Just listening to Indigo Nights, it's great to hear Mr Hayes being given a bit of a feature on the clav (in All the Critics...). But he doesn't get a good freakout solo, he only gets to groove. Why should Nato get all the solo space?? In fact, the only time I ever remember Mr Hayes getting a decent solo is during 'The Jam' in the mid-nineties (actually, it was pretty short)! And it was basically a note-for-note replica of the Butch Sam solo from the original GSS verion.

C'mon P, show off your keyboard guy more, he's been around a lot longer than Nato, and Morris threw out his Montunos for Beginners book long ago!
Ahhh, when I think of Tommy B's solo in sexy MF, I wonder how awesome it could have been if P has let his keys guy cut loose from the start! Remember Dr Fink's solo in Nows the Time from Sign O the Times? Blistering!

I think P is afraid they'll show him up.

p.s. No disrespect to Nato, he's great, but let's share the funk, I think Mr Hayes has a different thang going on, and I'd like to hear him work it.

mr hayes in not that good soloist,renato is much better

Besides Mr. Hayes-I think P never gives Greg his props either-just check out the Aladdin DVD-everybody else gets introduced and gets a short solo-except for Greg All the horn players get announced except him.

nurseV said:

i really like gerg's solo on the officially released "days of wild" single
[live in montreal]. the one where prince yells "greg, turn the elephantman
up".

i don't know what might be up with mr hayes not getting that many solo's
on the recent live outings. he sure played some great stuff during npg's
limelight at the gold experience tour. i guess it's just prince's recent
obsession with the horn section that cuts down the solo time for him as
prince fills up most of the other time with his guitar.

Hope Renato come back soon, he's by far the best piano/keyboards player P has ever had in his band. Mr. Hayes is just an average guy compared to him.
[Edited 10/17/08 2:46am]

Aloisio said:

Yes, but how do we know this? Renato has had a few years to polish his chops, Prince ALWAYS gives him plenty of solo room, Mr Hayes hasn't had anywhere near that much room to strech out, I'd like to hear him get a chance.

Poor Greg too, he's been with P for so long, and he is a monster! FRANKENBONE!

nurseV said:

But listen to the CD and he does,so it probably just depends on the night. Although, I must say a little less Mike Philips would be nice.

Mr Hayes isn't much cop. Renato is far more skilled.

It might have something to do with the fact Renato is a Witness like Prince...

That's not to say Prince is selecting him over Hayes for beliefs per se, but I guess if Prince and Renato are doing the bible practice thing together, then they're more likely to be around each other for music sessions, etc.
[Edited 10/17/08 3:35am]

No disrespect to Renato but Mr. Hayes is just as world class a player and how dare you doubt his skills. IF he wasn't as good as he is then he wouldn't have been in Prince's bands far longer than any other member. Plus Dude is a friend of mine and I will defend his abilities to the end so stop the hatin' on Morris. I think it is great that you like Renato but you don't need to bring Mr. Hayes down to do so. I did enjoy hearing him on the new Indigo cd. It gave me a great chuckle.

Aloisio said:

Well now let's hear some of your solo abilities. Stop hating on my dude!!!

Many players come and go over the years and they all had different skill levels but what made some of P's bands better over the years was the chemistry some of those bands had as a whole.

P can go out and find the greatest virtuosi's but the better bands he had will have great chemistry and have that magic.

So I tend to believe who cares if Renato has better chops than Tommy B. etc.. NPG 1994 was damn funky.

It's like Prince could go get the best freaking guitarist in the world from the underground (Buckethead) but that would not guarantee the same chemistry he had with Wendy Melvoin. But no doubt Buckethead has guitar playing skills above or at par with most guitarists on the planet.

At this level. I never have an opinion. I trust Prince's decision making.

Renato, Morris, and Greg would all be laughing their asses off at all of this.

Renato and Morris work perfectly together, and Morris has had many times over the years, where he's held it down, covering chord comping, samples, sonic icing, and some solos. They both have a very different flavor, and Prince knows how to combine them.

