Nord keyboardist, Isamu McGregor, toured North America with Grammy award-winning artist Colbie Caillat during her “Girls Night Out, But Boys Can Come Too” tour.
McGregor’s instrumental melodies complemented the pop star’s vocals. The core of his set up is a Nord Electro 3 and Electro 4. “These keyboards are great! When someone sees that red keyboard on stage, they know I must be a guy who knows what he’s doing,” he said. “Nord is simply the best.”
Both keyboards were used for different reasons. “My main board is the Electro 3. On this tour it was mainly used for the piano and occasional Wurlitzer sounds. The Electro 4 is on standby for when I want another organ,” said McGregor.
McGregor loves the drawbars that regulate the B3 Hammond organ on the Nord Electro 4. “It feels like you’re involved in the creation of sound. The drawbars are made into physical things you can pull!” he exclaimed. “It’s great to have this flexibility right at my fingertips. The slightest shift of tone, thanks to these drawbars, can affect the overall sound,” he said.
Not only does McGregor admire his handmade keyboards from Sweden, but he also appreciates the help from Nord’s U.S. and Canada technical support guru Pablo Mastodon. “Pablo is the greatest! I call and he always helps me with anything, even the nitty-gritty things,” said McGregor.
“When you buy a Nord, you get me with it. People are often surprised when they reach someone live on the first call,” Mastodon said.
Since acting as the bandleader/keys player for Caillat’s summer tour, co-headlining with Christina Perri, McGregor returned to his home in New York where he plays many jazz shows around the city with his Nord keyboards. It doesn’t matter if he is playing pop styles with Calliat, hip hop with the legendary GZA from Wu-Tang Clan, house/dance music with internationally-renowned Tortured Soul, or having jazz sessions with drum icon Virgil Donati, his versatility has made him an in-demand musician around the world.
