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Home , Boz Scaggs

moldedbythem asters Not many musicians have had the

opportunity to sit at the feet of the H some of the century’s greatest musicians

C the way has — literally. I “I GOT A TASTE OF GREAT MUSICIANSHIP AT AN EARLY AGE ,” SAYS TOTO ’S onthesessionsforScaggs’s1976albumSilkDegrees. keyboardist,who,beingthesonoflegendarycomposer/arranger Andnow,15Totoalbumslater,Paichfindshimselfreunited

A MartyPaich,practicallygrewupinHollywood’srecordingstudiosin withScaggs—heisproducingBoz’supcomingalbum.David’s the’60s."Iwasfortunateinbeingabletowitnessrecord-making maininstrumentontheprojectisaYamahaS80synthesizer."That withgreatartistsfromagefiveon.IgottowatchpeoplelikeLena wastheonlyinstrumentItookwithmetothesessionsinNew P Horne,RayCharles,EllaFitzgerald." York,"hesays."Icantrulydoarecordwithjustthatonekeyboard. YoungDavidfirstbecameenamoredwithplayingdrums."I’d Thesoundsaresogood!Irememberatimewhenitwouldhave gettositnexttoguyslikeLouisBellsonandShelleyManne,"he takenaweektogetsoundslikethatoutofasynthesizer." remembers."EvenwhenIwasjustsevenoreight,Shelleytreated Aweek?"Absolutely,"nodsPaich."WhenIgotmyfirstsyn - D melikeanadult.Itwassoamazingbeingsurroundedbyallthose thesizeratage15,ithadalltheseconfusingwordslike‘envelope’ I super-hipjazzplayers,allwearingsunglassesat10P.M.Andwhen and‘filter,’thingsthatalmostnooneunderstoodatthetime.I thedatewasover,dadwouldbringmeovertoShelley’sclub, rememberonetimewhenIwashiredforasessionwithafull

V Shelley’sManneHole.Kidsweren’tallowed,butShelleywould orchestra,thinkingitwasapianogig.Buttheyhadasynthesizer, bringmeinthebackdoor.Iwasinheaven!" andwejustcouldn’tgetasoundoutofit.Buttoday,soundsareso ButMartyPaichpersuadedhissontopursuekeyboardsrather fastandsogoodthatit’sfuntouseYamahasynthesizers." A thandrums."DadconvincedmethatifIwantedtodothisfora PaichisalsoafanoftheYamahaPSRkeyboards,especially living,Ididn’twanttobecartingdrumsaroundlaterinlife,"says thePSR740andPSR640."Thosearemymainwritingtools,"he David."Andhesaidthatwheneveryoneelseisoutofwork,the says."It’ssoinstantaneous,havingallthosedrumgroovesand D In addition to writing with pianoplayerstillhasajobbecausethevocalistalwaysneeds greatsoundsrightthereononekeyboard.Infact,alotofthe the PSR Keyboard, David anaccompanist." soundsaresogood,theyoftenmakeitontothefinaltracks.The uses the 02R, EX5 and AnotherinfluencewassessiongreatLarryKnechtel."Imet PSRisalloverthelastTotoalbum,forexample.Youknow,some - S80 keyboards. Larrywhenmydadwasdoingarrangementsforartistslikethe timesyoudon’twantbig,rich,digitalMIDIsounds.Sometimesit’s Mamas&thePapasandJohnnyRivers,"recountsDavid."People bettertohavesomethingalittlesimpler,almostanalog-sounding. probablyknowLarrybestforhispianoon‘BridgeOverTroubled ThePSRisgreatforthat."PaichownsseveralofthePSRs–one Waters.’Hereallyinventedthatrolling,world-music-influenced, foreveryplacehewrites. anything-goesstyle,andhewasplayingthatwaybackwhenmost DoesPaich,aneyewitnesstofivedecadesofmusic-making, rockplayersstillsoundedlikeFatsDomino.Larryalsoinfluenced haveanyadviceforaspiringpros?"Makesureyoureallylove meinjumpingfromdrumstopiano." music,"hecounsels,"becausethatmaybeyouronlyreward.Very Davidwasaworkingprobyhismid-teens."Guyslikemeand fewgettothetopandmakelotsofmoney.Butevenforthesuc - [Totodrummer]JeffPorcarowereaheadofthegamebecausewe cessfulones,themusicitselfoftenremainsthegreatestreward. haddadsinthebusiness,"hesays."Wewereworkingclubswhen That’swhatkeepspeoplemakingmusicevenaftertheirhourinthe wewere15.Bythetimewewere20,wewereseasonedveterans, spotlighthaspassed.Fameandmoneyisaveryshort-livedgoal. makingrecordswithSteelyDan,Seals&Crofts,BozScaggs."Toto, But if you love music, by all means get into it. " infact,cametogetherafterthefuturebandmatesplayedtogether

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