Who's your fave keyboard player (as opposed to piano player)?

Among my favoured synth ticklers are Prince, Stevie Wonder and Bernie Worrell.

This topic is harder to nail down than pianists, as I think fewer 'keyboard players' have a distinctive style/ sound.Though there are, of course, honourable exceptions.

Over 2 u.

stevie wonder and patrice rushen are amongst my faves...

in no particular order:

Donald Fagen
Bernie Worrel
Matt Fink
Joel "Razor Sharp" Johnson
Lisa Coleman
Stevie Wonder
Billy Beck


I see that you made it a point to distinguish between "piano" & "keyboard".. while clearly there are some who play 1 better than the other, I don't really make a distinction between the 2, which is why my list includes both instruments. Normally, I'd have included P himself (he's not bad, by the way) but that would have been too obvious...

NICK RHODES

(of Duran Duran and Arcadia fame...)

And MANKI!

Dr. Fink
Jerry Harrison(Talking Heads)
Mike Lindup(Level 42)
Nick Rhodes
Jerry Dammers(The Specials)
Lonnie Jordan(War)
Stevie Wonder
Steve Nieve(The Attractions)
Martin Gore(Depeche Mode)
Philip Adrian Wright(Human League)
Monte Moir
Jimmy Jam
and you can't exclude the obvious

Prince!

Stevie
Bernie
Prince
Herbie

Greg Philliganis,Herbie Hancock,Patrice Rushen,Donald Fagan,Dr John,Bernie Worrell,Junie Morrison,Billy Preston,Chic Corea,Joe Sample,Joe Z from Weather Report,George Duke,Larry Dunn.

NWF said:

Yes, I forgot Dr.Fink and Martin Gore. Nice to see another Nick fan!

in no particular order:

Herbie Hancock
Stevie Wonder
Thelonious Monk
McCoy Tyner
Bill Evans

Miles said:[quote]Who's your fave keyboard player (as opposed to piano player)?

Whoops.

Ok, erm. Still Herbie and Stevie. Probably those two with all the early synth technology. Still sounds pioneering today, and nobody can make emotional music with a synth like Stevie did.

I don't really adress keyboard as a different instrument from Piano but oh well here're mine:

Prince
Loris Holland
James Poyser
D'Angelo
Dr.Fink
Lisa Coleman
And me

Greg Phillinganes

donald fagen

me im the real deal

Have you heard that Japanese keyboard player who played with Miles Davis in the late 80s, I think his name is Kei Akagi?. If you haven't heard him, buy a copy of Miles's Live Around The World and check out the solos on Wrinkle and Tutu - Sweet stuff. As for Prince, he's not the best soloist, but he sure came up with some original ways of using keyboards, check out All The Critics Love U In New York and the rest of the 1999 album.

Also, imagine if Thelonius Monk was alive today, I wonder what he would be doing with keyboards?

Thanks for the responses, folks.
After some thought, I'd also add Herbie Hancock and Joe Zawinul to my list. And also Jimmy Smith, one of the funkiest organ players ever.
And Toejam, my mind is collapsing thinking what Thelonius Monk might have done with a good synthesizer. If only ...