The musician Sting called “one of the greatest keyboard players in the world”
Sting didn’t get into the industry to merely be a good musician.
He loved the idea of toying with what rock and roll could be ever since he started The Police, and he wanted to get the most out of every song that he worked on, regardless of how many strange changes were in it. But even if he needed to move on from Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, he knew he needed to surround himself with the right people if he wanted his songs to live up to their full potential every time he played them.
And it’s not like he didn’t set the bar high for himself when he first began. Dream of the Blue Turtles already had some of the biggest session musicians in the world with him at the time, and Sting was prepared to give them anything that popped into his head. It wasn’t necessarily progressive by any means, but his approach to pop seemed to follow in the footsteps of what other nuanced songwriters like Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell had been doing once they reached the midpoint of their careers.
His songs didn’t necessarily have the same kind of punch that they did when Copeland was behind the kit, but that almost didn’t matter. Sure, The Soul Cages wasn’t the most energetic record in the world, but it was worth it to hear him reaching for different influences all the time. It didn’t take long for his friends to notice, either, given the fact that Frank Zappa thought enough of a tune like ‘Murder By Numbers’ to have Sting come and perform it with him long after The Police closed up shop.
But a funny thing happened during the sessions for Ten Summoner’s Tales. The songs were still as mature as ever, but there was a much more tuneful edge to a lot of them than before. Many of Sting’s first solo records were guilty of getting a smidge self-indulgent, but the band that he assembled to put together songs like ‘If I Ever Lose My Faith In You’ and ‘Seven Days’ was a lot more well-versed in what he was trying to do.
Dominic Miller was already one of the finest guitar players to ever appear on a Sting record, but having Vinnie Colaiuta behind him was the perfect substitute for Copeland. Since many of the tunes were in odd time signatures, it was a lot easier for Colaiuta to internalise what he was trying to do, whether it was laying down the right groove on a simple song or being able to play in 7/4 once he was given the beginnings of ‘Love is Stronger Than Justice’.
But David Sancious was practically a godsend when Sting first laid his ears on him, saying, “I think he’s one of the greatest keyboard players in the world and I think it’s a real privilege to have him in my band. He’s also a real gentleman. I feel very lucky. I hope he doesn’t sing, because that would be just too much.” Even though Sancious had already turned in time working with Bruce Springsteen, what he played for Sting was a lot more nuanced than traditional rock and roll.
Many of Sting’s greatest tunes featured a lot of dense musical harmonies, but when listening to Sancious play them on the keyboard, they all seem to fit perfectly whenever he works them out. ‘Nothing About Me’ is one of the most complicated chord progressions that Sting has ever come up with, but when they do that climb in the middle of the chorus, Sancious never seems too busy when he’s playing every single note perfectly.
Any other musician would have probably felt intimidated next to someone like that, but Sting knew the one rule that every musician should abide by. It’s no good being the most talented person in the room, and if you have other people who§ are willing to push you, you need to grasp that with both hands.
