I finally got down to the library today to watch the video’s posted in this thread to see what all the excitement was about.

What's the matter with you guys? Has the bar on OMB's been lowered that much that you think these players are at the top of their game?

Half of you members in this group are musically more proficient than these phony's.

Now they might be entertaining and in demand, but don't tell me that most of them are musicians who studied their craft like a lot of us here did. And don’t tell me they’re musicians, period! I didn't watch all the video's but from what I saw they were nothing but pianists who wasted their money on a TOTL arranger keyboard when they could have bought a digital piano and a drum machine and saved themselves 3k.

What they did was capitalize on their singing voices or audience interaction to sell themselves. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as people are entertained. But my personal opinion is most audiences nowadays are so used to bad music or hum-drum repetitive music that you can get away with anything. And that includes singing every song and playing everything in the same style and never playing a good “ride” on your keyboard to break up the vocals.

These players could not hold a candle to the worst of the 1940’s big band orchestra players. I was listening to Tommy Dorsey play “So Rare” (popular in the 50’s). That’s one of the best sax solo’s I ever heard. And there's Harry James doing a wonderfully melodic "It's Been A Long, Long Time." I thought I was gong to hear something like that posted in this thread. All I heard was vocals and piano.......vocals and piano.......vocals and piano!

I wasted 90 minutes of my life watching these Youtube’s thinking I’ll pick up something like Gary always talks about. The only thing to “pick up” is what NOT to do. Example: if you’re that good a pianist playing in the Paris Underground, don’t play improvised runs up and down the keyboard. Play songs that people know and can sing to. Maybe then they’ll get some coins tossed into their bonnet.

Being a great OMB is not only about how well you play but also how well you know the art of “working” an audience as Gary has testified already.

I'm sure you can tell by now, it ticks me off to see performers who make no effort to learn how to actually play their instrument.......and optimize every tool at one's musical disposal. Not just the vocals and piano.......vocals and piano.......vocals and piano!

MARK