Rami Jaffee (born March 11, 1969) is an American musician. He is the keyboardist for the rock band Foo Fighters, whom he initially joined in a touring and session capacity in 2005. He has contributed to seven of the band's studio albums, and formally joined the band as a full-time member in 2016.
Prior to joining Foo Fighters, Jaffee was a member of The Wallflowers from 1990 to 2005, and again from 2012 to 2013. He has worked with many artists including Pete Yorn, Stone Sour, Joseph Arthur and Coheed and Cambria.
Early life
Jaffee was born on March 11, 1969, to a Russian Ashkenazi Jewish father and a Moroccan Sephardic Jewish mother in Los Angeles. When he was 13, he purchased a keyboard and was soon playing with local bands. After graduating from Fairfax High School, he continued to play in various bands, and he took session work in recording studios.
Career
Around 1989, Jakob Dylan and his friend Tobi Miller formed a group called the Apples, playing various clubs in the L.A. area. While waiting in line at Canter's Deli after 2:00 am, Jaffee heard the Apples wanted an organist and pianist, and he was told that Dylan and Miller were then in the Kibitz Room bar attached to Canter's. They met; Dylan and Miller played Jaffee some demo tapes in their car stereo, and Jaffee immediately joined the group. A few weeks later, they changed their name to the Wallflowers and signed with Virgin Records. In 1992, they released their first album, The Wallflowers.
In 2005, Jaffee began collaborating with Foo Fighters. He was made an official member in 2015.
Jaffee led the house band on The Fran Drescher Show and, as of 2010, co-owned a recording studio called Fonogenic Studios in the San Fernando Valley.
In 2012 and 2013, Jaffee was a member of the Sound City Players, a supergroup formed by Dave Grohl that, in addition to appearing in Grohl's 2013 documentary, Sound City, played a limited number of tour dates in 2013. The Sound City Players consisted of a rotating number of artists including Grohl, Jaffee, Stevie Nicks, Alain Johannes, Paul McCartney, Rick Springfield, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor, Krist Novoselic and more.
In 2012, Jaffee returned to the Wallflowers, who were coming off a long hiatus.
Discography (partial)
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Group
! Title
! Label
! Instrument
|-
| 1992
| The Wallflowers
| The Wallflowers
| Virgin
| Piano, Hammond Organ
|-
| 1993
| Darlene & Co
| Absence of Uniformity
| Sovereign
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1994
| rowspan="2"| El Vez
| How Great Thou Art
| Sympathy for the Record Industry
| Hammond Organ
|-
| Fun in Español
| Sympathy for the Record Industry
| Hammond Organ
|-
| Victoria Williams
| Loose
| Atlantic
| Hammond Organ
|-
| 1995
| Edwin McCain
| Honor Among Thieves
| Lava/Atlantic
| Hammond Organ
|-
| rowspan="8"| 1996
| Tina & the B-Side Movement
| Salvation
| Sire/Elektra
| Piano, Hammond Organ, Farfisa
|-
| El Vez
| Never Been To Spain (Until Now)
| Munster
| Keyboards
|-
| Phil Cody
| The Sons of Intemperance Offering
| Interscope
| Piano, Accordion, Hammond Organ, Mellotron
|-
| The Wallflowers
| Bringing Down the Horse
| Interscope
| piano, Hammond B-3 organ, Vox Continental organ, upright piano
|-
| Chalk FarM
| Notwithstanding
| Columbia
| Accordion
|-
| Leah Andreone
| Veiled
| RCA
| Organ
|-
| The Hookers
| Calico
| RCA
| Piano, Accordion, Hammond Organ
|-
| Rickie Lee Jones
| Music from Party of Five
| Reprise
| –
|-
| rowspan="6"| 1997
| The Wallflowers
| KCRW Rare on Air, Vol. 3
| Mammoth
| Piano
|-
| The Honeyrods
| The Honeyrods
| Capricorn
| Piano, Wurlitzer
|-
| Everclear
| So Much for the Afterglow
