Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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New Piano Music for Christmas
I was delighted to be asked by pianist Jill Morton to compose and arrange five new Christmas tunes for her December Musical Advent calendar. Having been a while since I’d put pencil to manuscript, I cant deny it was challenging getting those creative cogwheels turning again. But I’m pleased with the end results and honoured […]
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Shalom from Israel
It was a pleasure to finally have a mini tour of 4 gigs with The Dire Straits Experience in Israel. A very welcome October journey to the sun staying in the beautiful Sheraton hotel on the Tel Aviv beach. Understandably no one is taking any chances with the Covid situation which meant no less than […]
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‘Piano Life’ – Lives !
Thanks to the pandemic , I’ve been encouraged to look for other outlets for my musical pursuits. I’m glad to say that my ‘Piano Life’ You Tube channel has gained a little momentum albeit modest by some standards. But the purpose of the channel has really been a flag-waving exercise and, as and when time […]
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And We’re Back…
Welcome back after what feels like a very surreal and enforced sabbatical. I’m pleased to say that glimmers of normality appear to be returning. A few weeks ago I experienced my first proper gig in over 18 months at a beautiful setting at the Festival in Vilar les Dombes just north of Lyon. The Dire […]
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Lockdown Project for Music Charity
I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive and enthusiastic response to my music video – an arrangement of ‘ I Heard It Through The Grapevine’. I was so grateful to the musicians who agreed to participate to support the music charity – ‘HelpMusicians.Org.Uk’. We’ve had nearly 8000 thousand views on Facebook and nearly 200 ‘shares’. The […]
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New ‘Piano Life’ Channel on YouTube
With plenty of free time available due to the Corona Virus situation I’m pleased to be getting on with some new ventures at home. A particularly exciting one for me is the creation of my own channel on YouTube called ‘Piano Life’. For ages I’ve wanted to create some educational videos for students and alike, […]
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Dark Times For Us All
On the 9th March I left for the Czech Republic ready to embark on a 16 date tour of also Poland and France with the Dire Straits Experience. By lunchtime on the 10th it had all been cancelled and our flights home had been booked for the 11th. Whilst frustrating at the time, I am […]
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2020 Kicks Off With Some SAS Action
What better way to start the New Year than with a bit of Rock ’n Roll with Spike Edney’s Allstar Band. Sadly the great man was unable to attend himself due to his Queen commitments. Instead, Guitar Rock Lord, Jamie Moses lead us on this fabulous gig in Madrid on the 20th Jan. (picture attached). […]
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’Tis The Season….
To be playing Christmas tunes in Dubai. For the 3rd year running, the concert promoter Raymond Gubbay has put on six ‘Jingle Bells’ concerts in the space of three days for an enthusiastic audience. It’s immense fun, if not a bit strange seeing Christmas woolly sweaters being worn outside in temperatures of 25 degrees. […]
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DSE Final Tour of 2019
What a great way to finish the year with 12 gigs in just over 2 weeks covering Belgium, Holland and France. As per usual, great audiences and great venues. That just about wraps it up for 2019 – a very busy year for the Dire Straits Experience although we are awaiting confirmation of a possible […]
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