So, who is your favourite keyboard player from this lot, or maybe it is somebody else?

Please vote and comment.

And this is where I found it interesting, because - although I expected the Prog list to be different from any I might compile -  not one of the 10 keyboard players listed were ones that came to mind first to me. I can understand how every player ended up on that list, and can agree that they are all very good, and that I enjoy very much the playing of most of them. And, in fact, I’m surprised a couple of them didn’t come to mind to me.

I even went through my list again, to check whether I wanted to change what I had to include some of the keyboard players I particularly like from Prog’s list. But ultimately, as much as I might enjoy them, I am more affected by the keyboard playing of those in my list. Every one of them has performances where it doesn’t matter what I’m doing, I have to stop what I’m doing and just listen and love.

The top 10 favourite (and I’m glad Prog stressed the word favourite, rather than best!) keyboard players as voted by Prog readers were:

10. Jon Lord

9. Derek Sherinian

8. Geoff Downes

7. Patrick Moraz

6. Mark Kelly

5. Jordan Rudess

4. Richard Wright

3. Tony Banks

2. Rick Wakeman

1. Keith Emerson

My list on the other hand:

10. Mike Pinder

9. Pete Bardens

8. Matthew Fisher

7. Ray Manzarek

6. Dominique Vantomme

5. Gleb Kolyadin

4. Hugh Banton

3. Eddie Rayner

2. Dwiki Dharmawan

1. Mark de Clive-Lowe

[EDIT] I should stress that this would not be list today, as at the time I jotted this list down there were some keyboard players I’d not really listened to, or not listened to at all, which I have subsequently. Looking at the list now, I know I would definitely make some changes.

I'm surprised Pete Bardens is missing here. 

Me, too. He was number nine in my top ten (above), when I jotted it down a couple of years back. Which makes me wonder if he’d make my top ten if I did it again now. I’d like to think so, but I guess that’s why in the end it’s not really so surprising that he is missing. There are so many great keyboard players out there. Someone has to miss out. The more flamboyant ones tend to retain more attention over the years, so some of the less flamboyant players fall by the wayside in collective memory - no matter how impressive their playing.

[EDIT] I just noticed I hadn’t included Mike Garson in my list from a couple of years back, so that is a big oversight on my part, as I’ve always loved his keyboard playing. Not just with Bowie. Even though they play a far smaller part, they add so much to, for example, Nine Inch Nails.

Chick is a notable omission from my list of a couple of years back, but at that stage I wasn’t familiar with his playing at all, beyond his work with Miles Davis.

Which was essentially my approach - jotting down the names that occurred to me as having been pioneers of bringing the keyboards to the centre of a band's sound, and/or have had a lasting impact or influence on the prog genre, which is why they were all active in the halcyon days of prog, i.e. the early 70's.  There are probably many more that I could have included such as the afore mentioned Pete Bardens, or Mike Pinder, or David Sinclair to name but three.

this is of course no surprise. it's Barbara

Keith Emerson was a huge fan of her, by the way

...just because this is NOT a Pink Floyd poll 

I agree 

Barbara Dennerlein definitely is very progressive in the playing of her instrument, but she's not a prog rock artist, and definitely not a rock artist; and that is what this poll is about. It is clear that you want to plug your Barbara Dennerlein every which way and every time you can, but here it is off topic.

And this was the polite way of saying: it's getting very tedious and starts to smell like trolling.

A few other notable mentions:

Martin Orford, Neal Morse, Clive Nolan, Eddie Jobson, Ton Scherpenzeel, John Tout, Dave Greenslade, Stuart Woolly Wolstenholme, Tom Brislin etc, etc...

Barbara Dennerlein may not have been included in the archives, but she made a few albums that fall into the "jazz-rock/fusion" category. her album "Orgelspiele" even has some tracks that sound like symphonic prog, like for example this track:

and some of her albums are almost "progressive electronic"

Precisely. The Wall and Final Cut both suffered texturally from what I term 'lack of Rick'... tho that doesn't necessarily mean they were inferior albums, but that topic has been debated many times before within these forums.

This guy by a mile...and not because of all the fancy showmanship, but because he was a master composer and could float between styles effortlessly.

Then there are about 2 dozen others who are waiting in the wings incl. but not limited to:

Rick Wakeman

Joey DeFrancesco

Patrick Moraz

Barbara Dennerlein

Duncan Mackay

Jon Batiste

Paul Shaffer

....Etc, etc, etc.

