Dickie J

I love George Duke, but he doesn't do much of this acoustic piano stuff...kinda gospelly/poppy lyrical piano with a jazz bent. Anyone know any pianists that do? I love the sound, but it seems like no one does it and those that do seem to drown it out of their recordings with the addition of full band over which it doesn't have a chance to shine.

Can anyone help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfECxccO7zg

You know when you hear a sound that you really like, and you want to hear more of the same but don't know where to start? I need suggestions on similar sounds to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3nDY9N70jE&feature...

Before you say it, I am well versed in the output of Evans, Jarrett etc, I just wondered if anyone knew of something that has this sound, a kind of melancholic introspective solo jazz piano sound. Sort of fusion-y harmonies with a (for want of a better term) lyrical cocktail jazz aesthetic. I was thinking maybe Chick Corea but can't find anything similar in his discography (though please feel free to disprove this). Dave Grusin, who wrote this doesn't seem to have any solo recordings, which is a shame because I think it would be magical.

I look forward to hearing your recommendations...thanks!

Left me cold. The programme is killing creativity and imagination in music

I talk to this girl quite often on Facebook, although I know her in person too. I'm a little bit older than her by the way. She often starts our chats, and I asked her out once but she said 'yea but as friends yea?'. Anyway that was a while ago, but she still often starts chatting to me, we flirt a little, and every so often when she leaves she says 'bye lovely' with 3 or 4 kisses. I'm not sure if lovely means 'friend zone - keep your distance' or whether it just doesn't mean anything at all. Women are confusing! Lol.

If you think how much of an influence just one man can have on the history of mankind (examples Hitler, Henry VIII, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and even entertainers like Michael Jackson) just think how the world today could be so different if even just WW1 hadn't happened. Think how many thousands died, and at a tragically young age. Any one of those might have been the discoverer of a cure for cancer or a major force in making the world a more peace-filled place for example. Food for thought...perhaps a pointless thing to dwell on but hey, I think too much! :-)

All I ever hear is 'I like you...as a friend'. Much as I love my friends, I'm kind of getting fed up of being a friend and nothing else. Gets me down occasionally. But hey there is more to life...it just sucks sometimes!

I know there is an easy answer to this - that it is a way for companies to make more money - but doesn't anyone else think this is wrong? Why do we live in such a disposable culture where you can spend say £600+ on a computer that may go wrong and have to be replaced within a year? It seems quality is the first thing to go out of the window when companies realise they're not making enough in this difficult economic climate. I realise also that companies in various fields assume that people will want to upgrade as soon as the latest technologies become available (which happens a lot these days), but I don't think that's a good reason for them to fob the rest of us (who want something to last for the money we've invested in it) off with poor quality equipment. What are people's views?

Bizarre concept I know, but say you were being sent to a desert island to spend the rest of your days, and you were allowed to take one jazz pianist (!) with you, out of Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett, which one would you choose and why?

And before anyone says it, I am aware that only 2 of those are still alive - but hey we're talking what ifs here!

Is it the same as when a girl calls you sweet? As in a first class ticket to friendsville?

I have been playing the piano (classical & jazz) for most of my life, been through music college, but one thing still eludes me - playing completely by touch. As you can imagine, this somewhat hampers my sight-reading, and this in turn means my capacity for earning a living through piano is greatly diminished. I don't know if it's a confidence thing, or that I just haven't developed the skill, but does anyone have any sure fire ways of freeing me from having to look at my hands! By the way, I don't have to look at my hands generally when playing, as long as my fingers know where they are going, but obviously when I'm sight-reading they don't! Also it's mainly in the type of piece that requires lots of jumping around that I have real problems with. Please help me :-)

I find on average I get through a page every 3 minutes, although some of this time includes me losing concentration and going off on a tangent. Obviously it depends on the difficulty of the subject matter, and I can read and understand faster, but it frustrates me that it seems to take me quite a while to read the average book. I think it's down to my low concentration level, and my need to take as much in as possible. Does 3mins p/page seem slow to you or quite average? And any tips for being able to 'lose yourself' in books more easily (ie improve concentration)? Thanks guys

I enjoy the effects of exercise, and I do make an effort to do it, but I find I view it as a chore, and don't seem to have the will power to make myself work hard and do it as regularly as I should. Anyone got any ideas how I could change my attitude towards exercising?

I find it hard to absorb new information from books/internet and when I do I don't seem to remember it very long. I also find it quite hard to concentrate when reading. Anyone have any good ideas for improving these things?

I really wish I could calm down and open up to new people more easily. It's not that I'm completely incapable of it - sometimes I have no trouble - or that I'm even that introverted, I just find it really hard to come out of my shell with people I don't know. I often just can't bring myself to do the small talk thing either. I just don't don't find it interesting, and spend the whole time feeling awkward and wondering what to say next. I'm a reasonably intelligent and (i hope) interesting guy, so I know I do have stuff to say, but nothing pops up.

I know all about anxiety, so in a sense I know the answer to this question, but I'd be interested to hear any tips on breaking down the barriers of shyness!

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the most amazing solo I've ever heard is Gwilym Simcock's on Time and Tide from the album Perception...incredible!

Just want to know what people think...

Like proper traditional tango but in a current or recent recording, with violin and accordion etc.