Yamaha Piano Plays Important Role in James Taylor's 'One Man Band' Tour
BUENA PARK, Calif. James Taylor may be America's most beloved singer-songwriter in fact, they more or less coined the term just to describe his warm, introspective folk-rock. Over the course of a 40-year career Taylor has sold over 80 million albums, and his Greatest Hits is one of the best-selling discs of all time.
Despite such massive numbers, Taylor chose to think small for his latest series of concerts. The One Man Band Tour features only James and his guitar plus a bit of help from Larry Goldings, the "band" on the tour and Taylor's keyboardist of choice for the last five years.
The piano has played a longtime supporting role in Taylor's music, and it is no different on The One Man Band Tour. Taylor explains, "You have to have piano! Piano is the single instrument that can best focus an entire piece of music. It's the fundamental training for all musicians. You get an awful lot of music out of a piano."
Although best known for his guitar talents, Taylor himself is no stranger to the piano. He plays and has written a number of songs on the piano usually about one song per album. Some piano-penned tunes include "Sun on the Moon," "Shed a Little Light," "Ladies in My Life," "There We Are" and "Back on the Highway."
Taylor relies on Goldings to create just the right accompaniment onstage and seamlessly makes the linear guitar parts and the linear piano parts work together. Says Goldings, "I'm constantly trying to figure out how to be supportive without getting in James's way. He certainly covers a lot of ground with just his guitar playing and singing! So I tend to think of my role as providing support in the lower register while adding variations in color throughout the set. It's a fun challenge!"
Goldings plays what Taylor describes as a "beautiful" Yamaha MPC on tour. Goldings enthusiastically proclaims, "It's a joy to play. I love it. It has just the right amount of brightness for me to make a good sonic fit with James's guitar sound. It has an excellent low end. Sometimes you have to tear me away from it at sound check! I'm used to playing on a different piano every night. In those situations, you only start to figure out what the instrument can and cannot do after about 45 minutes in. I feel very spoiled being able to be traveling with this one great piano."
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
 Larry Goldings and James Taylor
Photo credit: Kristin Barlowe |
The piano has played a longtime supporting role in Taylor's music, and it is no different on The One Man Band Tour. Taylor explains, "You have to have piano! Piano is the single instrument that can best focus an entire piece of music. It's the fundamental training for all musicians. You get an awful lot of music out of a piano."
Although best known for his guitar talents, Taylor himself is no stranger to the piano. He plays and has written a number of songs on the piano usually about one song per album. Some piano-penned tunes include "Sun on the Moon," "Shed a Little Light," "Ladies in My Life," "There We Are" and "Back on the Highway."
Taylor relies on Goldings to create just the right accompaniment onstage and seamlessly makes the linear guitar parts and the linear piano parts work together. Says Goldings, "I'm constantly trying to figure out how to be supportive without getting in James's way. He certainly covers a lot of ground with just his guitar playing and singing! So I tend to think of my role as providing support in the lower register while adding variations in color throughout the set. It's a fun challenge!"
Goldings plays what Taylor describes as a "beautiful" Yamaha MPC on tour. Goldings enthusiastically proclaims, "It's a joy to play. I love it. It has just the right amount of brightness for me to make a good sonic fit with James's guitar sound. It has an excellent low end. Sometimes you have to tear me away from it at sound check! I'm used to playing on a different piano every night. In those situations, you only start to figure out what the instrument can and cannot do after about 45 minutes in. I feel very spoiled being able to be traveling with this one great piano."
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.