michael saulnier Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 A couple of nights ago I was channel surfing and came across Stevie Wonder playing on VH1 for a MS benefit concert. Although Stevie has been rather low profile lately compared to his glory days... hearing him play through a set of his hits reminded me what a great musician he was. He was in good voice and the songs still hold up, IMHO. The highlight of the set was a rousing rendition of Superstition. Man, I love that funky clavinet part. Anyway, I wondered what all you keyboard players thought of Stevie the keyboard player, and his impact on the instrument. Also can anyone confirm the story that he asked/inspired/nudged the founder of Kurtzweil to make his first synth keyboard? always a "little Stevie" fan. guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joegerardi Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 Originally posted by guitplayer: Also can anyone confirm the story that he asked/inspired/nudged the founder of Kurtzweil to make his first synth keyboard? guitplayer Stevie was looking at Ray Kurzweil's reader, a device that would scan books and read them aloud for the blind. He commented on how that sampling was similar to musical sampling. That sparked Ray to create the K250. Setup: Korg Kronos 61, Roland XV-88, Korg Triton-Rack, Motif-Rack, Korg N1r, Alesis QSR, Roland M-GS64 Yamaha KX-88, KX76, Roland Super-JX, E-Mu Longboard 61, Kawai K1II, Kawai K4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansouth Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 Yes, I'm a Stevie Wonder fan. I like most of his music - I'll pass on The Secret Life Of Plants - plus he's a very respectable multi-instrumentalist. Also, some of my favorite James Jamerson bass lines were recorded on Stevie Wonder tunes (For Once In My Life, I Was Made To Love Her, etc.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 I'm embarrassed to admit that my 1st exposure to stevie wonder was "I just called to say I love you" which, IMHO, is puke material. So for yrs I dissed him. They a few years back I started hearing some of his older material, and 'wow!'... I'm definitely a fan. Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted June 30, 2001 Author Share Posted June 30, 2001 Hey, Thanks for your feedback so far!!! Speaking of the clav sound on Superstition, and keeping in mind the recent "what's the best B3 sound" thread... Which keyboard / vendor / module that has a "true" sounding clav sound. Most of the one's I've heard just don't sound right to me... guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve LeBlanc Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 Stevie Wonder is one of my idols...his use of Synths for bass was more than pioneering...no one has matched him since. http://www.youtube.com/notesleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowly Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 This was quite a while ago, should be able to tell because it was on 8track. But I think the enigneers messed up and only recorded one channel of Stevies greatest hits. This stuff sounded like only vocals, keyboards and drums. It was the funkiest stuff I ever heard. Now I wish I had it. Oh no wait, I don`t have anything to play it on. Memory will just have to do. "Let It Be!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jg42 Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 http://www.keyboardmag.com/features/vintagegear/vgear0106.shtml Looks like You're talking about this story about K-250 ------------------ Cheers, Arseny http://www.mp3.com/arseny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 Kinda hard not to be a Stevie fan, don't you think, at least if you've listened to Innervisions once all the way through? I'm not sure how I'd rank him as a keyboard player 'cause it seems whatever chops he has are subordinate to the groove, but he's a fab melodist and harmonist, not to mention a real monster on the harp. I love hearing harmonica players who manage to not to be blues-based, you know? Toots, Stevie, and, well, I suppose John Popper can pretty much play anything he pleases. Similarly, I love hearing slide-guitarists who play outside of or beyond the blues scale. Let's see, George Harrison and who else? Ry Cooder and Lowell George are both blues based but progressive in their own ways, as is Bonnie Raitt I suppose. Magpel, headin' OT as always Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 Stevie Wonder is one of my idols... ...and mine as well. He's just so damned brightly lit... Steve, you're gonna hate me, but I had a chance to do an extended demp of the QS8 for Stevie at AES NY a few years back. It was the year that AES gave him a lifetime achievement award at the Tech awards dinner. Later that night there was a huge party...I look over and see Stevie sitting in a chair - just sitting, not talking to anyone. He's surrounded by people standing around him chatting, but no one is talking to him. So I go over, kneel down on one knee, and reintroduce myself from the QS8 demo earlier in the afternoon...he remebered me, and I stayed there on one knee talking to Stevie for about twenty minutes. It was totally great. I mean, I've been lucky enough to meet a bunch of industry types, and as a rule I don't get very startstruck much...but Stevie definitely hit the big awe button. It was very cool... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/cool.gif his use of Synths for bass was more than pioneering... Agreed - he is one of my major left-hand influences. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: It was totally great. I mean, I've been lucky enough to meet a bunch of industry types, and as a ruledon't get very startstruck much...but Stevie definitely hit the big awe button. [/b] Excellent, excellent. As special a "star encounter" as anyone's ever likely to have. But what did he think of the QS???? Magpel Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucktunes Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 When I was a kid learning to play, my big three heros were Elton, Billy, and Stevie. I learned pop/rock piano by imitating Elton and Billy, and learned to play funky by imitating Stevie. In fact, it was Stevie who first got me interested in keyboards other than piano and organ. I remember seeing him playing "Superstition" on TV and wondering how he made that organ thing sound like a guitar! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif IMHO, "Superstition" and "Higher Ground" are the ultimate Clavinet showcase tunes to this day. I always play these tunes when I'm test-driving clav patches on synths.(BTW, my Triton's got some pretty good ones.) Some of the nastiest synth bass I've heard is on "Boogie On Reggae Woman". Ironically, I believe it was played on an ARP 2600 instead of a Minimoog, which he also had. To answer the question, YES I'm a fan! Sure he's had a dry spell lately, but the man is brilliant. I'd love to see him get a second wind like Elton did a few years back. I'm sure he'll bowl us over all over again! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Peace all, Steve ><> Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 But what did he think of the QS???? He seemed to like it a lot and there was a bunch of talk about me taking one or two our to his house, but that didn't materialize http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/frown.gif and I don't know if he ever got one.... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steadyb Posted July 1, 2001 Share Posted July 1, 2001 Stevie Wonder is a musical genius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch. Posted July 2, 2001 Share Posted July 2, 2001 I've been a huge fan of Stevie's classic albums, and even his lesser-known works like "The Secret Life of Plants", but I have to admit, if he comes on a TV show anymore I have to turn the sound down. His singing seems to have fallen badly into the Michael Bolton/Whitney Houston "Lookit all the semi-demi-quaivers-I-can-put-into-this-one-qurter-note" style; I just don't hear the musicality in it anymore. I realize I'm stepping on a few toes, but that's what I hear (unfortunately, those same TV shows never show him PLAYING...). Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will www.puddlestone.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted July 2, 2001 Share Posted July 2, 2001 Originally posted by dansouth@yahoo.com: I like most of his music - I'll pass on The Secret Life Of Plants Didn't "Ribbon in the Sky" come from Secret Life of Plants? It's a great song with a classic Stevie melody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.