Never Enough Rhodes
October 2, 2015 10:00 AM   Subscribe

Hello, I'm looking for specific instrumental jazz/soul/hip hop tracks involving drums, rhodes keyboards and bass. THAT'S IT.

I'm trying to create a playlist of songs that involve those three instruments and only those three instruments. No rhodes in combination with traditional piano or organs. No horns/sax. No vocals. No guitar riffs. Just percussion, rhodes, and bass - anything else disqualifies. Yes, most Chick Corea songs are disqualified as he usually has a billion other things going on.

Here's an example of what I'm looking for.

Here's another example where there are a few trippy sound effects in the background.

Every time I come across one of these tracks it's some kind of one minute interlude; would prefer full length songs.
posted by windbox to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Check out Medeski, Martin, and Wood. They have a huge discography at this point, but here's a good enough place to start.

Note: They often use acoustic bass rather than electric and a variety of keyboards rather than a Rhodes, but I think you'll dig it. Combustication seemed like the future of music when it came out.
posted by griseus at 10:13 AM on October 2, 2015


Response by poster: MMW is a nice suggestion but yeah "variety of keyboards" (particularly organ-heavy) makes this a good example of what I'm not looking for, sorry.
posted by windbox at 10:23 AM on October 2, 2015


Best answer: The late Rob Franken recorded a 1975 album called Fender Rhodes. Many of the tracks include guest artists (good ones, too, like Toots Thielemans and Clark Terry), but a few — 1, 3, 6, and 8 — have only the trio of instruments you want.
posted by LeLiLo at 10:56 AM on October 2, 2015


Does Vulfpeck's Beastly qualify? Might be worth sifting through the rest of their stuff too.
posted by bfields at 10:57 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Bill Evans did a 1971 album simply called "The Bill Evans Album" that mixed Fender Rhodes and regular acoustic piano -- the first half of Funkallero has some nice Rhodes sounds. Oscar Peterson's "Night Child" album has great Rhodes also, but it does have guitar (Joe Pass). Check out Dancin' Feet. Marc Carey has a new album called "Rhodes Ahead Volume 2" that adds some synths and horns to the mix, but I believe the track Below the Equator is just Rhodes, bass and drums.

And of course there's always The Roots ...
posted by Clustercuss at 11:21 AM on October 2, 2015


Oh oops, no vocals. Disregard the Roots. They do have some instrumentals out there.
posted by Clustercuss at 11:23 AM on October 2, 2015


Bora Rokovic, a Yugoslavian arranger, included a few Rhodes/bass/drum tracks on his out-of-print 1971 album "Ultra Native." Take a listen to Soft Hands Had the Rain.

Kool & the Gang's "North, East, South, West" almost fits your criteria, but includes rhythm guitar. Worth a listen anyhow, even if excluded from the playlist.
posted by prinado at 1:51 PM on October 2, 2015


Wait, forgot an obvious choice: the jazz, hip hop-influenced trio BadBadNotGood. Great stuff...check out the album BBNG.
posted by prinado at 2:06 PM on October 2, 2015


Response by poster: Thanks everyone for great suggestions - I don't listen to a ton of jazz, but kind of shocked how rare it is to find jazz trios where the rhodes keyboard is the star instrument.
posted by windbox at 2:17 PM on October 2, 2015


I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet, but this whole album by The Beastie Boys is awesome:
The In Sound From Way Out!
posted by readygo at 2:59 PM on October 2, 2015


You absolutely want Robert Walter's 20th Congress
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:30 PM on October 2, 2015


oops, i didn't read ther particulars...so sorry
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:31 PM on October 2, 2015



I'd also recommend some Joe Sample of the Crusaders, who had one of the most gorgeous and distinguishable Rhodes sounds back in the day. His "Ballad for Joe Louis" is a good example. A little horns and guitar here and there but not obtrusive.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 8:09 PM on October 3, 2015


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