Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 179 - Fender Rhodes Electric Piano that Have Colored Favorite Jazz Numbers!

In connection with the previous song “Spain,” this time I have given the white feather to Al Jarreau.
Al Jarreau is a vocalist who has extended his range to the U.S. jazz and pop scenes with his outstanding percussive vocal technique, and in the 1980s, he won Grammys in three categories (jazz, pop, and R&B) for his genre-independent, borderless activities. This time, however, the theme is not Al Jarreau, but an incredible album centered on the electric piano.
Although the title is Al Jarreau, the star of the show is a keyboardist named Larry Williams.
Larry Williams is a horn player and keyboard player who dominated the Hawaiian jazz fusion band Seawind as the Seawind Horn Section. The horn section, led by Jerry Hay (tp), was the technical and crisp brass sound of the 80's and was given first call status by many artists.
Larry Williams is not only a horn player, but he is also an extremely talented musician as a keyboard player. And, his skills can be heard on Al Jarreau's masterful album This Time, which is featured in this issue.

■ Recommended album: Al Jarreau, This Time (1980)

This is Al Jarreau's fourth great album released in 1980.
It was produced by Jay Graydon, a successful guitarist in the LA band Airplay. The album combines the precise sound unique to the Airplay connection with Al Jarreau's overwhelming vocals. Needless to say, the album was a huge hit.
The album's most talked-about track was the vocal version of Chick Corea's classic “Spain”. No one would have expected a vocal version of that fast phrase. In that sense, I admire the producer Jay Graydon's idea of having Al sing a difficult song with fast passages. And only Al Jarreau, who excels at percussive vocals, could sing it.... It is truly a triumph of a top quality producer.
Various vocal versions with lyrics have been recorded of famous jazz songs, but it was a challenge to add lyrics to a Spanish song. But, after listening to Al's singing, I couldn't help but agree. He sang the lyrics to the fast passages with great skill. This is the quintessence of the genius vocalist Al Jarreau.

In 1981, the album's first song, “Never Givin’ Up,” was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 23rd Grammy Awards, but was unfortunately snatched away by George Benson's “Give Me the Night”.
This was the first Al Jarreau album to reach the Billboard Top 40 on the album chart, the Top 10 on the R&B chart, and also topped the Jazz chart. It was a career-making album for Al Jarreau.
Many keyboard players play keyboard instruments on this album. Acoustic piano is played by two players, including Greg Mattison. The three synthesizers were played by Michael Omartian, Steve George, and others. Electric piano is played by David Foster, who played in the Airplay unit with the album's producer, Jay Graydon; Tom Canning, who has played keyboards on many of Al's albums; George Duke, who played keyboards in the Frank Zappa band; and Larry Williams. and Larry Williams. All of these distinguished members added their talents to the album.

Recommended song: “Spain”

The heart of the ensemble is the trio between Larry Williams on Fender Rose electric piano, Steve Gatt on drums, and Abe Laboriel on bass. It is safe to say that the performance is all about grooving along with these three.
From the first chord played at the beginning of the song, you notice that the Fender Rhodes sound is clearer and edgier than ever. Al's percussive and smooth vocals on top of this Rhodes piano sound is nothing short of being the best. I imagine that the edgy Rhodes sound was probably more necessary than the mellow sound to highlight the detailed melody of the Spanish passages.
In the middle section, there is a scat ad-lib by Al, but the Rhodes accompanying is excellent and shows us a part of Larry Williams' ability.
I should also note that the Minimoog synthesizer solo played by Larry is also a historic masterpiece.
Steve Gatt's drumming on “Spain” is also highly acclaimed, and many critics consider it to be one of Gatt's best performances.

Musicians, albums, and recommendations featured in this issue

• Artists: Al Jarreau, Larry Williams, Jay Graydon, David Foster, Tom Canning, etc.
• Album: This Time
• Recommended songs: “Spain” and “Never Givin’ Up”

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