Jackson Jambalaya

First Bowie, then George Martin, and now Keith Emerson.  A true rock and roll legend died a few days ago, one who was a true virtuoso of the keyboards.  His fingers produced magic.  No piece was sacred nor safe from his creativity.  He produced his own masterpieces and re-worked others.  He combined an unmatched talent with an equally unmatched flair for showmanship. 
Emerson was one-third of the 1970's supergroup Emerson, Lake, & Palmer.  Combine the top keyboard player in the world, the best drummer, and a great vocalist. What do you get? A band that can only satisfy the members by using each of their names.  ELP dominated the 1970's as they rolled out several platinum albums. Innovative productions, soaring vocals, unmatched craftsmanship - these guys were musicians in every sense of the word.   Selling out Madison Square Garden for several nights in a row was a common feat.  Then the egos began to clash as the band became pretentious and began to fall apart during the Works period.  However, Emerson always produced music as few others could.

Mother nature betrayed Emerson as he suffered from nerve damage in his right hand.  The condition deteriorated over the years until he could not play his beloved music anymore.  He apparently could not bear the loss of what he loved most and so took his own life last week.  Several of his videos are posted below.  Enjoy them in his memory. 




One of the best keyboard solos ever performed in rock music starts at 3:15.


 


His signature piece was Rondo, complete with him holding notes through the stabbing of Bowie knives into the keys.