Imani Zubeh

Session keyboardist w/FLAVOR!

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9 Reviews (5 Verified)
Imani Zubeh on SoundBetter

I am a composer, producer, keyboardist and bassist. I program drums like a beast and I can emulate guitars of all sorts. I`m a Sound Designer & produce Hip Hop, R&B, Funk & S.Jazz . I`ve toured or performed with platinum recording artist`s and grammy winners such as Ray Parker Jr., Ashanti & Cheryl Lynn just to name a few. Now I can play for you!

Music is about a feeling, passion if you will. And if you're as passionate about your music and music in general as I am, then you will understand that doing the best you can to relate that feeling or passion is the most important thing. I'm here to assist. It brings me great pleasure to help and to know from a client that I did what they were looking for to help express and present that feeling, that passion, that emotion.

Study always continues, at home & especially on the road, touring and changing up for the artists needs. Whatever that entails. With quickness and precision parts have to be executed, so I've learned to adapt to pressure and get it done. I am creative as well and can suggest feelings / emotions for a better project by bringing new ideas to the table, but only if needed. I'm totally here to do what you need done & to do it with "flavor" & competence in a timely fashion!

So if you're in need of Rhodes, synth, organ, bass parts - synth or real, string / horn arrangements or sound design, don't hesitate to get in touch! I'm here for YOU!!

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Languages

  • English
  • Japanese

9 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Imani Zubeh
  1. Review by Ben
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    by Ben
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    Imani is the first person I go to when I need help developing my song arrangements. He is exceptionally good at composing and providing nice mockups of brass sections, woodwind sections, and strings parts. If I did not play piano myself, I would also ask Imani to create keyboard tracks for me. In addition to his great musical skills, he is also one of the most professional, dedicated, and caring musicians with whom I have ever worked. You won't be disappointed if you hire him.

  2. Review by Benjamin J.
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    Imani Zubeh is one of the best pianists and arrangers that I have ever worked with. He has a combination of great technical skill, experience, a vast knowledge of music, and an abundance of creativity to help make a song unique while following the instructions given to him. He and I communicated very well (as we did on our first collaboration last summer). I can easily recommend Imani to any musician or band needing a top-notch piano part, or synth sounds, or VST strings, etc. for their project.

  3. Review by nicholas
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    MR IMANI IS A PRO! WHAT AN AMAZING MUSICIAN!

  4. Review by Benjamin
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    Imani did an amazing job adding additional keyboard parts to my cover of the great Jimmy Webb song, Wichita Lineman. Thanks in large part to Imani, my rendition now has a richness and beauty that I couldn't even imagine at the start of my project. Imani's musical ideas and production skills are top-notch. He understood what I wanted, was a consummate professional, and delivered great final tracks. I would definitely recommend Imani to anyone seeking an experienced piano player for their project.

  5. Review by EndQuote
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    Imani is the best, he played piano and bass for me on a track and enhanced the track 1000% and brought it to life. His communication is excellent and he makes sure you get what you need no matter the task. I would recommend anyone looking for a real seasoned musician hit him up. You won’t be disappointed.

  6. Review by Gerard Hairston
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    Jerone's skill as a producer and musician is a really incredible great music loved working on it. Really looking forward to working with him again

  7. Review by Jahanghir S.
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    "Imani Zubeh",
    Is How I Know, Renowned Detroit Keyboardist, Music Director, Producer.
    An Excellent Musician Who Appears On My C.D. Paradigm As Keyboard Bassist, Keyz, Soloist. Imani Zubeh Has Elephant Ears, He Can Hear Where You Are, What You Need, & Where It Can Go, Tracks He Performs On Are, Unlimited Mentality, F.P.H.., Everything, & & Okani Moochi, ... His Kind Participation On This Project Is Greatly Appreciated.

  8. Review by Bronwyn Wilder
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    by Bronwyn Wilder

    My name is Bddoubleu and I`m a Bass player and I’m working on my first cd , and I will be releasing it the early part of next year 2023, and I’m so so happy I have Imani laying down my keyboard and piano parts on several of my songs, and now they sounds amazing , what he has played and the energy he has added to the overall feeling of my music , its just incredible , don’t take my word for it , just wait until my music comes out next year , and you’ll get to hear Imani , one of the best keyboardist and producer that I know 𝄠

  9. Review by Dr.X Solomon /Shakir Sulaiman
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    "Imani Zubeh",
    Is How I Know *Jerone Howard, Keyboardist, Music Director, Producer.
    An Excellent Musician Who Appears On My C.D. Paradigm As Keyboard Bassist, Keyz, Soloist. Imani Zubeh Has Elephant Ears, He Can Hear Where You Are, What You Need, & Where It Can Go, Tracks He Performs On Are, Unlimited Mentality, F.P.H.., Everything, & & Okani Moochi, ... His Kind Participation On This Project Is Greatly Appreciated.

Interview with Imani Zubeh

  1. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  2. A: Prince, Stevie Wonder, Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Snarky Puppy, Lady Gaga, Timberland, Dr. Dre, Incognito, Chaka Khan, Earth, Wind & Fire, Ella Mai, Anthony Hamilton, Babyface, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Beyonce, Bob James, Bobby Lyle, Boney James, Everette Harp, Brian Culbertson, Bruce Hornsby, Cameron Graves, The Gap Band, Michael Jackson, Michael Brecker,, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, John Williams, Christopher Young, James Newton Howard, Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, Bill Conti, Dave Grusin, Michel Camilo, Pat Metheny, Michael Mayo, Mitch Foreman, Miles Davis, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Omar Hakim, Mike Stern, Richard Bona, Mint Condition...You get the idea.... The list goes on & on.

  3. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  4. A: I recently finished a Christmas EP for an artist here in Japan. I played all the parts, engineered and mixed the project. He's already asked me to do his next project and also do the years end Christmas project again.

  5. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  6. A: A 10 song album for a music library. A remake of a Bobby Caldwell song. Artist's original music for upcoming albums. My 3rd album project.

  7. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  8. A: Gerard Hairston, engineer extraordinaire!

  9. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  10. A: BOTH! To me, options are what makes the musical world go 'round. Back in the day, Analog was it. It was all we had and it was fat and warm and loose and funky. Digital brought a cooler, tighter kind of funk and cleaness to the music and that was welcomed too. Now to have them both under a single roof....WOW.... now the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to sound!!

  11. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  12. A: That I will ALWAYS do my absolute best for you!

  13. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  14. A: BEING CREATIVE!!! There is no better feeling than creating a part, listening back and saying to yourself....YEP! That's it!!

  15. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  16. A: What do you think? My answer is never the same because each song is unique and needs different types of attention. How much time will it take? Usually between 3-7 days. What do you feel the song needs? If I feel it, I'll play it and you can decide later if you'd like to keep it, change it a little or discard it totally.

  17. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  18. A: That it's always easy. I just make it look that way! Smile

  19. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  20. A: Can you provide examples of what you are looking for? When do you need it? Are you from the school that less is more? How fat do you want it? Who are your influences? Who do you consider you sound like, if anyone? Key & Tempo of song? Song Title? Do you have charts?

  21. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  22. A: Ask me anything. I'm an open book and willing to please you however to get the job done. For me, the music is the most important thing and making it pop for the client, well that goes hand in hand.

  23. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  24. A: Assuming there's no means of making electricity, I'd take an upright piano, an acoustic guitar, a trumpet, a swiss army knife... to make a drum set, and pencils and paper...(also assuming I can count those as 1 piece of gear considering ones not that great without the other. Smile...

  25. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  26. A: Formal classical training, Las Vegas Style show bands, studio work, touring and now producing and composing. I've been on this path since the age of 5, so I'd say more than 50 years of experience inside this bundle of emotion and skill.

  27. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  28. A: Snarky Puppy! I could learn a bit from their arranging skills. Stevie Wonder for his songwriting genius and Greg Phillinganes for his pocket!

  29. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  30. A: FLAVOR like none other! I can be fierce or subtle. I can be strong yet delicate. I can be smooth or extremely funky and I can just lay in the pocket.

  31. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  32. A: I use Logic Pro X with 3 rackmount keyboards, The Motif, Korg Triton and Roland 5080, and tons of 3rd party plugins. I use the Dexibell Vivo 9 stage piano for my controller and everything is integrated - running through the Behringer X32 Mixing Console. All analog gear, i.e., microphones, guitars, basses, etc., is ran through the UA 4-710d preamp. I use Yamaha NS-10's, Genelec 8020B nearfield monitors and the Sennheiser HD6XX open back headphones for monitoring & mixing. 3 visual monitor screens for a cleaner and faster workflow.

  33. Q: How would you describe your style?

  34. A: Exciting, energetic, full of love and emotion.

  35. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  36. A: Always use parallel compression on your drums for great punch and duck the bass at least 3db when it hits with the kick. Oops... That's 2 production tips!

  37. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  38. A: R&B, Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Funk Rock, Funk, American Jazz Standards.

  39. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  40. A: Listening is my strongest skill. I listen to the artist and want they want and I listen to the track and use that knowledge from the artist to mold exactly what's needed to enhance the track to where the artist wants it to be.

  41. Q: What's your typical work process?

  42. A: From 11:00am to 6:00pm like clockwork, with 4-5 15 minute breaks in between to rest the ears. Then Dinner, a small nap and then hit it again from midnight to 4am. During those times, I'm studying sound design or mixing / mastering techniques for an hour. Checking out the new gear for 15-20 minutes, then practice / warm up for 15 minutes and then I'm ready to either compose, mix, master or finish up existing project. Not necessarily in that order! Smile

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: I follow the instructions giving by the artist but giving them my flavor too. Most times it's a bed to help lay the foundation so that the artist can deliver his / her message without distractions, but also feel totally comfortable with the tracks instrumentation. I also do ear candy to help spark ideas for the artist and bring a sense of excitement to the track. And occasionally I'll do solos for jazz & funk artist's as well.

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Wendy Moten - Respect LIVE!

I was the Keyboardist & Arranger in this production

Terms Of Service

Usual delivery time 3-7 days. 3 revisions free. $20.00 for each additional revision. All Work is 100% WFH. 50% up front & balance due upon approval before delivery of stems.

GenresSounds Like
  • George Duke
  • Jeff Lorber
  • Bruno Mars
Gear Highlights
  • Mac Pro 96GB
  • Logic Pro X
  • a BiZillion Plugins
  • MPC Beats
  • Behringer X32 Mixing Console
  • UA 4-710d Preamp
  • Warm Audio WA-47 Tube Microphone
  • Dexibell Vivo S9 Stage Piano
  • Fodera NYC 5 String Bass
  • Fender Urge II 4 String Bass
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