Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

) is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

. In addition to having been a member of Phish since 1985, McConnell has been part of a number of other side projects, including leading the electronic jazz fusion band

Vida Blue Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (born July 28, 1949) is a former American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball between and , most notably as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won thr ...

and acting as a session musician for the comedy rock duo

Tenacious D Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "ten ...

. He released his debut solo album, ''

Page McConnell Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish. In addition to having been a member of Phish since 1985, ...

,'' in 2007.

Background

McConnell was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1963. By age four, he began to learn to play the piano, and in 1969 his family relocated to

Basking Ridge Basking Ridge is an Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated community located within Bernards Township, New Jersey, Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset Count ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He continued his musical studies, eventually playing in bands with friends by seventh grade. His father, Dr. Jack B. McConnell, worked at

McNeil Laboratories McNeil Consumer Healthcare is an American medicals products company belonging to the Johnson & Johnson healthcare products group. It primarily sells fast-moving consumer goods such as over-the-counter drugs. History The company was founded on M ...

and helped to develop

Tylenol Tylenol may refer to: * Paracetamol Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a medication used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. Common brand names include Tylenol and Panadol. At a standard dose, paracetamol only slightly decr ...

and the

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

. The elder McConnell then started a free health clinic,

Volunteers in Medicine Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) is national nonprofit dedicated to building a network of free primary health care clinics for the uninsured and medically underserved. Mission The organization's stated mission is "To promote and guide the developme ...

, that is staffed by retired health workers in

Hilton Head, South Carolina Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is n ...

. Jack McConnell died in February 2018. McConnell spent a year at

Gill St. Bernard's School Gill St. Bernard's School is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory day school located in the Gladstone, New Jersey, Gladstone section of Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, United States, serving s ...

, in

Gladstone, New Jersey Gladstone is an unincorporated community located within Peapack-Gladstone in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07934.Lawrence Academy, a boarding school in Groton, Massachusetts, and then attended

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

from Fall 1982 to Spring 1984, where he joined

Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia. As of December 2015, the Kappa Alph ...

and took a course called ''Imagination, Awareness, and Ideas'' taught by Donald Pasquella (based on Pasquella's 1974 paper calle
Imagination, Awareness, and Ideas: Helping The Student Become More Creative
, which McConnell later credited i

as "the most important course I have ever taken."McConnell, P. (1987). ''The Art of Improvisation''. Senior Thesis. Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont. McConnell transferred to

Goddard College Goddard College is a progressive education private liberal arts low-residency college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offers undergraduate and gra ...

in the fall of 1984 where he met his mentor, saxophonist Karl Boyle, and wrote his senior study, ''The Art of Improvisation'' under Boyle's guidance. In his senior study, McConnell credited music teacher, Doug Freuler, for introducing him to jazz improvisation, and pianist Lar Duggan as “single most important person in helping me develop my improvisation”. McConnell graduated from Goddard in December 1987. McConnell joined Phish in 1985 and played with the band for the first time on May 3 of that year. McConnell has written a number of Phish originals including "Cars Trucks Buses," "Magilla," "Army of One," "I Been Around," "Windy City," "Halfway to the Moon," "If I Told You." and "Things People Do." He has also coauthored numerous other songs with the band.

Other musical projects

In 1997, McConnell played keyboards on the title track of Scottish band Travis' debut album '' Good Feeling''. The album was produced by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...

, who had produced Phish's ''

Billy Breathes ''Billy Breathes'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Phish, released by Elektra Records on October 15, 1996. The album was credited with connecting the band, known for its jam band concerts and devoted cult following, with a more m ...

'' album in 1996. In early 2001, McConnell recorded with

on their debut album, later joining the band onstage that September for a show at the Higher Ground nightclub in Winooski, Vermont. That same year, with

Oteil Burbridge Oteil Burbridge is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the resurgence of the Allman Brothers Ban ...

and

Russell Batiste David Russell Batiste Jr. (born December 12, 1965
) is an American drummer based in

, McConnell was a founding member of

which performed from 2001 to 2004, and reformed to record an album in 2018. After a two-year hiatus from the music industry during

's hiatus, McConnell returned as a solo artist, recording an album of all new material in 2006. This

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

album was released April 17, 2007 through

Sony/BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout ...

