but we'll see. I can attest to Pierre's 278 being out of this world! Edit-- The iPhone 14 mics while being surprisingly good for what they are, don't at all do it justice. You have to sit behind this piano to truly experience it.

Congrats on the sale Chris! Pianos under 30K do move a lot faster, plus it's a C7e. A good year for those. It's not a good market for 9' concert grands or anything priced around, or over the 100K mark. Here's three that have been languishing a year, or almost a year. Just a tad newer serial # then mine. They've dropped the price twice now in the year it's been listed. https://reverb.com/item/61690825-steinway-2004-model-d-9-concert-grand-2004-black?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=Criteo-US-Conversions-2021Q4&utm_content=2x2 The 7' CF6 in brand new shape where her husband passed away. She listed it last July. https://www.pianomart.com/buy-a-piano/view?id=53272 And Pierre's 2017 Fazioli 278 that was Herbie's touring piano before his current one. He put this up last June. https://www.ebay.com/itm/166203502469?hash=item26b2802f85%3Ag%3Axx0AAOSw4BFknxdl&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwCE3hbQs1g6TF6r%2BhDrZhSoQr1keBZN%2FylKX6WrAaac%2FDtdMH&fbclid=IwAR0cUuSkCB6lyaXdchprfWa4s6UquLheSiRjaem6vZpY0Bq9HUwRSzBWCQM

I've probably mentioned this before at one point, we went to the same high school together. McCluer High, in the Ferguson/Florissant school district of St. Louis, Mo.. Mike was a year older then me and graduated in 1970. I saw him often as a kid in four different bands. The first time I might've been 14 and he was in his first band of any note which was called, Jerry Jay and the Sheratons. They were playing on a flat bed truck in the parking lot of a local Dodge dealer as a celebration of their opening. The band was very popular, they played all the "sock hops" and "Y-dances" at the area's grade and high schools. It was a large band, they had as many as six horns horns at times, all very straight laced looking, no long hair or hippie look, which was just starting to gain traction. In that sense, they appeared less threatening for all the Catholic school functions. They played mostly Soul music- Sam & Dave, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, etc.. They also threw in the token Top 40 hits of the day from groups like the Buckinghams and The Association. They also played at a very popular teen club called the Castaway in Ferguson. A club that also had a group called "The Hour Glass" in their rotation, which featured Greg and Duane Allman. Pre-Allman Brothers. As time went on, the whole Jerry Jay horns/suit thing became out of fashion with the kids and it was all the Hippie/Psychedelic crowd that started coming to the Castaway. Mike was in three bands - Del Rays, Blue and The Guild. No horns, mostly guitar driven except for Mike on his Wurlitzer EP. All groups had super high quality lead vocalists and harmony. While most bands of the time had turned to covering groups like the Moby Grape, Cream, Nazz, Beatles, Doors and the like, Mike was an anomaly singing Burt Bacharach/ Dionne Warwick hits like "Do you know the way to San Jose", "Always something there to remind me". The Del rays recorded the latter song with the Jerry Jay horns and was very popular on AM radio in STL. The photos in the video primarily show him in his Jerry Jay days with the suit. From the Metro STL Live Music Historical Society, organized by my old friend, Drummer Greg Bishop, who painstakingly put this site together years ago. The Blue's page. Which also features some live tracks from a reunion gig in 1988. http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Blue.htm Jerry Jay & the Sheratons http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Jerry Jay.htm The Guild http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Guild.htm By the early 70's Mike and the Guild, like he mentioned in the interview, had hooked up with the Blytham Booking agency up in Champaign, Ill.. Like he also mentioned, the head agent there, Irving Azoff had took a liking to Mike , his voice, style and songwriting. Next we knew, Mike had moved to Ca.. Word filtered back he was starting to play with some big names. Through the close knit music community, we all heard about when he got the short lived Steely Dan gig and it was like he joined the Beatles or something. After that the whole thing just kept snow-balling for him-- Doobies, "what a fool believes", solo career. Definitely the ultimate local North County guy does good beyond belief scenario. I enjoyed the interview myself.

Fantastic! Only watched a short bit of it right now but quick impressions -- the Yamaha CFX grands sound great, really a nice, smooth recording. I'd be curious to know if they are the latest generation of CFXs. Since there are no music racks, I don't know any other defining characteristics on the new ones. Not normally a fan of the "two piano" format but they play off each other nicely and very musical from the little I've heard. Never a shortage of chops and fireworks from Geoff. Billy always sounds wonderful. Looking forward to hearing more when I have time. Thanks for posting.

Whatever it is, go slow and ease into it. Injuries from any technical work, classical or jazz, most often occur when cold and not warmed up. Same applies to working on lines, chord voicings and tunes. It can take awhile for everything to be in sync, especially the older we get. For jazz, I like to start slow so I can visualize the changes of a tune very clearly before trying to play anything at faster tempos. I often play transitional passages, like key changes, out of time before I put everything together. Many years ago I sat in a recording session where my friend, Vibist Jon Nagourney, had hired Kenny Barron for his CD. Kenny came into the studio, gave his cordial greetings to everyone and went straight to the piano and began playing what I call the second section of Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge" at a very slow tempo. This is the EMaj. 7 +11 | DbMaj.7 +11 | D Maj.7 +11 | B Maj.7+11| etc. section. He would stop and play a line out of tempo, or very slowly to connect the chords in that Maj.7+11 Lydian sequence. Within ten minutes he was playing that section up to speed. He took a break, they got some levels for another 15 minutes and started recording. It was definitely enlightening. The brain, ears and fingers all need to be working as one. Sometimes it can take me a solid hour before I feel like I'm in sync. On the other hand, some days I sit down and the stuff just flows out seemingly endlessly and effortlessly from the get go.