Tampa Calling

Several days ago, while watching Marco Benevento fire up his piano on a YouTube video, I got to thinking — who are some of the best keyboardists around right now, the ones who truly bring chops to the table, either via instrumental compositions, or songwriting, or both? I’ve tried to go less obvious — no one’s questioning the skills of Gregg Allman, or Keith Emerson, or Count Basie, or Richard Wright, or George Duke, or Dr. John, or interchangeable piano men Billy Joel and Elton John, or even the wondrous Stevie Wonder. We all already know those dudes are at the top. But what about some of the less obvious, but no less great? In the vein of Ivan’s Top 5 Bass Players Ever — except that, despite the title of my post, I’m not really claiming these are the best key players ever, just my favorites — I’ve put together the following list, in no particular order, and with video.

Marco Benevento
He’s among the most talented keyboardists around right now, in my humble opinion. He’s pretty hip to current technology and usually incorporates it into his compositions. I’ve seen him play in his main band with drummer Joe Russo, the Benevento/Russo Duo, I’ve seen him perform as part of a Led Zeppelin tribute, Bustle in Your Hedgerow, I’ve seen him tear it up with Russo, Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio during the GRAB tour, and I’ve seen him in his solo project, a trio with badass bassist Reed Mathis and drummer Matt Chamberlain. The following video Marco with his trio playing “Twin Killers” from a May 13 show in Philly.

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To check out “Phish Saves America Vol. I: DVD, Reunion, Summer Tour,” click here; for “Phish Saves America, Vol. II: Bonnaroo, ticket woes, Pollock show and contest,” click here.

For those who’ve cast your votes in the Phish contest I announced in my last posting — Thank You! I have made note of your answers and filed your e-mail addresses away so that I can contact you by that means if you happen to win. If you used a fake email address, please make sure to contact me with a correct email and your submission. My email is leilani@creativeloafing.com. Please Note: You do not need to e-mail me your submissions otherwise; please leave it in the comments below.

Now, onto the fun part: the prize. Since I received such an enthusiastic response to the contest, I contacted the fine folks at Phish Inc./JEMP Records to see if they could provide some actual Phish schwag to go into the prize pack. The folks were eager to oblige and are sending me a fatty package of several LivePhish CDs that were put out over the past few years, among them, one of my faves, the legendary 12-7-97 Dayton, Ohio Nutter Center show, the NYE 12-29-97 and 12-30-07 shows at Madison Square Garden, the UCF Arena 11-14-95 show in Orlando, and the 8-13-93 Indianapolis Murat Theater show. Also in the prize pack is the new Brian Wilson DVD, That Lucky Old Sun, a book, Under Their Thumb (about one man’s adventures with the Rolling Stones), a print of the “Phish Saves America” Mt. Phishmore logo (see below, logo art by Phil Bardi), and a few other yet-to-be-announced goodies.

For those who missed the last post about the contest, the rules are relatively simple. Whoever guesses all (or a combination of the most) of my setlist questions about the Phish Reunion shows right, wins the above aforementioned prize package. Here are the questions: Read the rest of this entry »