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Greg Phillinganes - the clav on I Keep Forgettin'


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So I'm sitting here on the holiday grading in the online Canvas app (oh the glorious life of a college professor) - and so I was spinning tunes from If That's What It Takes - hearing the sound of the pedaling on I Can Let Go Now makes that track so damn intimate.

 

But found myself completely distracted and wrapped up by Greg's clavinet work on I Keep Forgettin'. Yeah that track that has been sampled in Regulate and so many others. But what genius that Phillinganes with that clav part.

 

Okay - I gotta get back to grading.

 

 

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That whole album - man it's like hearing with new ears for some reason this afternoon.

 

Michael, GP, and Michael Omartian taking musical chairs on piano and Rhodes, depending on the track. 

 

And yes, Phillinganes little solo on 100 Ways was stuck in my head earlier today (supposedly, Quincy Jones told him it was his favorite synth solo of all time).

 

And then there's the two synth solos in this live version of Brazilian Love Affair - George at 3:21 and then, at then at Mark Stephens at 7:52 - damn. 

 

 

I'm never going to get my grading finished this way.

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47 minutes ago, linwood said:

Mark’s crazy good. When I think that he’s currently doing the Josh Groban, Chaka Khan, and Larry Carlton gigs it blows my mind.  Serious chops and instincts. He should be a household name.

No lie, right?

 

I had to do a little sleuthing to figure out who was playing that killer solo behind George - and then reading his resume, and seeing his FB that he's holding down all three chairs pretty much simultaneously - Groban, Chaka, and Carlton. 

 

Yes, he should be a household name, at least on this forum.

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On 2/20/2023 at 7:58 PM, timwat said:

But found myself completely distracted and wrapped up by Greg's clavinet work on I Keep Forgettin'. Yeah that track that has been sampled in Regulate and so many others. But what genius that Phillinganes with that clav part.

 

 

+1000

 

Also Jeff Porcaro and Louis Johnson make brilliance look easy.

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Being a Doobie Bros freak I actually had to go back and re-listen to this song as I wasn't aware of the Clav in the song.  IMO, the Clav is so subdued that I never noticed it before; further I played this in a band back in the 90's and one of the guitar players did what I now just learned are the Clav stabs in the song.

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And Jeff Porcaro with the ridiculously funky 16ths!

 

And someone mentioned Lukather's guitar part being perfect. There is a great video of Tim Pierce breaking down and playing Lukather's guitar part on Youtube somewhere. Just hearing it by itself I was floored yet again by Lukather's instant genius part creation.

 

I think I saw a video of Phillingaines talking about this clav part recently (past month or so?) and he might have mentioned that the Clav was modded somehow? I forget.

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The cats being mentioned in this thread are the definition of a musician's musician. 

 

Every last one of them is an ultra-badazz because they came up playing with equally or more talented musicians.   

 

IMO, those types of musicians, whose playing can be identified from listening to a recording are slowly dying on the vine.

 

Especially when it comes funky music, fewer musicians are forming bands and/or playing on records like that anymore.

 

Cats like Greg Phillinganes and Mark Stephens have always been in the background making records and artists sound better. 

 

IMO, those musicians are perfectly comfortable with not being household names.  They don't have to deal with the same BS.

 

Also, if  anyone has ever heard Phillinganes' solo record, there's a reason he stays behind the scenes.  Artist is not his forte.😁

 

However, Phillinganes has done very well for himself as a musician.  He can sit down at any restaurant in LA and enjoy his meal. 

 

OTOH, some of the artists with whom Phillinganes has worked wouldn't have been able to sit down and have lunch with him there. 🤣😎

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PD

 

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On 2/21/2023 at 2:36 AM, timwat said:

And then there's the two synth solos in this live version of Brazilian Love Affair - George at 3:21 and then, at then at Mark Stephens at 7:52 - damn. 

What are the keyboards they solo on?

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12 minutes ago, Jim Alfredson said:

Is that a whammy bar clav at the very beginning? Doesn't sound like a guitar doing those bends.

Pocaro and Johnson have such a hook-up it's just ridiculous.

 

I do believe so, they're also panned to opposite sides. The bends are definitely coming from the clav.

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21 minutes ago, marczellm said:

What are the keyboards they solo on?

Looks like George Duke was using a Rhodes and Roland A70 or A80 MIDI KB controller. 

 

Mark Stephens' KB looked like a Roland D-50.

 

I wonder why their solos still sounded good coming from digital synths.😁😎

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PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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25 minutes ago, Jim Alfredson said:

Is that a whammy bar clav at the very beginning? Doesn't sound like a guitar doing those bends.
 

 

That's what I'm referring to Tim. I think that's exactly right. I heard him on something recently saying something like that.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Tim plays Lukather's guitar part at the very beginning of this video.

 

^^^ that's a youtube link. Worthy watch for everyone in this thread IMO.

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Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Michael McDonald has such a huge vocal presence in the midst of master song-smithing that it’s easy to miss details. At least that’s what I’m telling myself having listened to this song countless times and missing the clav. It does sound like the clav has a whammy although can’t exclude guitar.

Chris

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15 hours ago, Bobadohshe said:

 

That's what I'm referring to Tim. I think that's exactly right. I heard him on something recently saying something like that.

I'm pretty sure it's just not a Clav. 

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11 hours ago, retrokeys said:

Always liked that tune and yes there are a lot of studio subtleties that make the recording work. My favorite take on it however is from an Australian band that ought to be huge someday if there is any justice.  Good piano solo here too. Enjoy. 

 

 

 Really?? her voice isn't all that hot? Keyboard solo is the best thing about the performance.

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