's Legacy Recordings. On signing with Legacy, McConnell has stated, "I know a lot of people on the internet, and that's certainly an option – especially these days and especially if you're catering to the Phish fans who already know who I am. But I wanted a little bit more than that... I was proud of the record, and I wanted as many people as possible to hear it when I was done with it." McConnell headlined the High Sierra Music Festival in July 2007, which was held in

Quincy, California Quincy (formerly, Quinsy) is a census-designated place and the county seat of Plumas County, California. The population was 1,630 during the 2020 Census, down from 1,728 during the 2010 Census, and 1,879 during the 2000 Census. History Quincy ...

. His touring band features multi-instrumentalist Jared Slomoff, guitarist Adam Zimmon, bassist Rob O'Dea, and drummer Gabe Jarrett. Said McConnell, "I have a really good feeling about this group. It feels like a band, although it's in its infancy right now. It really does feel like there is a collective consciousness." From 2012 to 2015, McConnell toured on occasion with members of The Meters as The Meter Men.

Instruments

Page McConnell's current rig on Phish includes: * a

Hohner Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg. Since its foundation, and though known ...

D6 Clavinet (running through
Whirlwind Orange Box phaser pedal
and then to
Vox 847A wah-wah pedal
and finally into a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp) * a 1991

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

C7 concert grand (7'6") piano (since 2.3.93) mic'ed with
Helpinstill model 280 piano pickup
an
Neuman KM184 microphones
* a Hammond B3 organ with a Leslie 122 speaker (modified with individual percussion and chorus output knobs for a more tuned effect) * a 201
Moog One
16 voice tri-timbral polyphonic synthesizer. The Moog One is the first polyphonic analog synthesizer from Moog in more than three decades * a Wurlitzer model 200 electric piano with a custom blue sparkle top. Modified with
Warneck Research EP200
amplifier b
Retrolinear
The 200 replaced his Wurlitzer model 106P in 2019 * a Yamaha CS-60 polyphonic synthesizer * a 1969 Fender Rhodes Silver Sparkle Top Suitcase 73 Model electric piano running through a vintage Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter * a Moog Liberation (since 2009; formerly owned by James Brown) when playing

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group ...

's "

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

" with Phish *
Nord Stage 3 HP76
Digital stage piano with piano, organ, and synthesizer sound engines * All keyboard audio outputs plug int
Radial DI's
before going to the FOH mix

Albums

Solo albums

* ''

'' (April 17, 2007) *
Unsung Cities And Movies Never Made
' (April 20, 2013) * ''Maybe We're the Visitors'' (April 9, 2021)

Vida Blue albums

* ''

'' (June 25, 2002, Elektra) * ''

The Illustrated Band ''The Illustrated Band'' is the second album from Vida Blue, featuring Phish keyboardist Page McConnell along with bassist Oteil Burbridge and drummer Russell Batiste. The album features four long tracks performed alongside The Spam Allstars, a ...

'' (October 14, 2003, Sanctuary) * ''

Crossing Lines ''Crossing Lines'' is a German-French-Italian-American action crime thriller television series created by Edward Allen Bernero and Rola Bauer. The series premiered on June 9, 2013, at the screening for the Opening Ceremonies of the 53rd editi ...

'' (September 20, 2019, ATO Records)

Other albums

* ''December'' (with

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...

) (January 29, 2021)

References

External links

Official Page McConnell Web Site

Phish.com – Official Phish Web Site

'The Art of Improvisation' – Page's senior study from Goddard College
{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Page 1963 births 20th-century American keyboardists American organists American male organists American rock pianists American male pianists Gill St. Bernard's School alumni Goddard College alumni Living people Phish members Musicians from New Jersey Musicians from Philadelphia People from Bernards Township, New Jersey Southern Methodist University alumni 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century organists