| Capitol
| Vox Organ
|-
| Uma
| Fare Well
| Refuge
| Piano, Hammond Organ, Vox Organ, Optigan
|-
| Soul Asylum
| I Know What You Did Last Summer
| Sony Columbia
| –
|-
| Andy If
| Road Trip
| CU
|–
|-
| rowspan="6"| 1998
| Richie Sambora
| Undiscovered Soul
| Mercury
| Accordion, Hammond Organ, Clapping, Optigan
|-
| Agents of Good Roots
| One by One
| RCA
| Organ
|-
| Esthero
| Breath From Another
| Sony/Works
| Optigan
|-
| The Wallflowers
| Godzilla: The Album
| Epic/Sony
|–
|-
| Scott Thomas Band
| California
| Elektra
|–
|-
| Grant Lee Buffalo
| Jubilee
| Slash/Warner
|–
|-
| 1999
| Chlorine
| Primer
| Time Bomb/BMG
| Keyboards
|-
|
| Matt Brown
| Morning After Medicine Show
| EMI Uncle Green, released 2011
| Keyboards
|-
| 2000
| rowspan="2"| The Wallflowers
| (Breach)
| Interscope
| Keyboards, Vibraphone, Backing vocals
|-
| 2002
| Red Letter Days
| Interscope
| Keyboards
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2005
| Foo Fighters
| In Your Honor
| RCA Records/Roswell
| Keyboards
|-
| The Wallflowers
| Rebel, Sweetheart
| Interscope
| Keyboards
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2006
| Willie Nile
| Streets of New York
| 00:02:59/Reincarnate
| Hammond Organ
|-
| Foo Fighters
| Skin and Bones
| RCA Records
| piano, Mellotron, accordion, organ
|-
| Pete Yorn
| Westerns EP
| RED Ink/Columbia
| B-3 Organ, Production
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2007
| Mike Brown & the Fart Face Band
| American Hotel
| Oasis Entertainment
| Hammond Organ, Keyboard
|-
| Coheed and Cambria
| Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow
| Columbia Records
| Synthesisers, Piano
|-
| Foo Fighters
| Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace
| RCA Records
| keyboard, accordion
|-
| 2008
| The Fallen Stars
| Where the road bends
| Kiss My Squirrel Records
| Hammond Organ, Keyboard, Accordion, Producer
|-
| 2010
| The Fallen Stars
| Heart Like Mine
| Kiss My Squirrel Records
| Hammond Organ, Keyboard, Accordion
|-
| 2011
| Foo Fighters
| Wasting Light
| RCA Records
| keyboards, organ, Mellotron
|-
| 2012
| The Wallflowers
| Glad All Over
| Columbia/Interscope
| Keyboards
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2013
| Joseph Arthur
| The Ballad of Boogie Christ
| Lonely Astronaut Records
| Organ
|-
| Chuck Ragan
| Till Midnight
| SideOneDummy
| Keyboard, Glockenspiel, Accordion
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2014
| Gunash
| Same Old Nightmare
| Go Down Records
| Hammond Organ
|-
| Foo Fighters
| Sonic Highways
| RCA Records
| organ, Mellotron, piano, Wurlitzer, clavinet, gang vocals, "space keys"
|-
| rowspan=| 2015
| Foo Fighters
| Saint Cecilia (EP)
| RCA Records
| keyboards
|-
| rowspan=| 2016
| Gunash
| SuperHeroes In Town (EP)
| Go Down Records
| Hammond Organ, keyboards
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2017
| Gunash
| Great Expectations
| Go Down Records
| Hammond Organ, Keyboards, Artistic Producer
|-
| rowspan="2"| Foo Fighters
| Concrete and Gold
| rowspan="2"| RCA Records
| piano, synthesizer, Mellotron, Casio SK-1, organ, percussion, Farfisa organ, ARP String Ensemble, Clavinet, Reface, Wurlitzer, vibraphone, harmonium, pump organ, B3 organ, Moog, songwriter, producer
|-
| rowspan=| 2021
| Medicine at Midnight
| keyboards, songwriter, producer
|-
|2021
|Fury In The Slaughterhouse
|Now (Song "Letter To Myself")
|Starwatch Entertainment
| rowspan="2"| keyboards
|-
| rowspan=| 2022
| Dream Widow
| Dream Widow
| rowspan="3"| RCA Records
|-
| rowspan=| 2023
| rowspan="2"|Foo Fighters
| But Here We Are
| keyboards, songwriter, producer
|-
| 2026
| Your Favorite Toy
| piano, keyboards, theremin, songwriter, producer
|}