Prince gives Greg Boyer massive props all of the time, and rightfully so.

morris hayes is great at providing in the poceket groove and fills but he is not
that much distinctive as a solo player.
renato is the solo guy

....prince is NEVER worried that any of his musicians would show HIM up....why?...cuz prince been playing in a band since 12yrs of age...of all his musicians he ever had...prince is the one who has world-reknown fame...prince knows what he is doing when he produces...he ALWAYS has aces up his sleeve...he shows a lil...then he takes it right back...he gives a lil...then he takes it right back...prince has the mentality of the old skool musician...miles davis...james brown..his own father...simply put..prince wants us to want more...oh yeah..p.s.....i LOVE renato....salsa all the way...make me shake 'em hips....porque la salsa es SAbooorrrr!!!.....mzsexybaby

that's like saying how come boni boyer never soloed while in the sott/lovesexy bands yet dr fink got all the solos

jimmyrogertodd said:

Right on, Jimmy!
Yeah, I think these Morris haters haven't heard what he can really do, if given the chance! I remember Tommy saying on the D+P video that from an early age he was into Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. Imagine if we got to hear him stretch out on that kind of material, I mean, P could definitely learn something from Herbie and Chick, no doubt! I think it's clear that almost all of P's keys men know more about jazz playing than he does. I wish he'd stop having them around to add 'jazzy' flavours (let's face it, this is what Renato is for) and let them really explore the genre, for jazz is one area P hasn't conquered yet, maybe THE only area!

Anyway, I digress. My whole point is, how do we know what Morris's capabilities are? Renato has 10 solos a cd/gig, and Morris gets the spotlight on one clav comp? No fair! I'm not interested in saying who's better, I'd just like to hear Morris get freaky his own way! The guy's wild, he let P shave his head onstage! And, he played on the Beutiful Experience versioin of Days of Wild, tghe baddest track ever. So he's beyond dissable in my book. You can't touch the guy.

thebanishedone said:

Yeah, I can see why you got banished.

L4OATheOriginal said:

Um, Boni was a singer who could play some keys as well. Rosie played some keys too, but I'm not interested in her so much as a soloist. Hayes on the other hand is a professional keyboard player. We've seen what Boni can do, bring a house down with her voice. I'm not saying Morris should be headlining at Wembley, I just wanna hear the guy get a killer solo. One! On record. A really killer solo. Like Levi's in Sexy MF. Like Greg's in Xenophobia. Not mincing over "The One", really laying it down.

That's all I'm saying.

hatman i rember reading recently about some live gigs where

renato and mr hayes both had solo spotlights
and audiance

cheered when renato played but got only obligatory
aplause when mr . hayed did his soloing.

i know mr hayes keyboard solos,prince let morris play a lot when he was the only keyboard player in the band .

and i heard many good organ and keyboard solos by morris hayes but those solos were good but not great in the way renato or dr fink can do it

vivid said:

i like renato but his solos are too.. baroque. too many grace notes, too much twiddling around on the keys simply because he can. sometimes, a few beats of silence is better than a three octave scramble... just my 2c*.


*coming from soneone who feels that mr. hayes has the true funk spirit
[Edited 10/17/08 10:23am]

Hatman said:

i understand what u'r saying. but it also comes down 2 what prince needs mr hayes 2 do within the band. no telling what he does while others may solo or what not. but i just have seen that mr hayes with the xception of the gold experience has never been given the "solo" spot. he wasn't even talked about during the act 1 tour.

morris hayes usualu had solos on santana medley in the 90s

Now if you like Renato style better then we have no problem but you say that Renato is a better player than Morris and I say that you are wrong because they don't play the same style. Now when Prince wants some jazzy stylings then he would unleash Renato but Mr. Hayes is the funky one in the band. And I like Renato but I will refuse to allow anyone to simply say that he isn't as great as he is.

jimmyrogertodd said:

/Referring to Morris Hayes on that last part.

thebanishedone said:

Fair enough, maybe he is the best groover, and P was highlighting him on Indigio nights doing what he does best!

Dr Fink has a solo album, and it's sort of electronica, I wonder what kind of album Mr Hayes would bring out?? That's for another thread, I suppose...

XxAxX said:

I gotta agree with you there sis.

Why not.

During the Tamar era I saw them live in NYC and MOrris was the only keyboard and he held it down.

Organs, synths, piano. I play keys and am not the best soloer but I don't really dig Renato. Yes he solos well but I don't think his style fits with Prince. He is more jazz.

BTW, why do people always say "Mr Hayes" rather than Morirs?


And did Bonnie and Rosie really play? And just organ? Or all the Lisa piano/synth parts??

jimmyrogertodd said: