Ahead of the 2026 NAMM Show, the Bob Moog Foundation (BMF) has announced that it will honor the late Keith Emerson at the event, which runs from Thursday January 22, 2026 to Saturday January 24, 2026.
At the Show, you’ll be able to see one of five Keith Emerson Moog Modular System (KEMMS) reissues at the BMF booth.
Keyboardist Andrew Colyer (Circuline) and synthesists Erik Norlander, Rachel Flowers, and Lisa Bella Donna will be demonstrating the modular in the BMF booth. In addition, two educational and historical presentations about the modular will be given by one of its co-designers, Brian Kehew.
Visitors to the booth will be able to learn about Keith Emerson and the story behind the creation of the KEMMS with an informative display, which is being created specifically for this year’s NAMM Show. So, if you can’t make one of the scheduled demonstrations, you’ll still be able to immerse yourself in the history of Emerson and his massive modular system.
TEC Tracks panel – Celebrating Keith Emerson
The Foundation will also present a TEC Tracks panel, Celebrating the Legacy of Keith Emerson, on Friday at 4 pm.
Panelists for this discussion include Emerson’s fiancée Mari Kawaguchi, Brian Kehew, Rachel Flowers, Steve Porcaro of Toto, and Rich Walborn, former Moog Music engineer and Emerson’s modular tech on the 1973-1974 Brain Salad Surgery tour.
The BMF’s Michelle Moog-Koussa will moderate the panel.
The panel takes place from 4 pm – 5pm on Friday, January 23rd in the Hilton’s California B room.
“As we enter the tenth year since Keith’s passing, having the replica of his modular Moog synthesizer on display at the Bob Moog Foundation’s NAMM booth feels profoundly meaningful – a tribute to Keith’s unique bond with Dr. Robert Moog and the ongoing work of the Bob Moog Foundation. What moves me most is that people will be able experience the instrument up close, standing before the very creation that shaped Keith’s voice and forever changed modern music.” – Mari Kawaguchi
The Bob Moog Foundation is an independent non-profit, dedicated to preserving the legacy of synth pioneer Dr Robert Moog. Key projects include The Moogseum, preserving Bob Moog’s archives, and STEM programs on the Science of Sound and Synthesis.
When will come such another?
And what’s happening with the other four reissues?
The five created were released beginning in 2014 at $150,000 each.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3KRxDs8hd4
https://djmag.com/news/last-emerson-moog-modular-system-will-be-sold-150000
Here is the original in action with Keith Emerson at 5:13 for one of the last times if not the last time. This is sad to watch, particularly the solo at 5:13 which shows how his skills had deteriorated by this time. It’s as if Keith Emerson lost some of his sense of timing by this point. I don’t think it was due to technical problems with his modular synth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ9VYqustNA&list=RDPJ9VYqustNA&start_radio=1
Watching Rachel Flowers, who is blind, playing numerous Keith Emerson works on piano, organ and synthesizer – note for note – and at the same speed Keith played, is nothing short of spectacular.