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Hey Chris!

Now this super version sounds more traditional jazz. Wonderful! You have been reaching out in amazing ways lately with some very interesting takes on the harmony. Your ear must be expanding in ways I can't yet imagine.

I listened to your fabulous track of Recordame last week as well on Soundcloud. I recall there were some unique voicings in there. Totally unexpected!

Thanks for those kind words Jazzwee! Yeah, well I'm sort of starting to get where I want to go, not sure where it will end up though.

I could say that a lot of my childhoods experiences are starting to emerge; this is what I "had" to listen to whilst growing up (it's actually my mother singing):

Thanks Jazzwee!

I'm starting to prepare a second solo piece for a recital. I've chosen one of my favorites, Chick Corea's Crystal Silence. Here's an early shot at it: https://soundcloud.com/jorlofsky/sounds-from-saturday-afternoon

Really enjoyed that jjo! Your classical chops show through! You need to invest in a Zoom so we can enjoy it more.

I've got a recording device, but I have to tape something it, then transfer it onto a computer, and then upload it to the internet. Am I lazy or what? Now that I've broken the ice, I'll give that a try. The sound is awful. Sounds like I'm banging the piano when I was playing pretty delicately.

It sounded delicate through the compressed sound. If you had a Zoom, then you have an instant MP3 file directly. Fastest way. And the quality is very good.

JW: Had a drummer come over and we just played organ and drum duo, with me playing bass. It was a blast. There is something unique about covering melody and bass; I think it makes me more sensitive to keeping strict tempo and not dragging or rushing. What I found is that pieces where I've practiced a bass line I can play pretty well. It's also much much easier than trying to play bass and melody on solo piano. My solos are not as good as if I'm not covering bass, but they were tolerable and I kept the groove pretty well. However, if I've not really worked out a bass line, or haven't practiced that tune's bass line in a while, I can't just wing it.

jjo, I'm thinking about getting a Nord Electro 4 HP so I can do organ. Then I can sell my current Nord Piano. Seems like the least costly option to getting organ. What do you think?

I can always attach a MIDI keyboard for unweighted (I have several).

There's a great album called Timeless; John Abercrombie, guitar, Jan Hammer, organ and Jack de Johnette, drums.
http://www.amazon.com/Timeless-Jack-DeJohnette-Hammer-Abercrombie/dp/B000VA8I12

JW: I'm not that familiar with those keyboards. As long as you don't intend to play bass, it should be fine. If you want to play bass, you've got to have a two manual keyboard.

Chrisbell: Thanks. I'll definitely check that out. How bad can it be with those three?

jjo, if there's a midi keyboard attached then it becomes a two manual. 73keys for the main board and whatever the keys are for the upper. So this could work. Not that I'm doing bass though. I have a bass player.

But just thinking of the cheepo option. You're just inspiring me though

would you not be able to use a single board, and layer it to have your comping sound as well as your solo sound. And maybe even a layer for bass lines if needed.

Nord Electro 4 HP is mono timbral. So it only makes one sound at a time. Which is fine for me. The Nord Piano 88 I have now is the same. But for organ, the Electro can have a split point and then have different drawbar settings for each. So that fulfills the comping vs. solo sound.

I've been wanting to get into a bit of organ to fit the wider range of music I've been playing. The extra plus in all this is that the Electro HP 73 is only 24 lbs., vs. 36lbs currently for my Nord Piano. That extra 12 lbs makes a big difference to me. I'm huffing and puffing after every gig. LOL.

There is no greater love:


Btw: I had the honour of having a private lesson with Kenny Werner at my house this sunday! Spent an hour and a half with him, very interesting and inspirational.
If any of you ever get the chance to have a lesson with Kenny, go for it. It's well spent money and time.

What did he teach you? I've met him and I attended his Masterclass on Effortless Mastery.

I also subscribed to his special private videos (paid) some years back.

What didn't he demonstrate, parlay, share, convey . . . It was a lot, yet so simple . . . it's difficult describing the lesson because its still so fresh, I need to work on the stuff he talked about before I can give a clear picture. Basically, he asked me to play something which I did, then he asked me to play a standard, which I then did (Stella, slightly up). Then he broke it all down, pointed out my strengths and then my weaknesses and then gave me solutions to work on. That went on for an hour and a half. Then we had coffee and talked about the important stuff; life, family, good cooking.
Btw, the night before I heard him and the new quartet he has with David Sanchez, man oh man what a band! They are something special!

So even a single lesson is useful then?

I would say yes.

What an amazing weekend Chris.
There's something wrong with my you-tube tonight but I look forward to listening to No Greater Love in the next couple of days.