Who do you consider the top five Minimoog players?
- Chick corea
- Jan hammer
- Rick Wakeman
4.Eddie Jobson - Keith Emerson
Two bonus Minimoog players
Steve Winwood
Stevie Wonder
There’s more great players than that Whos on your list?
These are not listed in any particular order
There all great and innovative regardless of thier differing abilities or genre
Great list, VCO!
I’d add Kit Watkins in there somewhere.
Didn’t know about Kit Walkins. I looked him up. And of course herbie Hancock but I’m really into his straight head jazz piano. He’s from another planet. Saw him with terry lynn carrington.,
Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove. Everything HH did with miles and Tony Williams,Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter is legendary.
I even remember Billy Joel using a Minimoog on a really early album. I think the tune was called the entertainer. He released steetlife seranader and turnstiles. 74 and 76. This was before the stranger was released. I think the Minimoog Solo I remember was off of turnstiles.
Rick Wright, sorry left him out
Bernie Worrel
Gary Wright
Max middleton
Geddy Lee
Patrick Moraz
Apologies to all. I should have said Richard Wright. I heard a version of The great gig in the sky. It was done on a theremin the theremin player nailed the intro as well as the vocal part sounded great. After reading specifics on the theremin it seems you have to have two cv outs . To get this I suppose you have to get a more expensive theremin.
The theremini has only one.
Apologies to all. I should have said Richard Wright. I heard a version of The great gig in the sky. It was done on a theremin the theremin player nailed the intro as well as the vocal part sounded great. After reading specifics on the theremin it seems you have to have two cv outs . To get this I suppose you have to get a more expensive theremin.
The theremini has only one.
Manfred Mann
And if not playing technical virtuoso but simple good solos counts:
Klaus Schulze (1976 to early 80ies mainly)
I m surprised somebody hasn’t mentioned Devo since I think they all three played the Minimoog at the same time. Three minimoogs three devo members .
Jan Hammer (Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire album, Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live album, Jon Abercrombie Timeless album)
Manfred Mann (all the Earth Band albums) tied 1st place for me. Both innovators.
Kit Watkins close 2nd. (Happy the Man self titled album Happy the Man Crafty Hands album)
Benoit Widemann 3rd (Benoit Widemann solo albums Tsunami, Stress, Magma)
Stu Goldberg 4th place (Charlie Mariano Crystal Bells album)
Robin Lumley 5th place (Brand X-Unorthodox Behavior album)
Eddie Jobson (UK) (more known for his CS80 that sounded like a mini on UK Night after Night Live album)
Honorable Mention:
Bernie Worrell
George Duke
Larry Dunn
David Sancious
Ronnie Foster
Don Airey
Dave Stewart
Phillippe Saisse
Hendrik Schaper
Jens Johansson
T Lavitz
Mark Kelly
David Rosenthal
Greg Phillinganes
Gregg Giuffria
Those are all great as well. Forgot to mention those I guess I just went with what came to mind first.
Don Airey
yep, very underrated - a great player though.
And what about Jozef Skrzek, very melodic. https://youtu.be/L6p41HBn2ic
Yesssss!!! Josef Skrzek!!! I forgot to mention! I knew I was missing something. He is up there for sure. I actually have an album of his and it all started seeing that pipe organ video. He has great skill and nuance in his playing. My minimoog player obsession began with Don Airey from the Colluseum albums and then it went from there. There are so many good minimoog players but then there are a few guys that I feel like the minimoog became an extension of their souls like it was a djinn attached to them. Out of the giant list I provided previously I feel that attachment only applies to the best of the best and those players that really were innovators. Jan Hammer has to be #1. The Bend master. Minimoog and SEM combination, putting the Mini through a Marshall all that. #2 is Manfred Mann, I actually associate Manfred with his combination of Minimoog and ARP2600 playing on his Nightingales and Bombers album. #3 for me is Kit Watkins for his speed and fluid playing. Kit Watkins and Stu Goldberg borrowed a lot of ideas from Jan Hammer as did Benoit Widemann. Stu and Benoit are tied #4 for me maybe with a slight edge going to Benoit. Benoit was more into interesting sounds with his mini but still retained the fluidity of someone like Kit Watkins who is probably had the smoothest and most emotional minimoog player to me. #5 for me is Josef Skrzek for his haunting majestic tone that is for him like going to church. Tied for #5 is another player that I forgot much influenced by Jan Hammer and that would be Adam Holzman. His First Offense album with the Fents was pretty good. Also Robin Lumley I will keep at 5.
Of course there really is no official top 5 as there are only opinions and everyone’s taste differs. But it is pretty hard to argue with the fact that Jan Hammer is the Michael Jordan/Jimi Hendrix/Mike Tyson, of the Minimoog. The best of the best. What always blows me away is that when Jan first got his Minimoog it was beginning of 1972 and he achieved such mastery with pitch bending in such a short amount of time.
What’s weird is I don’t really think of top 5 or top 10 or whatever from best to worst I think of it like tiers of skill and innovation.
Someone like Chick Corea although an amazing pianist and I love his playing I don’t associate him with the mini at all. While he used the Mini briefly on Romantic Warrior I thought his bends were wack and crude and his solos were not tasteful or emotive. Herbie Hancock I associate with the ARP Odyssey. A guy like Rick Wakeman while obviously a legend I am a great fan gets no points in the Minimoog department for me because they didn’t master the bends like Jan and Kit did.
Overall these lists are fun and silly but that’s my 2 cents.