Umeda wrote: "Keyboard", is this keyboard a synthesizer or electric piano? Or both?

'Keyboard' for the purposes of this poll can mean: upright piano, grand piano, harpsichord, electric piano, pipe organ, electric organ, Harmonium, synthesiser, mellotron, Chamberlin, mini-moog, etc etc. I.E. almost anything with keys on it outside of the woodwind family of instruments.

agree---but Banks is my ultimate fav based on all his playing---nothing over the top or cheesy for Tony.

I would vote for VANGELIS ... but he is not listed, which is really sad!

Keith Emerson, is on a different class of "keyboard player", when you finally get a chance to see Rachel Flowers do his work on a single piano ... he was a magnificent composer, but in popular music no one gives a damn about a piano bullpucky or other, and he ended up doing his version on various synthesizers.

In my book, he fits with Vangelis, Sakamoto, as a special person that composes music ... and makes us all understand what it is all about ... and it ain't the fame, though I bet the line to catch Vangelis would probably go around 100 blocks in NY!

suitkees wrote: BaldJean wrote: this is of course no surprise. it's Barbara Barbara Dennerlein definitely is very progressive in the playing of her instrument, but she's not a prog rock artist, and definitely not a rock artist; and that is what this poll is about. It is clear that you want to plug your Barbara Dennerlein every which way and every time you can, but here it is off topic. And this was the polite way of saying: it's getting very tedious and starts to smell like trolling.

BaldJean wrote: Barbara Dennerlein may not have been included in the archives, but she made a few albums that fall into the "jazz-rock/fusion" category. her album "Orgelspiele" even has some tracks that sound like symphonic prog, like for example this track: and some of her albums are almost "progressive electronic"

You now have the polite version and the 'other one'

Why don't you give it a f*cking rest ladies?

Favorite keyboard Player: Keith Emerson

Least favorite keyboard Warrior(s): baldjean and the 'other one'

Whoa, whoa, whoa brother. What the hell?? 

Pump the hate brakes dude.

They are as free to keep mentioning and promoting a favoured artist as anyone. Whether you think it's overkill or not.  A little civility goes a long way.

Others: Hugh Banton and Claudio Parra (Los Jaivas)

 More jazz then prog be she is truly amazing!

btw incredible there are no votes for Patrick Moraz , perhaps the most gifted of the lot. He shadowed both Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman within a year without a problem. Perhaps that was the problem though , he never stepped out from their shadow 

The only reason Moraz didn’t get my vote is because there was a “Someone Else” option. Take that away, and Moraz is easily my favourite from this selection.

1) Martin Orford

2) Clive Nolan

3) Kerry Minnear

4) Pete Bardens

5) Tony Banks

6) Mark Kelly

7) Rick Wakeman

8) Alix (from La Tulipe Noir, whose work on Shattered Images and Faded Leaves is utterly astonishing)

9) Manfred Mann

10) John Hawken

 

It just occurred to me...what criteria are people using to pick? The OP asks "Keyboard PLAYER" Now there are some incredible players that don't even begin to make the cut as composers, and vice versa. there are some who excel at synthesis but wouldn't be considered an organist. For those who say all of it, how do you weight your rating?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Good question. I like players who can reference a wide variety of influences in their playing from blues, jazz, classical, rock, ragtime, R'n'B, soul, latin, music hall, funk etc and can also assimilate historical playing styles into a contemporary setting e.g. Stride, Boogie Woogie, Saloon Bar etc For me Emerson ticks all these boxes.

(and also the fact he is NOT Barbara Dennerlein....)

Dave Stewart

Tony Banks

Martin Orford

Kerry Minnear

Dave Greenslade

Rick Wright

Rick Davies

Ray Manzarek

I've got a new appreciation for Auger having just watched him on the Keith Emerson tribute concert absolutely nailing Tank!

I love both Vangelis and Emerson a heck of a lot but I suppose I see Vangelis more as a pure composer. 

Emerson was a fantastic writer of music as you are right to point out. His Piano Concerto is a stunning work but generally gets ignored and written off as an 'ego trip'. Also as Emerson mentioned in later interviews, people were on interested in the spinning piano thing! 

He was a showman, an innovative composer and a great improvisor. However it tends to be the first thing that sticks most though.

moshkito wrote: In my book, he fits with Vangelis, Sakamoto, as a special person that composes music ...

Can you recommend some albums for me to check out by Sakamoto? What are your favorites?