SamuelBLupowitz Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Bummer news today that one of my favorite keyboard players in the biz is leaving one of my favorite current bands. He joined Dawes in 2016 and, in my mind, elevated the band far beyond what their solid but somewhat unremarkable original keyboardist had brought to the table. This came less than a year after the news that the co-founding bassist Wylie Gelber was leaving Dawes to focus on his luthier/contractor business (and, one imagines, relax in the comfort of being Flea's son-in-law). His permanent replacement has yet to be announced, as they've had a different bassist with them for every run they've played since the spring. Lee's playing is creative, chopsy, thoughtful, whimsical, thrilling. He's one of those players who only ever seems to play The Good Notes. I first heard him playing keys with Theo Katzman, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who also plays in Vulfpeck, and Lee's stunning playing there (especially the incredible piano work on Theo's record "Modern Johnny Sings") led me to Dawes, a band I fell absolutely head over heels for. Their music got me through one of the darkest periods of my life in the pandemic. Lee has been playing as a sideman with Chris Stapleton for the last couple of years, which I'm sure is a cushier, more lucrative gig, something you can't ignore in this economic climate, especially given that he became a father back in January. I'll be fascinated to hear what he does next; he's also been coming into his own as a solo artist in the jazz/fusion realm. But boy, will I miss hearing him play some of the best-written songs I've ever heard in Dawes. And I guess, if anyone knows anyone connected to the band, my efforts to get a call to audition on bass were for naught, but I wouldn't say no to auditioning on keys! A boy can dream. 😉 2 Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polychrest Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Wow. You’re right about Pardini’s ownership of The Good Notes. His name must be somewhere on the patent documentation. 1 Quote “For 50 years, it was like being chained to a lunatic.” -- Kingsley Amis on the eventual loss of his libido Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan May Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Is Lee Pardini related, by any chance, to Lou Pardini, who was the keyboardist for Chicago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelBLupowitz Posted December 8, 2023 Author Share Posted December 8, 2023 20 minutes ago, Ivan May said: Is Lee Pardini related, by any chance, to Lou Pardini, who was the keyboardist for Chicago? I thought he must have been, but it turns out there is no relation. He’s from an otherwise nonmusical family in the Bay Area, I believe. 1 Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polychrest Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 When I first saw this topic, my lazy brain filter scanned “Dawes” as DAWs—the British spelling, surely. So Lupowitz has found some analogue keyboard Luddite who’s leaving computer-based recording and going back to reel to reel? Glad I dipped my toes a little deeper 2 Quote “For 50 years, it was like being chained to a lunatic.” -- Kingsley Amis on the eventual loss of his libido Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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