------------------------------------------------------- APRIL 1999 ------------------------------------------------------- Souce: Backstage Pass Contributed by Tim Morse Igor Khoroshev Bringing New Life to Yes By Tim Morse Yes is one of the most revered bands in progressive rock. In their thirty year history they have managed to play uncompromisingly complex music and yet have enormous commercial success. Although they were not really a hit single band they got a lot of FM radio airplay with songs such as "Roundabout", "I've Seen All Good People," "Long Distance Runaround," "And You And I" and "Wondrous Stories." Keyboards were always an important feature of Yes music and the band has had some of the best keyboardists in rock: Patrick Moraz, Tony Kaye, Geoff Downes and Rick Wakeman. Despite their success Yes has constantly had political problems and band members came and went with regularity (in fact they haven't had the same line-up for more than two albums).The group broke up in 1980 because of artistic, financial and personal problems, but was resurrected in 1983 for their most successful album 90125 featuring the song "Owner of a Lonely Heart." Yes continued to release albums and change personnel through-out the 80's and 90's until 1996 when it was decided that they would reunite the classic line-up from the seventies featuring Jon Anderson (vocals), Chris Squire (bass), Steve Howe (guitar), Alan White (drums) and Rick Wakeman. The band played three triumphant gigs in Southern California featuring songs that hadn't been performed for over 20 years (these shows are documented on the albums Keys To Ascension volumes I and II). As a bonus both albums had new studio tracks that rivaled their classic songs of the seventies. But unfortunately just as the band was preparing to tour Wakeman decided he was fed up with certain artistic and political problems and left Yes. Surprisingly the group decided to replace him with a unknown newcomer named Igor Khoroshev. Igor was born in Moscow on July 14, 1965 and he began his piano lessons at the age of five years old. As he grew up he became a fan of rock music and saved his money to buy black market records of bands such as Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson. He remembers being completely devastated by the Yes album Relayer. He couldn't believe rock musicians could make music that was so incredibly intricate and passionate at the same time. Keyboardist Patrick Moraz became a hero to him because, "He's incredible. He is so fluent as a player - he's unbelievable." The music of Yes was so intense for him that it pushed him away from rock performance and deeper in the classical world. However, Igor did continue his piano studies when he went to the University where he was a declared composition and orchestration major. At the age of 26 he decided to leave Russia and traveled to New York City. He later moved to Boston and became a part of the music scene there playing with musicians like Benjamin Orr (of the Cars). Igor's work with computer software companies to create musical content was the lucky break that got him the gig with Yes. A friend of his in that industry gave a demo tape of Igor's to singer Jon Anderson. At that time Wakeman had bowed out of the Yes again and they were on the verge of a major tour. Anderson heard the tape and was impressed with the talent he discovered. He put a call through to Igor offering him an audition for the band. Igor remembers his first audition as being rather shaky, but he was given extra time to learn the material. By the next rehearsal he nailed the parts and got the gig. Igor recalls, "I revisited all of the songs and I wrote everything out, all of the keyboard parts, guitar parts, bass parts. All of the chords and all of the solos and everything else. I only had three days, that was the only way for me to do it. It was three days of hell. Then when I showed up we had two weeks of rehearsals and we probably played for three hours within those two weeks! We never played one song from the beginning to the end. We'd show up around three o' clock and play for two minutes and then take a three hour break and then we'd play for another two minutes. So within those breaks it was nice for me, because I had so much new gear. I had the time to find the sounds before we played again." Most of the Yes set is pulled from their three seminal albums Close To The Edge, Fragile and The Yes Album and Igor's keyboard set-up reflects the need to recreate the sounds that Rick Wakeman and Tony Kaye invented. He uses a Kurzweil PC88 for his main controller for his samplers and sound modules. The Yamaha AN1-X Virtual Analog synthesizer is used to replicate the famous Mini-Moog sounds. He uses the Yamaha P200 and thinks that it is "probably the best sounding piano keyboard I've played so far -- I love the action." Igor is an organ player and is currently using the Blue Chip Music Technology OX7 Organ to play parts like the wailing organ solo in "Close To The Edge". The Yamaha EX5 covers some of the more modern sounds that are needed for the set. He feels that, "The EX5 is an incredible machine...I'm very impressed with the way it uses physical modeling technology to recreate acoustic instruments." His keyboard rig is rounded out with a couple of Yamaha A3000 samplers (for eighties songs like "Owner of a Lonely Heart")and MU90 and TG500 tone generators. He uses the Digitech Studio Quad V2 and the Lexicon LXB15 for outboard effects. Crown monitors are used for his rig and his mixer is the Mackee CR1604. Onstage Igor projects an enthusiasm and energy that has been missing from the keyboard pedestal for some time. For example on the song "Roundabout" he fills in the sixteenth note arpeggios with his right hand while he is cheerfully bashing away at a cowbell with his left hand (he has also been known to add backing vocals when needed). Playing with a band like Yes poses certain problems as Igor elaborates, "Playing with Yes should be a challenge for every keyboard player regardless of their technical ability. It's challenging, despite the fact the music was already written and all I have to do is show up and play it -- the most challenging part about this music is to play the music the way it was written, yet trying to incorporate my own stylistic ideas." And yet as he is quick to point out, "Certain Yes parts are so classic. Like the "Roundabout" solo, you can't do it on synthesizer -- you must do it on organ. And you must play those notes, because every person in the world knows that you have to play it." Although Igor has not been made an official member of the band he has participated in recording sessions for their most recent album "Open Your Eyes" (he contributes keyboards on three songs and plays a burning organ solo on "Fortune Seller"). Chris Squire sent him the backing tracks from Los Angeles on DAT via courier service and Igor would sync it up at home and put down his parts. When the current Yes tour wraps up at the end of this year there will be a short break for the band and Igor plans to release his first solo album at this time. Yes will reconvene in early 1999 to record their next album and Igor will be writing and performing with the group. As Igor has said, "(I'm) just going for this wild ride and playing that great music, of course it's exciting. It's the best thing that can ever happen to anybody that came from Russia." Tim Morse is the author of Yesstories and Classic Rock Stories (both published by the St.Martin's Press). Purchase YesStories Purchase Classic Rock Stories: The Stories Behind the Greatest Songs of All Time Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com