Mills Dude

The term 'legend' is certainly subjective, here's some of my legends. Got to see a lot of jazz legends in small NYC venues like the Blue Note, etc. 1989 - Miles Davis at the Iridium (Iridium has changed locations many times over the years, can't remember where this incarnation was). 2007 - Bill Bruford's Earthworks. Again at the Iridium (Can't remember if current location or near Lincoln Center) 2016 - Chick Corea during his residency at the Blue Note (As well as seeing Chick many times over the years there going back to the 80s) 1988? - Dizzy Gillespie at the Lone Star Cafe NYC 2004 - Pat Metheny Group performing The Way Up at SUNY Purchase (well not that small of a venue) 80s-90s - McCoy Tyner so many times at different NYC venues. He played pretty regularly at Sweet Basil's in the village. 80s-90s - Steve Gadd's Gang featuring Richard Tee (He left us way too early). A lot of different clubs from my memory, Lone Star Cafe stands out. 80s-90s - Zawinul Syndicate. Always an interesting show watching him bend the keyboards to his will. Allan Holdsworth so many times at small dives, especially in the later years. Last time was at the Turning Point in Piermont NY as mentioned above. That joint is pretty local to me and always had a reputation of brining in decent names. Another notable show at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY in the late 80s. 1997 - Kansas at The Chance. Kansas was at a pretty low point in those days and Steve Walsh was strung out for the show. Billy Greer ended up singing all the high parts. Pretty sparse attendance, happy for them that their prospects have improved since then.

Unrelated, but I was just checking event listings for the Iridium in NYC. June 17th & 18th they have Oz Noy with Dennis Chambers and Jimmy Haslip. Definitely nothing ''smooth" about that trio. I would expect an evening of rip roaring funk driven fusion. I've caught Oz a number of times with Dave Weckl and Will Lee. He's an extraordinary talent.

A lot of digital ink has been spilled over the years lamenting the use of external PSUs. I much prefer an internal PSU but I understand why externals have been deployed. What I dislike the most is the disparity of units the manufacturers choose.. The USB PD standard is still a bit of a mess right now but computer manufacturers have coalesced around it. I wish that would trickle down to the KB manufacturers. I wonder if going all USB-C and getting rid of the hodgepodge of different barrel/DIN connectors improve the situation. Anker and others are putting out a bevy of various power supplies in the computing space. Ultimately its still a wall wart or line lump but seems more palatable than what we currently need to deal with.

Dude, thanks for clarifying. I have no information, just speculating about the time and era. John's always seemed like a very independent artist and I don't mean to imply that any of his work from that period was 'modified' in any way other than how he wanted it produced. Those early records on Gramavision were outstanding and that live band was really hot. I had very little exposure, I only heard those records after seeing the band live. Although I used to jam with these dudes and we did cover Techno off 'Still Warm' a few times before I'd ever heard it., well the guitar player walked me through the changes and we were off. I thought the sound and vibe were very fresh from other stuff that was happening in that era. I feel really lucky to have been able to live in the NYC area and had access to all the interesting things happening then.

Nobody did it better than the Duke. He did it all and a stint with Zappa too! He also had the balls to put out a record with this cover.

Yeah, we're retreading that recent fusion discussion. You're correct about the term, It was definitely used as a marketable radio format in the mid 80s.

Yeah, @Reezekeys, sorry I never heard that station so I could be way off. I was listening the 'PLJ like all the other teenagers of that vintage. But my sister, who is now passed on, used to tell me she listened to all that kind of stuff on WRVR. Maybe they made a shift towards the end of their run, I think that station stopped in the early 80s. Other artists in her wheelhouse were -- David Sanborn, Gato Barbieri, Jeff Lorber, etc. Whatever the genre was called to me it's all pretty much what came to be called smooth jazz. Definitely distinct from Chick/RTF, Mahavishnu, Weather Report, etc. I always like to joke that Miles Davis, changed the face of jazz many times, but the last change brought the scourge of 'Smooth Jazz', although I think Miles did it with a lot of class (I kid, don't kill me, Miles is my idol and my second son is named after him). I remember that NY area station, CD 101.9 (mid to late 80s), was definitely calling themselves 'smooth jazz' and distinctly remember Miles doing a TV commercial for that station. For those mid-80's fusion acts, its must have been tough with a lot of pressure from the record companies to make something marketable. I was big into Mike Stern then, but those records he put out in that period were tough listens. Such a big disconnect seeing some of these artists live vs. their recordings. Also a big fan of Scofield, I remember catching @Reezekeyswith his band a few times in NYC, once at the Bottom Line and another at Fat Tuesdays (Hearing Dennis Chambers for the first time was an awakening). Definitely not 'smooth' but I imagine he was dealing with pressure to commercialize.

Not sure of the exact timelines, as I was too young (born in '66) but my older sister was way into WRVR, a NYC station playing lots of 'smooth jazz' before that genre label existed. That station was active in the mid 70s. She had a pretty extensive collection of 70s R&B jazz -- George Benson, Spyrogyra, Hubert Laws, Kevin Eubanks, Hubert Laws ... I'm pretty sure this was going on way before 'Feels So Good".

8th grade music appreciation class, hadn't started piano yet. I had been in middle school band playing trombone but I never enjoyed it. Hearing Chopin for the first time just spoke to me at 14 years old and I felt an urge that I wanted to be able to do that. The urge never left and told Mom over the summer that I wanted to take piano lessons. After a few years of lessons, could play some Billy Joel tunes and the typical 3-5th grade repertoire. 11th Grade music appreciation class, Orchestra teacher taught the class, he played cello but was also a rock guitarist and into prog also. Had never heard ELP, and he played Trilogy (the title cut) to point out the string line intro on the Moog to point out the versatility of synths. We listened to the whole song and I had never heard anything like that before, with odd times (5/4) no less. That triggered my prog era and I wanted to play like those guys - ELP, Yes, Genesis, Kansas. A few years later (1987?), very much into fusion, it was still mostly about chops for me. Any time I tried to delve into straight ahead jazz, it just never clicked. A little bit of Coltrane, mostly because of chops. Ended up going to a Miles show in NYC, this was 80's period when he was basically playing smooth jazz. I didn't expect much but when he came out in the gold sparkly cape and started playing on the horn it really touched me. I don't know if I'd heard 'Kind Of Blue' yet, but at that point I was ready to hear it. Oh and who's that pianist playing that intro on 'So What' and 'Blue in Green', what kind of harmony is that? Oh Bill Evans -- wonder what else he's done ...

What really happens is your crush says "Can you keep it down? I'm trying to talk to this hot guy". When you're done, crush's guy picks up a guitar and play opening riff to "Smoke on the Water". Then she swoons and you go home alone. Keyboard guy never gets the chicks.

Dude, I'm sorry. I though I scanned the list on this board to double check. I need to listen to those. Here's another suggestion -- Larry Fast. I absorbed his Synergy Records when I was in college mid 80's. Collaborated extensively with Peter Gabriel. He's certainly a synth legend. Google finds a website for him, http://synergy-emusic.com, but it gives a 500 error. Seems to have a facebook presence at https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-band/Larry-FastSynergy-94530608886/

Steve Porcaro -- To most of us on KC he's pretty legendary. Looks like facebook is primary contact -- https://www.facebook.com/steveporcaromusic/ Eddie Jobson -- Zappa, UK. Master of the CS80, Synclavier, etc. Finding no current web presence except for a facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EJ.UK.fanpage. There is also a site, https://zealotslounge.com/. But it requires membership. Probably a hard get. Mitchel Forman -- On some pretty influential fusion records in the 80s. Monster talent on piano and synths. Googling reveals no web presence for him so maybe not easy to track down. Made a big splash on the NY scene but has been in the LA area for a long time. Dave Stewart -- The one who played with Bruford and former Keyboard magazine columnist. -- https://www.davebarb.com Jim Beard -- Great jazz/fusion keyboardist. Long association with Mike Stern and many others. -- http://www.jimbeard.com Alan Pasqua -- Another great jazz player. Tony Williams, Allan Holdsworth -- https://alanpasqua.com Tom Brislin -- Another former Keyboard magazine columnist. I enjoyed his records under the Spiraling name. Currently touring with Kansas and has an incredible professional resume of touring with big name acts. -- https://tombrislin.com Steve Hunt -- Another fusion guy who toured with Holdsworth for many years -- http://stevehuntjazzpiano.com No contact info on his web. Tom Schuman -- The guy from Spyrogyra. Great player with a long history of synth work as well as piano and rhodes. -- http://www.tomschuman.de/us-start.html Joey Calderazzo -- Jazz pianist with longtime association with Branford Marsalis. I first saw his playing with Wayne Shorter, late 80s when he went back to acoustic jazz. -- https://www.joeycalderazzo.com David Rosenthal -- Long time MD/Keys for Billy Joel. Recent interview in Rolling Stone - https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/keyboardist-david-rosenthal-interview-billy-joel-rainbow-steve-vai-1154018/. -- https://www.davidrosenthal.com

I'm with you. That video was wow! As much as I've listened to and lusted after VVs, I always come away with the idea that it sounds great, but it's not quite a Rhodes. The posted demo video with Jamie, it just sounded right -- Rhodes++. While I never owned one, in the 80s I had regular access to 2 different Stage 88s , not sure of the vintage but both Mark 1. They sounded good but the action on both were spongy and sluggish. I've always connected to the Rhodes sound, especially that Herbie sound, no dyno for me. Yeah, the plugins sound great but they're not quite there for just sitting, creating and woodshedding ideas. I'm interested to see the next model with the effects panel. If they really nail the phaser (hoping for at least both smallstone and mxr type sounds), I don't know if I can resist. I'd never take it out of the house, it'd by my forever Rhodes. Potential job change coming soon with hopefully a significant bump. Hopefully I'll be ready for the next rev.

Tim, our musical tastes intersect as I'm sure intersects with a lot of others on this board, 70s prog, fusion, bop and post-bop, etc. All those great keys centered prog bands from the 70s are in our wheelhouse, but at this point its all just legacy touring and tribute bands. Can it be delivered with passion and intensity? Sure, but Hackett's 72 now and he's been disconnected from Genesis for a long time or maybe it was just an off night with suboptimal FOH. Seeing the coverage of that last Genesis tour didn't inspire me to want to venture out and see Phil sitting in his chair and have to weed through the 80s stuff to hear the gems. Seconds Out still has that special place in my heart. I'm in NY area and spring is finally springing and its time for my yearly solo drive in the country side blasting Seconds Out as for some reason this time of year connects it to me the most. I actually prefer the post-Gabriel era, the records up to and including the 'Mama' record. I think Tony Banks was at his peak right after Gabriel left. ELP is basically gone with Carl doing his legacy act. I'm sure Yes will continue to work it but all the tunes are 50 years old and Yes was never one to mix up the arrangements. Kansas is one of my favorites but its just Phil Ehard and Rich Williams carrying on the legacy, although Billy Greer and David Ragsdale have been with them for a long time. I did catch a show in 2015 just after Ronnie Platt took over on vocals, it was a great show but its still just about hearing those great Livgren tunes (yeah Steve Walsh has a couple of great ones too!). How many more years do they have left? So we're kinda stuck in this era of Grandpa Rock. I was having a conversation this weekend with someone about how long will this Classic Rock era be marketable and when it's fully dead, what will replace it. We were at some small festival with a Journey cover band followed by a Southern Rock tribute. Stayed for the Journey band (with a female singer no less). Once the other band started with Ramblin' Man, I was outta there. I remember when I was a teen in the 80s and the old fogeys were going to doo-wop shows. I guess prog is our doo-wop. I've been mulling over getting tix for Steely Dan this summer. I've never seen them and I kinda feel like I need to get it out of my system but I still haven't been able to pull the trigger on it. Still a bit concerned about Covid and just the general malaise of wanting to avoid the hassle of getting to a live show. Who knows how much longer Donald Fagen is gonna up for touring? Anyway, I'm not quite a boomer, just make the cut for Gen X, but how much longer is this boomer rock going to be commercially relevant?

I think you made the right choice. This thing can last a long time, maybe even 10 years, and Apple is better than most at keeping IOS compatible on older hardware as it ages. I've got an iPad Air 2, 7 years old at this point. It gets light use but at least it still usable and would certainly work fine for reading charts. There are certainly cheaper ways to go, but the iPad and IOS in general is a good stable end user platform that is proving itself useful for musicians. An android tablet, Wintel touchcreen laptop, or MS surface could do the job with no problems but as is said for many of the apple products, the iPad just works so well and there's a large ecosystem of support and accessories available. Like @Reezekeyspointed out, having something like AirDrop at the ready is much simpler in a pinch than trying to share someone's google drive or have them post to a dropbox. Its a limited use case, but sounds like it really helped out Reeze. I'm a tinkerer and I'm a bit cheap, I hate paying the Apple tax and can get by with tinkering on Wintel boxes and in the past have preferred Android to IOS at least for my phone. I could definitely hobble together a solution with 'cheaper' tech but why make my life more complicated. I'm a tech savvy guy, coder for 30+ years, Unix/C/C++, java, windows, MacOS and now web stack (javascript, html). I've built my career being platform agnostic when I was thrust into having to port unix code to Windows back in the 90s. But when I put the gigging hat on, I just want it to work, tech-geek guy is taking a break. Windows 10&11 do support tablet mode, but while you can manipulate a standard (i.e. legacy) app with touch, it's not ideal. Newer windows apps built for specifically for the modern UI work much better but dev shops haven't really embraced the new windows API. Yeah, macbooks don't support touch interface, but frankly nobody's storming the castle at Apple to demand it. The IOS ecosystem is so rich with apps, I don't find it necessary. Grafting touch onto MacOs is probably an engineering project Apple has no interest in. Heck, in a few years I wouldn't be surprised if IOS is the de-facto OS for Apple across all their products. So back on the topic, good choice. Sure it's too much machine for just showing charts, but screen size is paramount in this application. You could always start experimenting with using the iPad as an instrument also.

Love this, makes me want to buy a VV. I wonder if she got a stock model or had it specifically voiced. The model in the video is definitely "bark-y" with a slight wurley-ish sound but think they can voice them to be less aggressive. I know the VVs don't sound quite "rhodes-ish" but I sure do like the sound of this one. Sounds like it would cut pretty well, maybe not with 2 overly loud electric guitarists who need to get their "tone". When I dream shop for VV, I usually think about the 73 but after seeing this, 64 would work very well. But dream on, as much as I would like one, too big an expense for something that would just be a home show piece for me. If I were to start gigging again, one of the Nords (Stage/Electro) or a YC would probably be my choice. If they could nail a late 70's Herbie Rhodes, and I'm not sure they can't, then maybe I'd start squirreling some nuts away and pay VV a visit. They're not too far from me and if I bought one I'd want to see the factory, get the whole experience.

It's a cool list and I've seen these kind of things blowing around for the last few years from us old farts. But it is the schedule for an entire year, given that I don't see it as that impressive. Take a look at any of the LiveNation style outdoor arena summer schedule and it doesn't look that much different (at least until a few years ago when I was paying attention). Sure, Led Zeppelin hasn't toured for more than 40 years, but there's plenty of boomer nostalgia acts burning it up on the festival circuit. To me it's far deeper than what was going on at MSG. In the NYC area, you had of smaller venues from mid sized theaters like the Beacon, Capitol Theater, Filmore east, the Felt Forum (attached to MSG) as well as a countless number of smaller clubs in NYC showcasing jazz, fusion, punk -- really any kind of music you wanted. Also plenty of venues in NJ, LI and surrounding areas. There's was some resurgence in live music in the Lower East side a while back but a lot of that has dried up. I think Brooklyn has something interesting going on these days. My son, 25, likes going to shows but for his music -- pop punk, emo, screamo and a bit of metal. Those acts don't play the big expensive venues except for maybe Webster Hall. My biggest gripe when I see these lists is imaging what the ticket prices were. Early-mid 70s definitely less that $10 even for great seats. Today any kind of decent seat is going to cost at least $250 if you can even get a ticket without having to resort to scalping and paying big $$$. I'd love to catch Billy Joel one last time at MSG but to get a decent seat for a couple you're looking at a mortgage payment. I'd rather watch on youtube. While writing this, I was just looking up the schedule for Bethel Woods. Steely Dan on 7/3. Hmmm ... would love to, orchestra seats starting at $250 -- $550 for scalped seats right in front.

Yeah, it's slim pickings these days anywhere you go. I haven't been to the Rt 4 Sam Ash in a few years. The KB section was weak the last time I was there, ended up trying out an RD2000 when it first came out. I stop at the GC on 17 a few times a year, since I frequently travel up and down that corridor. I was just in there a month or so ago, and the selection of usable KBs was weak. I've never been to Three Wave, have seen them online. Tried contacting them via email a few years ago to see if they were interested in some of my old gear I was looking to dump. They never got back to me. I think visits to their showroom are by appointment only. I've been doing business with Alto since the mid 80s and never had a bad experience and they're always willing to make a good deal to get a sale. I haven't been up to the Middletown store in a few years, but its a big location and they always had a ton of boards out and ready to go and the KB staff up there had always been knowledgeable. Not sure what's happening there these days, I should take a trip up some time and scope it out -- about 45 min drive for me. There was a thread on here within the last 2 years or so about someone setting up for purchase at Alto where they were able to assemble all the KBs the poster was interested in. They're willing to do that kind of stuff and keep prices competitive so they earn big points in my book. Looking at the online pictures of the Wappingers store, it looks like a pretty big building, bigger than a strip mall store front, so it could be promising. The Middletown store is the flagship location where the business runs out of, that location should have the most stock and KBs on the floor. They closed the Suffern store a few years back. That location was local to me so I was in there all the time. KB selection was ok but I knew the staff there and they could get anything over from Middletown (or order directly) if I wanted to try something out there. At least they always had decent KBs out and not throwaway garbage like Williams digital pianos and such. While the Wappingers location might have good stuff out there its not going to be as complete as the Middletown store. I've always tried to give my business to Alto but these days I'm not doing much music business. Just playing Pianoteq with my VPC1 that I bought from Alto. All the gigging gear is gone now.

Yep, sounds about right. I remember it being right off 84 not far from the NY border. They also advertised pretty heavily on NYC area rock radio stations. I grew up in Rockland Cty NY, just over the border from NJ. Lots of good choices back in the day, Alto Music (even before Jon Haber owned it), Sam Ash down on Rt 4 in Bergen, Bronen's on 17, Robbies Music Barn, Victors house of music. Also reasonable to make a trip to 48th St in Manhattan. Going to Eastcoast was a hike, but they did have some good deals, so worth the trip for that.

Probably too far south for you but Alto Music in Middletown, NY has a nice showroom, usually with a lot of boards out. But that's an hour or so south of Albany on the west side of the Hudson. They also have a store in Wappingers Falls NY but I've never been there, so not sure what the KB situation is. Its a bit closer but still quite a ways from where you'll be. I remember a big music retailer just off 84 in Danbury CT, just can't remember the name. Google yields nothing but a GC in Danbury but it doesn't match my memory. Bought a Mexican Strat there back in '90 for a great price.

Nah, looks more like the IBM Selectrics we had in typing class.

For me, and I'm no expert, there are 2 main branches for what we call Jazz Fusion -- The Miles Davis Silent Way/Bitches Brew bands and a European branch with bands like Gong/Soft Machine and a branch all its own that I'll call Bruford. It seems the Bitches Brew cats were all the foundation for the American 70's fusion era - RTF, Weather Report, Mahavishnu, etc. Those guys birthing a new generation with Pat Metheney, Spyro Gyra (not sure of that connection but ...), etc. Although Hancock and Shorter are part of the earlier Miles group, I definitely associate the 'fusion' work they did to the Miles influence. Was there 'fusiony' stuff happening before Miles, I'm sure there was. But Miles was already a legend and his movement in that direction gave it credence (IMHO). The great part about that period is none of those bands sounded alike nor did they sound very much like where they came from. You can definitely make the argument that an R&B/Funk element came into play with George Benson and that style. George Duke kinda overlaps in this sect although he certainly made his way around, playing with Zappa, etc. I'd also put the "Stuff" guys here as well, Richard Tee, Steve Gadd and others like Don Grolnick, etc.. Herbie's '70 stuff overlaps although I think he's unique. I don't know much about what I'm calling the Europeans, my exposure comes from being a Holdsworth fanatic and seeing how he came out of that to cross intersect with both Tony Williams and later Bruford. I would put Jean Luc Ponty over here and many of the other Mahavishnu cats as well. Bruford is interesting, he goes from Yes to King Crimson, then creating a whole new 'British Fusion' thing on the records from the '70s with Holdsworth and Jeff Berlin. After taking a quick detour to prog with UK and back to his band, he then pivots back to KC with that great band from the 80's. After that back into his brand of "fusion" with Earthworks, then just settling into some kind of acoustic modern jazz. Holdsworth emerges from Bruford and melds his earlier foray with the French bands and finds his own way. I also see Miles birthing another generation of guys in the early 80s -- Mike Stern, John Scofield, etc. I'm painting with very broad strokes here, but that's the way it sorts out in my mind. The 80s see all of this diverging and we end up with a blend of 'jazz fusion" - Electrik Band, Steps Ahead, New Age, world music and 'smooth jazz" (Ugh!). Pat Metheney kind of threads the needle between fusion and new age/world with those big records in the 80s. Tribal Tech is also notable in this period as kind of an updated version of '70s fusion. I also enjoyed Scofield from this period. A big fusion influence from my generation is Al Dimeola. That 'Elegant Gypsy' album sent a few guitar players I know down the fusion rabbit hole. Probably because of his shredding and him holding that black Les Paul on the cover. Steve Morse and the Dregs collides in this space. Those Dregs albums were big with me and my buddies. By the late 80's fusion is pretty much dead. There's that big GRP period but for me that's all smooth jazz that was quite marketable at the time and all throw away. I came of age in the early 80's, graduated HS in '84. My path to fusion comes from the prog world wanting to play Yes, Genesis, Kansas, ELP, etc. UK drew me into Bruford and Di Meola brought me to RTF and somewhere along the way someone said the check out Mahavishnu. I drank up all that 70's fusion. In college, I tried listening to Bitches Brew as all those guys came out of there. But that record was unlistenable to me. Silent Way is more approachable but it kind of stopped me from going back any further. It was actually getting into Holdsworth that drew me Coltrane, that whole blizzard of notes thing. I got really into that post-Miles Coltrane era with McCoy Tyner. From there I finally got into that late '50s Miles era that produced 'Kind of Blue' -- ahh Bill Evans!. Then back up to Miles '60s bands with Herbie, Shorter, etc. At that point, I saw, for me it all comes from Miles. I could be way off here and Miles certainly comes out of the Bop era, so that lineage can be traced. Miles births the movement that allows rock guitar players to join in the fun. I don't want to beat up on Wynton, "Standard Time, Vol 1.' from the '80s was also revolutionary for me. Did Wynton kill fusion? Not sure he has that power or if the whole thing just dried up. The record industry definitely changed in the 80s and doing anything experimental or instrumental was a tough go as it is to this day. Growing up in NYC area, so many great clubs in the '80s to see great fusion music but that all dried up. Just the big places left. I can still catch Mike Stern at 55 bar most Monday nights however. Oz Noy is killing it these days, I really dig his thing.

