Kenny Kirkland Piano Solo On Sting - Bring On The Night (live)

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Great! This is my all time favourite solo

[@linguafunqa]

Can't disagree with that. Many many favorite solos, but if I had to name just one... this would be it. Thanks for listening Matt! 🙏

[@vitaminfian]

My all time favourite also, just relentless out pouring of beautiful expression.

[@barrievee]

Nicely done.. Probably the greatest ever and certainly my all-time favourite Jazz-Pop fusion piano solo.. I was fortunate enough to see the Sting 'Blue Turtles' band live.. twice.. unforgettable..

[@andybaldman]

Finally, someone who plays it with the right feel and funk.

[@linguafunqa]

Thank you 🙏

[@JimManeri]

When this came out when I was 25 or 26 and had already been a full time working jazz musician for a few years, I heard from a friend that Sting's new band was filled with my jazz heroes, so I sprinted to get the vinyl. Once I heard this solo, after i listened like 20 times in a row, I dubbed it to reel tape and slowed it down to lift the bits I didn't know how to do. At the time much of it was stuff I could play and ID from listening, but I dug into lifting the bits where I figured out that kenny basically shifts keys and plays in parallel in a different key for a bar or two, even going to remote extensions within playing in a different key. In some places he may have gotten there by working within shifting pentatonic scales and moving toward a more remote pentatonic scale, John Scofield Style, to eventually and logically get way outside by using pentatonics to imply certain unusual and remote chord extensions. But the parts about ⅔ of the way with repeated 16ths and the 16th choppy chords part, that piano technique has caused my students problems, and looked harder for you than the lines did, those were the easiest parts for me. Not because of any talent but because of circumstance of time and place making us have to learn that technique which was so idiomatic of what me and a lot of fusion jazz players were playing at the time and had been for 5-8 years, so we practiced it a lot. plus in those days before MADD and their de-facto alcohol prohibition on weeknights, in America, we could play 5-8 gigs a week, making that one playing technique well practiced and easy for me, but not for people who didn't do those kinds of gigs -- like anyone born after say 1970. Kenny got that style like I did: lifting Richard Tee and George Duke, especially when they played a Yamaha Electric Grand. Also, that repetitive 16th note one-note riff with chords thrown in, is straight up Gershwin from Rhapsody in Blue - Which is where George Duke and all of us got it. Good job, your thoroughness is commendable (not my style) and you are noble and brave to post practice things to youtube! I cant bring myself to do that! Good on you!

[@lernselbst7434]

The solo that made me study music… great job. Kirklands playing was incredibly tight, precise and innovative…love love love it

[@linguafunqa]

Yup, 100% agreed.

[@jacquesmertens3369]

My ears don't believe what they are hearing. This is my WTF moment of the day, or probably the whole year. It takes a genius to figure out what exactly the maestro was playing, and that's what you did. Please excuse me while I go pick up my jaw.

[@linguafunqa]

Thanks so much. It takes genius to improvise this over 3 chords... transcribing it, much less :)

[@delta9289]

And prize to the studio !!! )

[@TonWeenink]

Stellar! As a piano player I can appreciate the long hard work that goes into this. Hats off.

[@linguafunqa]

Thanks man!

[@jasonredwine4092]

Amazing that you figured out the whole solo! I have always specifically loved that particular solo too. Crazy to see someone else jammin it almost 25 years later. Stellar !

[@linguafunqa]

Thanks Jason! Yes, that solo is seminal, and part of the reason I wanted to be a musician. Cheers!

[@dreamtreater]

Wow! Absolute heroic! So this video doesn't get 500.000 thumbs, but like the other 12 people in the comments I really understand how awesome this is. Yeah I'm also a player and I love this Kenny K solo. Well done!!

[@linguafunqa]

Thank you 🙏 Yep, Keni is the best!

[@vitaminfian]

Phew, lost for words. Incredible. Thank you 👏🏻

[@BeachBoyTim]

Holy Crap! This is amazing!

[@Keyboardnut99]

One of my favourite all time solos well done great work

[@fjzingo]

Great playing, this solo got me into listening to jazz.

[@linguafunqa]

Same here! :)

[@XavierAzalbert]

Amazing play. I have always rated this solo as one of the best ever... Very skilled and high level

[@axelschwintzer9596]

Thanks!

[@raymondkarlsson9794]

I met Kenny during this period in Gothenburg, Sweden. He visited ”our” jazzclub Nefertiti where I played as a drummer in a quartet. We jammed through Billie’s Bounce and Confirmation. The swing of my life!!!

[@linguafunqa]

Oh wow, I bet! That's awesome.

[@TheFlyingChilloutPiano]

Big respect!

[@linguafunqa]

Thanks 🙏

[@davidtrelawnyross4416]

That’s a wonderful rendition of that solo. I’m very impressed. Excellent

[@linguafunqa]

Thank you!!

[@MrMatt-cm6do]

Wow, that is some serious dedication for you to have figured out, memorized and played that solo. Respect.

[@linguafunqa]

Ha, thank you. Yeah it was a long term project for sure.

[@LKtube1]

I bought Bring on the Night back then. This is what I mainly remember from that whole album!

[@jolyoncox]

Brantford Marsalis is also amazing on that album. Lovely stuff and very inspiring!

[@SphericalHang]

Awesome! Great job!

[@HowardPain]

Outstanding :)

[@Roberto-bu]

Wow

[@matthiasweber2818]

great👍

[@sebastienammann7363]

Sick playing and great feel!

[@linguafunqa]

thank you brother!

[@coldbici]

great! Jason Rebello too, may years after, performed with Sting in a virtuous way

[@lorito32]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@jozseftavaszi1259]

Respect! :)

[@enzodebredo]

wow! very well done! very good piano solo for a pop band! But Sting was always a little bit jazzy !..

[@linguafunqa]

Haha, yes he was. Thanks for stopping by!

[@matthiasstamm3782]

Boah💪

[@linguafunqa]

😅 danke

[@thekeysman1]

Wicked playing, love that style of piano, what are the Main chords? 3 or so?

[@linguafunqa]

Thanks - same here! Yes, 4 bars and 3 chords: | C7 | D7 | E- | E- |

[@thekeysman1]

@@linguafunqa E-?? what is Eminus? i thought they were jazzier chords than sevens!! there seems to be other chords in the song as well, or in the improv part!!

[@mafay28]

In which key is this solo?

[@linguafunqa]

It's in E minor

[@mafay28]

@@linguafunqa Thank you so much! 😄

[@mafay28]

By the way, excellent cover! Did you figure this out by ear or do you have the sheet music?

[@linguafunqa]

@@mafay28 Yeah I transcribed it myself. It was kind of a long-term project

[@RCGB31]

Great...though out of tempo at some times !