Rob Aries is a keyboard player and bassist for Average White Band. Rob also happens to be a formidable jazz player and in this episode we cover all of that plus some, in what’s been an amazing career to date.

To listen / watch:

Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Joining Average White Band (AWB)

Playing with AWB

On AWB being the 15th most sampled band in history

Pick up the Pieces – Average White Band

School Boy Crush – Average White Band

Musical upbringing

Learning from John Mehegan

John Mehegan – Once Again in Love

God Bless The Child – Blood, Sweat and Tears

Living and gigging in New York as a young man

Nite Sprite band in action in 1980

Average White Band and The Chicken Dance (spoiler: David got his research wrong)

Working with John Scofield

Rob in action with John Scofield – Protocol

John Scofield as band leader

Touring with a Yamaha KX-88 in a plywood case

Surviving the pandemic

Heathkit project

Rock Me Tonight – Freddie Jackson

The Tascam 388

Rob playing on Freddie Jackson’s cover of Good Morning Heartache

Rob’s amazingly compact rig with Average White Band

Next 12 months and future of AWB

Thoughts for younger players and the challenges of current approach to music variety and melody

The Whitehall Grand Prix Duo combo organ

Tag a Keyboard Player: Jacob Collier, Jonah Nilsson

Desert Island Discs: The Real McCoy – McCoy Tyner, A Love Supreme – JOhn Coltrane (ideally a live version such as this), Now He Sings, Now He Sobs – Chick Corea, Thrust – Herbie Hancock, 

Pimp Your T-Shirt: Boneyard

Key links:

Buy some keyboard related merchandise

Drop us a line via the website, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Twitter, TikTok or LinkedIn

Complete our listener survey to help us improve the show, it only takes 90 seconds.

Support us on Patreon and receive bonus content

Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.

The post Rob Aries, Average White Band appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.