Jazz and the Fender Rhodes

I have always thought of myself as an individual who doesn’t fit into a particular mold. Conservative, liberal, jock, hipster, etc.—none of these labels fit me. Even the clothes I wear do not place me in any specific category. The only label that I will agree with (but not limit myself to) is that I am a jazz musician. As I was thinking about the impact that technology has had upon jazz I remembered the Fender Rhodes located in my house’s basement. This electric keyboard (invented in 1965) along with several others was used extensively by jazz artists during the late 1960s. Since then, the Rhodes has had an extremely strong impact upon the culture and definition of jazz music to this very day.

            To begin, prior to the invention of the Fender Rhodes in 1965, jazz was primarily performed and recorded using acoustic instrumentation (save for the occasional amplified hollow-body guitar or organ). With the invention of the Rhodes new sonic capabilities were achieved. Many pianists such as Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock began to experiment with devices such as the Echoplex, Bode Ring Modulator and various “wah” pedals to achieve new textures on the instrument. With a Rhodes at his home, trumpeter/band leader Miles Davis’s compositions reflected the sound of the instrument. The music evokes an ethereal atmosphere, dominated by abstract motifs and colors. Gone are the familiar straight 4/4 swing rhythm patterns that dominated jazz up until this point; instead, the music seemingly floats freely at times with meter switching every bar. This music eventually came to be known as early fusion. Thus, fusion pushed the boundaries of what was and is considered jazz.

In addition, the Fender Rhodes redefined the acceptable venue for a jazz performance. Jazz was the music of clubs, bars, festivals and concert halls up until the mid to late 1960s. However, in the mid-sixties this began to change as historian and critic Bob Belden explains:

            The state of the jazz world at large also began to shrink. Work had declined as club after club was shuttered by audience indifference (as well as the physiological aftereffects of the inner city riots). Cities that once had vibrant jazz scenes saw performance opportunities wither….There were still neighborhood bars in some major cities, but they could not afford the fees that an artist like Miles Davis was charging (Belden).

In late 1967 to early 1968 Miles Davis recorded several tracks utilizing the electric harpsichord and Wurlitzer electric piano on compositions such as “Water On The Pond” and “Fun”. This signified the beginning the beginning of a change in direction although Miles didn’t return to this sound until mid 1968, when he recorded “Stuff” with Herbie Hancock on the Fender Rhodes. From then on he began to exclusively use electric pianos in the studio and on the road (specifically the Rhodes). This change in instrumentation would forever redirect the sound of Miles Davis and jazz. Besides the practical reasons at the time (most acoustic pianos in clubs were unreliable by this point), the instrument opened the door to performances at such rock venues as the Fillmore East and Fillmore West (in New York and San Francisco respectively). At the time, these venues were dominated by performers such as Eric Clapton, Neil Young and the Allman Brothers Band, whose high volume performances filled these former ballrooms. The high volume capabilities of the Rhodes (in addition to the electric guitars of John McLaughlin) made it possible for Miles to compete in this atmosphere.

 In turn, performances at these venues began to draw in new types of listeners. Miles was primarily concerned with reaching the black youth culture of the time and performances at these venues pulled them in. At the same time, Miles risked alienating his former fan base that was perfectly fine with the standards and acoustic instrumentation that was present in his music prior to this point. While he did lose those fans, he gained many new ones.

In conclusion, the Fender Rhodes has had a strong impact upon the development, definition and culture of jazz. Even to this very day the Rhodes is used extensively by modern jazz groups. The Chris Potter Underground, One For All and Dave Douglas are just some of the jazz artists that utilize the Rhodes. In addition, there have been many artists of different genres (John Legend, Elton John, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder) that have incorporated the use of the Rhodes into their music.