For me, Mr. Voncken is head and shoulders above the others. They may have advanced "technical" skills, lots of experience, great chops etc yadda yada yadda, but you are there to sell the keyboard, not yourself. Michel made the Tyros (or any keyboard) SCREAM, and meanwhile he was smiling to the audience, delivering the message "So easy, you can do it too!" and that's what counts.
You are so right, Trident...I think Michel makes the complicated arranger seem accessible to the average player, yet he also has the chops to illustrate how powerful an arranger can be to an advanced player.
I can relate to Michel on one level for sure, having had to deal with alcohol addiction myself, and I hope he can find his way out of that bog like I did 30 years ago, with the help of some great friends who shared their own experience strength and hope with me.
Being a musician, especially performing mostly in bars, having a drink whilst doing a gig was acceptable, as long as you kept your head and it didn't cause you to play sloppy, arrive late, or worse, not arrive at all.
It's so sad to see one as super gifted as Michel have his talent and job compromised in this way, and hopefully he will overcome the problem, and get back on track.
Ian
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