Tony - Hammond Organ & Keyboards
You won't hear a bad word said about Tony's Hammond playing. That's because the last person that tried it met with a nasty 'accident'. Have you ever wondered what happens to someone's head when it's pushed into a Leslie rotor and the switch flicked from 'chorale' to 'tremelo'? It's not a pretty sight.
They don't call him the Hard Man of the Hammond for nothing (no, they want paying for it). The self styled Vinnie Jones of Jazz Funk is the man who puts the Psycho into Psychedelia, kicks the arse out of soul, and sits down and has stern words with the blues. "I approach my keyboard playing the way Mike Tyson
approaches a heavyweight bout" says Tony, and indeed most people agree his playing sounds like he has boxing gloves on. You may not believe this man studied Hammond with Jimmy Smith, and you'd be right, but he doesn't let that stop him from going out there and giving it 85% every night (except Wednesdays, which is bingo night). Only last week piano wizard Jools Holland had this to say when asked about Tony's playing: "How did you get this number? If you keep pestering me I'll call the police".