I'd go with a mini - 16GB + 512GB. Sure you'd be fine with 8GB but for how long. If this is your daily home machine - email, social media, etc. -- these kinds of machines are lasting much longer these days and it could easily be useful for 10+ years. I can still use my 2009 macbook pro and run PianoTeq 6 on it. Last year I finally retired my custom built PC that was my daily driver for 10 years. Bumping up the RAM gives you the headroom to handle technology changes. Who knows how Web 3.0 will play out. So much focus on web tech for a long time now. The browsers have almost become their own operating systems and developers will keep pushing the tech forward. While a 20 year old P4 processor may handle a modern browser, the machine with 1GB of memory would choke. tl;dr -- Adding more RAM may increase longevity if that's important to you.

Most useful? I gotta go with my Korg X-50. Yeah, it doesn't get much love and it certainly had a lot of compromises but that little board was extremely useful for me. I picked it up on a whim, when I went into a GC on a black friday. Salesman was looking to make a deal and I just happened to have some store credit so he gave me a great price. Of course the keybed is not great and the wall-wart connection and overall build quality are cheap but I dragged that thing around wherever I went and it never failed, in a unpadded roland bag no less. It was a time when I was involved in a lot of different diverse projects -- worship gigs, sitting in with various bands and recording projects, vocal and ensemble rehearsals. I used it a top board on so many gigs, paired with an RD700 or an Electro for a lightweight 2 board gig. At 9lbs it was easy to use on the couch or plug in some computer speakers for a quick vocal rehearsal somewhere. It's been retired for a while, but I still hold onto it. Still love the Triton era sounds.

I don't know if you'd get 'flagged' per se but most likely the bag and case would be opened by TSA and searched and swabbed for residue and they'd drop their calling card in there. I'm sure you've already had that happen many times. As far as carrying on your keyboard, I think not very sustainable. Yeah, maybe it would work some percentage of the time. If it was a soft case, I'd be worried about it in the overhead (if it fit) as people would just dump their stuff on top. And carrying on a pelican case might worry some passengers. If I were carrying on a 61 with regularity, I'd just gate check it every time. Yeah the gate agents will hem and haw but it's part of their job. The benefit of gate checking is that it will be handled a lot less. Much less opportunity to be thrown around on the tarmac or while loading but certainly I'd use a flight case for regular baggage check-in. The downside to a checking at the gate is the item being out of your control and increased opportunity for it to get lost. They might forget to put it on the plane. When my kids were babies, we'd gate check the carriage/stroller all time but invariably we had one that got lost for a few days. If you've got some status on the airline, flight attendants may be willing to put it in a business class coat closet or something like that. But in general unless you're a high roller on the airline, they won't help you out.