Scott Kinsey

Scott Kinsey says about SCARBEE CLASSIC EP-88S:
“For years now my no1 Rhodes has been the Scarbee Mark 1. Bar none. There was just nothing else that came even close. Well now he has out done himself again with the new EP-88! It’s a whole new flavor of Scarbee perfection you have to just experience to believe.

Just get it and you can thank me later!”

BIO

For adventurous music lovers only! Keyboard wizard Scott Kinsey is a world-class improviser and music conceptualist. He is truly a musician's musician, known for being one of the most unique and original jazz synthesists of his, or maybe even any, generation. 

Hailing from the small town of Owosso, Michigan, Scott graduated with a Bachelors of Music degree in Piano Performance from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 1991. He was fortunate to study with some many of the great Berklee legends such as Hal Crook, Ed Tomassi, Herb Pomeroy, Ray Santisi and many others. 

Along with Scott Henderson, Gary Willis and Kirk Covington, Kinsey recorded and toured the world with Tribal Tech for 22 years, widely considered to be one of the greatest electric jazz groups of all time. The band's 2012 release, called X, is considered by many to be their finest achievement both musically and sonically. 

Always moving forward, Scott's 2016 album Near Life Experience was released on Abstract Logix. The phenomenal CD features the incomparable Steve Tavaglione (saxophone), Matthew Garrsion (bass), Michael Landau (guitar), Arto Tuncboyaciyan (percussion & vocals), Lalah Hathaway (best vocalist ever), and Gergo Borlai, Gary Novak and Cyril Atef (drums). A special double-drum feature “Kingpin” has Covington and Danny Carey battling it out, Volto style. These and other incredible artists come together to complete Scott's vision of what creative, "no categories" music can be. 

Near Life Experience was a multi-year production, literally taking place all over the world, capturing perfectly the diverse sounds and vibes from live recordings in Morocco to Los Angeles and everywhere else in between — all filtered through Scott's vivid imagination. The record is a must-have for anyone who wants something fun, different, multi-dimensional and exciting! 

Kinsey has appeared on several of the most exciting recordings of the last decade, always providing each one with his distinctive sonic imprint. Superconductor is the fantastic 2016 album by arguably the finest saxophonist on the scene today, Seamus Blake. It is a real work of art, featuring Scott, John Scofield, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Garrison and many other first-rate players. Recorded at New York’s famed Avatar Studios, Kinsey also mixed and mastered (and co-produced) the high-resolution recordings at his Wishbone studio in Encino, California. 

The 2015 release Larger Than Life features Scott teamed up with Willis with Tavaglione, Borlai and others, a truly explosive unit. Kinsey's original approach to melody, harmony, improvisation and composition give the CD a unique, breakthrough sound. Another electric jazz supergroup was formed to release Human Element in 2011, co-led by Kinsey, Garrison, Novak and Tuncboyacian. Arto’s ethereal vocals give this record an utterly fantastic world-fusion vibe, reminiscent of Weather Report and the Zawinul Syndicate. Kinsey’s first album as a leader, Kinesthetics, was released in 2007 and features a variety of the stellar musicians he has collaborated with over the years. 

Lots of new music is in now the works! Scott has recently finished production on the album No Sleep, featuring Naina Kundu, a talented bassist and vocalist from Mumbai, India. Other great artists on the record include Blake, Tavaglione, Atef, Covington and Louis Cole (Knower). 

REGARDING JOE ZAWINUL 
Kinsey was the singular protégé of the late keyboard pioneer Josef Zawinul (Weather Report, Zawinul Syndicate, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley). Zawinul is easily one of the greatest and most important keyboard players, composers and music conceptualists in the history of jazz. Scott respectfully tips his hat to Zawinul's musical world, without ever simply becoming a clone or a caricature. A tall order, but something Joe recognized Scott was uniquely capable of, and often made a point to acknowledge. Further, Joe personally requested that in his absence, Scott would be the only one he would trust to carry on his musical legacy — both on stage and in any potential future recorded releases of his music. Humbling to say the least, Kinsey takes this responsibility quite seriously. 

