Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 177 - Special Feature on the Electric Pianos that Supported the Great Recordings

Electric pianos are an essential and important item for today's music scene. Continuing from the previous article, we would like to take a look at the Fender Rhodes Piano, which is the most universal electric piano of all the electric pianos.
The vibraphone-like tone of the Fender Rhodes piano is supported by many musicians to this day. Its tone matches many songs regardless of genre, and it has created many historical masterpieces.

Recommended album: Grover Washington Jr. “WINE LIGHT” (1980)

The artwork is arranged to look like a classical record label for a gramophone or something. That was my impression when I was a student and saw this album in a record shop in Ikebukuro Parco. I thought they had put it in the wrong record section.

'WINE LIGHT' is a great album by Grover Washington Jr, a black tenor saxophonist, released in 1980. This album was in sync with the urban mellow style that was popular in the industry at the time, and was also in tune with the times.
It also gained fame as a stylish album. The content of the album is sophisticated, and it is hard to believe that it was made by a black tenor saxophonist. It is not the kind of music that is characteristic of black musicians and has a certain tenacity. The reason for this is thought to be the influence of the musicality of Ralph McDonald, the percussionist who produced the album. When you listen to albums produced by Ralph McDonald, you will often find that they are packaged with chic and stylish music, just like "WINE LIGHT".

Ralph McDonald is an American musician whose father is from Trinidad and Tobago. He is a percussionist and composer, and he won a Grammy for his work on the song “Where is Love”, a duet by Roberta Flack and Danny Hathaway.
Ralph McDonald's music, which has a certain refinement and fullness, may come from the light tone of the steel pan he plays.

“WINE LIGHT” is so good that it gives you the impression that you're listening to an album produced by Tommy Lipuma.
This superb sound is supported by the skilled musicians of New York, including Richard Tee (key), Steve Gutt (Dr), Eric Gale (G), and Marcus Miller (bass), who are members of the band “Stuff”.

Another key point is the Fender Rhodes piano played by Richard Tee. This Rhodes piano is the most suitable electric piano for creating a stylish sound. In addition to the refined sound itself, it also excels at matching with other instruments such as guitar and bass. It is no exaggeration to say that the sound of the Rhodes piano and the steel drums played by Robert Greenwich define the feel of this album. Ralph MacDonald has created an urban, mellow sound like no other by combining these two instruments.

Recommended song: Grover Washington Jr. “Just the two of us”

Former Nagano Prefecture governor and author Yasuo Tanaka wrote a famous book called “Somehow Crystal”. In 1980, the word “Crystal” was all over the place. The origin of this was “Somehow Crystal”.
Female university students and some wealthy people who lived an elegant lifestyle were known as the “Crystal Tribe” at the time. The word “crystal” was popular at the time and was also the start of the brand boom. "Somehow Crystal" became a bestseller and was also made into a movie.

One of the songs on the soundtrack was “Just the two of us”. The Japanese title is “Crystal Lovers”. The title was probably chosen because of the song's elegant melody line and stylish arrangement.
The Fender Rhodes piano on this song was played by Richard Tee, the keyboardist for the band “Stuff”, who were at the height of their popularity at the time. Richard Tee was a one-and-only musician when it came to playing the acoustic piano. His technique on the acoustic piano was so overwhelming that you couldn't tell how he was playing it. All keyboard players wanted to play the acoustic piano like Richard Tee, but no one could play it like him. Richard's playing was that good.
Even when playing the Fender Rhodes piano, his skill was outstanding. Despite his powerful touch on the acoustic piano, the soft touch he used on the Rhodes piano was endlessly mellow and beautiful.
The arpeggio-like, complex performance of the Rhodes piano in “Just the two of us” could only be done by Richard Tee.

I've also played this song in a band, and although it sounds laid-back, it's actually not. There are parts where the chords change four times in a single bar, so it ends up being a rather hectic performance. On the other hand, when improvising over these chords, I have the impression that it's easy to create a beautiful melody because of the characteristics of the chord progression.
Many songs have been written using this chord progression, and many of these songs have become hits (maybe the chord progression mentioned above was the result, rather than a copy).
Ringo Shiina's “Marunouchi Sadistic” and Original Love's “Kiss” are good examples. This chord progression is widely known among musicians.
If you add Richard Tee's signature Electro-Harmonix phaser and a Fender Rhodes piano to that chord progression, you get an overwhelming song... This tried-and-tested formula is beautifully applied to “Just the two of us”.

Electro-Harmonix / SMALL STONE

The effect pedal is currently in this shape, but the one Richard Tee used was made in a silver stainless steel case.

Musicians, albums and recommended songs featured this time

• Artist: Grover Washington Jr., Richard Tee, Marcus Miller, Eric Gale, Steve Gutt, Robert Greenwich, etc.
• Album: “WINE LIGHT”
• Recommended Song: “Just the two of us”

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