Few artists have a better CV that traverses live and electronic music than Amp Fiddler.
Keys player in two of Detroit’s greatest bands – Enchantment and Parliament/Funkadelic, mentor to J Dilla and the reason he learnt the MPC60, composer for Prince and Seal, and long-time collaborator with Moodymann. If he’d been born early enough, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to see him line up alongside the Motown greats to complete the full lineage of Detroit’s musical history.
Amp’s newest live project sees him link up with fellow Slum Village collaborator Andrés under his A Drummer From Detroit guise. Before we host their London debut this Saturday at Five Miles, Amp has run through some of the virtuoso pianists who have had the greatest impact on his playing.
Listen to all the tracklist in playlist form on Spotify and Youtube.
Horace Silver
Horace Silver has been one of the most influential piano player composers of my growth and I used to sit and listen to the Song For My Father album for hours with my brother Chuck. His piano playing was simple yet beautiful and some of the most amazing arrangements. ‘Lonely Woman’ has a dark yet cool piano style.
‘Liberated Brother’ is a happy and funky track recorded in 1972 and also an album we listened to all day while smokin weed and shit. Around 1977 I had just started playing so In Pursuit of the 27th Man was one of our faves. Dope arrangements and sweet piano moves.
Herbie Hancock
‘Cantaloupe Island’ and ‘Maiden Voyage’ were the two Herbie Hancock tracks we used to play in our woodshed and it was not too complicated for me to learn the riffs as a beginner. Herbie Hancock was probably one of my most influential jazz and funk players as he was so versatile using acoustic and electronic instruments.
Kieth Jarret
Kieth Jarret is another amazing piano player who was very creative and I love his approach, technique and the lick on this track ‘Vision’ along with the strings is beautiful.
Stamp The Wax hosts the live London debut of Amp Fiddler feat. A Drummer From Detroit at Five Miles on 13th April. Click the artwork for final tickets.
