----------------------------------------------------- AUGUST 18, 2002 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: Arizona Republic http://www.azcentral.com/ent/music/articles/0818wakeman18.html Yes, keyboard wizard Wakeman can still play rock and roll By Michael Senft In the 1970s, Rick Wakeman defined rock keyboard players. As a member of prog-rock superstar band Yes, he cut a memorable figure, a wizard bedecked in a gold lamé cape playing lightning-fast solos behind enough pianos, organs and synthesizers to stock a small music store. His virtuosity and showmanship exemplified the excesses of the decade, and it was only fitting that he left Yes as the '70s ended. In the world of rock and roll, however, band breakups are rarely permanent. After a brief reunion attempt in 1996 that yielded the live album Keys to Ascension, Wakeman has again rejoined the "classic" '70s Yes lineup for a new tour, which visits Cricket Pavilion on Wednesday. Speaking on the phone from New York City, Wakeman explains the convoluted path that has brought him back to the band he helped define: "I sort of never left after the Keys to Ascension shows, as strange as that sounds. Through various management miscommunications, not with the band, mind you, I found myself contracted to do the solo tour at the same time Yes was supposed to tour. I couldn't do the Yes dates. "We headed in different directions. Like both heading down a freeway and taking different off-ramps. It took a while, but now we're back on the same road." But even after 22 years and a series of management snafus, Wakeman had no trouble fitting back into the band. "For some reason, when you put these five people together onstage, there is a chemistry -- the sum total is much greater than the parts, in a strange musical way," he says. Wakeman is enjoying himself so much that he is making long-term plans with Yes. After this tour, which will cross the world well into 2003, he plans on recording a new album with his old friends, singer Jon Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White. And lest you think age has slowed his fingers or dulled his showmanship, fear not. Wakeman still plays with the same flair he did in the '70s. Although he's not wearing the cape on this tour. "I still have it. I use it for my solo shows, but they're more glam-rock," he says, laughing. He does still hide behind a mountain of keyboards, however. "There are 17 or 18 boards onstage. I use them all. There are a lot of sounds needed in each piece in various combinations. You can't do that with one keyboard, without using sequencers. It's simply not possible," he says. As he leaves to get ready for his gig, the man who virtually created rock-synthesizer playing offers some advice to the younger generation: "When you get a keyboard full of presets, erase them and create your own sounds. Back in the '70s, we didn't have presets. You spent days trying to get a squeak, but it was your squeak. Nowadays, the boards have so many preset sounds, it's fantastic, but not many players bother to find their own sounds. "There's no shortage of original players, just a shortage of original sounds." 'An Evening With Yes'  WHERE: Cricket Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. ADMISSION: $20-$65, available through Ticketmaster. DETAILS: (602) 254-7599 or (480) 784-4444. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com