Scott is the musical director of the Zawinul Legacy Band founded by Joe's eldest son, Tony Zawinul. The band has already featured the likes of Borlai, Alphonso Johnson, Chester Thompson, Nathaniel Townsley, Bobby Thomas Jr, Katisse Buckingham and Hadrien Feraud, among others, many having previously worked with Joe. The ZLB’s debut U.S. performance was at Carnegie Hall in 2014. 

TOURING
Scott has performed worldwide with Tribal Tech, Human Element, the Zawinul Legacy Band and his own groups. He's played legendary venues including Carnegie Hall, Catalina Jazz Club, the Bottom Line, Blues Alley, the Great American Music Hall, the Troubador, Antone's, the Roxy, Dakota Jazz Club, the Musicians Institute, the Baked Potato and many more throughout the country. Kinsey is well known internationally, where he has performed in Europe, Asia, Africa, Mexico and South America at venues such as Ronnie Scott's, Blue Note Tokyo, Jazzhouse, the Blue Frog and dozens of others.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! 
A versatile musician who feels at home playing almost anything with almost anyone, Scott has worked with incredible and diverse artists such as Joe Walsh, Dan Aykroyd (now THAT'S great bass...), Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, flamenco vocal genius Concha Buika, legendary saxophonist James Moody, jazz guitar original Kurt Rosenwinkel, Philip Bailey (Earth Wind & Fire), classical soprano star Anne Sofie von Otter, saxophonist Bill Evans, blues guitar great Robben Ford, Alan Elliott, Jimmy Earl, the WDR Big Band, Serj Tankian (System of a Down), David Holmes & The Free Association, Danny Carey (Tool), the Norrbotten Big Band, Tim Hagans, Bob Belden, Nicholas Payton & Sonic Trance, Indian drummer Ranjit Barot and the fusion group Uncle Moe's Space Ranch (with guitarist T. J. Helmerich and drummer Dennis Chambers). Plus, Joe Zawinul, of course! 

Scott has produced songs or albums by The Manhattan Transfer (The Chick Corea Songbook), Philip Bailey (Soul On Jazz), Joe Zawinul (Faces & Places), Tim Hagans (Imagination: Animation and Re-Animation — both Grammy-nominated), Tribal Tech (X, Reality Check, Thick, Rocket Science), Gary Willis (Bent, Larger Than Life) and James Moody (Homage). He has also played on major Hollywood soundtracks such as Ocean's Eleven, Code 46, Stander, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Girlfriend Experience, Smokin' Aces, Brown Sugar, Analyze That, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen, Haywire and Bob Odenkirk's Let's Go To Prison. 

Kinsey mixes and masters recordings, as well as hi-res content for the iTunes+ (MFiT) protocol. Scott endorses Nord Keyboards, CME XKey37, Keith McMillen Instruments, Dave Smith Instruments, Arturia, Roli Seaboard, Lauten Audio Microphones and others. 

WORD UP 
2016 Top 10 Music List (Near Life Experience) — Jerry Kovarsky, Keyboard Magazine 

“Scott Kinsey has taken the language of the synthesizer to the highest level in our modern times, as he is the first generation of keyboardists who developed electronically as opposed to the acoustic-centric classic piano model.” — Bob Belden 

"Kinsey, perhaps in compensation for his inhuman chops quotient, has now established himself as an innovator for incorporating the human element, in the form of sampled vocals—pitched, unpitched, sung, spoken or screamed—into his custom-programmed sonic voice.” — All About Jazz 

 “Tribal Tech's secret weapon remains keyboardist Kinsey, who not only adds harmonic meat with his richly provocative choral voicings, hip comping and counterpoint melodies, but also stands as one of the most creative and unpredictable synth soloists around. He is always looking to push the envelope.” — Bill Milkowski 

“Ridonkulous!” — Anonymous

 Visit Scott's website at: scottkinseymusic.com

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