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Thursday 11 October 2012

New performance schedule at the Casa Labia

There is a change in my performance schedule at the Casa Labia.
The performances on Fridays have been rescheduled to Saturdays instead.
Therefore; Saturdays and Sundays from 13:00 until 15:00.
Hope to see you there.
Come and enjoy the ambience and experience the superb sound of the Kawai Grand Piano.





Monday 24 September 2012

SlideIT keyboard

I would like to share SlideIT keyboard with you http://www.mobiletextinput.com/Download/android/Download/ Give it a try!

Thursday 23 August 2012

A reply email to a patron of Casa Labia


Dear Lynne,
It was a pleasure to see you at Casa Labia. Hope you enjoyed the lunch? Your student was intrigued and a bit overwhelmed by the setting and ambiance, I felt it... facial expressions says it all. I really enjoy playing/performing on such a fine instrument and the piano is very responsive. What I particularly like is the sonority of the tones. You have no idea on how many bad pianos I performed on over the years but as the saying goes "drive the old cars first and then you'll appreciate the craftsmanship of the new generation" .... now I really invented this saying (:>... but true from the aspect of how we were trained at University.... not to practice on just one make of piano, new or old, as one day you'll be in a situation when you really going to have a bad piano and you have to make it talk whatever the condition it is in. The Kawai has this new technology of carbon-fiber of the main action and is extremely responsive. My technique over the years developed into interpretations with a twist so to speak as you rightly said the other day " it sounds like an orchestra" Thank you for noticing that. 

Sunday 29 July 2012

JP-Grimaldi Virtual Puzzle Projects

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT:

Send me any picture of your choice e.g. favourite holiday snaps, family photographs PC wallpaper, etc and I`ll create a virtual puzzle for you that you can play on the computer. Jigsaw puzzles with a difference; it’s virtual on your monitor; no more loosing pieces. Be interactive. Many people find that one of the bonuses of puzzling is that it helps keep their minds active and alert. Therapeutically stimulating.
Creation executed from very easy to difficult pending on the resolution of your picture. The completed puzzle would be print screened for your perusal.
I embed sounds into the creation for added fun & pleasure. From an individual taste; what music would you like to listen to, whilst playing the game? Send that to me in MP3 or Wave format to add to the virtual puzzle. The embedded sound file will automatically loop. You can also time yourself playing the puzzle and improve on it. Now, is that not something?
Jigsaws can make the perfect gift, both for children and for adults. They can, of course, simply be purchased in a store in a box. Personalised jigsaws are an alternative that can also make a simple gift really mean something. So, for example, a parent could take a photo of their kids and have it made up into a jigsaw as a gift for their grandparents. A photo or image of virtually anything could be personalised here. Also think of this concept in a competitive intuitive way when in a group situation e.g. classroom, special functions involving children and adults of all ages. Each person that has a laptop or computer, competes to see who completes a puzzle and then be rewarded for winning. The possibilities are endless. Corporate functions or advertising events can utilise this tool for added impression. Please contact me for further information at:

    Text me on Mobile: +27 (0) 82 341 1633 or email: jpgl790@gmail.com


Go virtual on your laptop or android device


Solving a puzzle can do wonders for one's self-esteem. As puzzles get more challenging you also learn useful life skills such as seeing things through to completion and trying different approaches to problem solving.
So, please forward me your favourite photo and I'll convert it to a virtual puzzle!

Virtual jigsaw puzzle

Send me any picture of your choice e.g. favourite holiday snaps, family photographs PC wallpaper, etc and I`ll create a virtual puzzle for you that you can play on the computer. Jigsaw puzzles with a difference; it’s virtual on your monitor; no more loosing pieces. Be interactive. Many people find that one of the bonuses of puzzling is that it helps keep their minds active and alert. Therapeutically stimulating. Creation executed from very easy to difficult pending on the resolution of your picture. The completed puzzle would be print screened for your perusal.

Sunday 22 July 2012

Patron of Casa Labia


David Calthorpe at the Casa Labia just after I completed my
 Piano performance in the ballroom.
 He looks very satisfied and regal.
Photo taken by my android device.



Thursday 19 July 2012

Cavendish Square moments


The extraordinary moment was that a gentleman came up to me after one of my sets of repertoire and asked me if that what he just heard was a digital recording and that I was faking the piano playing on the keys of the piano to synchronize. I was taken totally by surprise but not totally fazed. I then asked him to play some of the keys on the piano which he promptly did. I asked him if that sounded digital?
Much to his dilemma he defended himself by "saving face" that the banner next to the piano advertising the Kawai Grand Pianos says "acoustic & digital". I then explained that there are acoustic plus digital pianos available from Kawai.
The conclusion of this conversation made me realise that the banner is ambiguous as many listeners think that the piano I'm performing on could be both; with a simple switch or button to change from acoustic to digital.
Then, the other day another gentleman came up to speak too me after another set of repertoire on the Piano, and asked me if this was an Organ. I was speechless but realised that there was definitely a shortcomimg of general knowledge in most of the schools here in this country. 
I promptly corrected his "faux pas" and explained that this was a Grand Piano.
I explained the mechanism and how grand pianos are constructed, build and tuned. It was a mini lecture; wish I could one day impart general knowledge to schools like I did with him now. Well, he walked away with a smile on his face; a face of knowledge gained and I know he would go and spread this new found information.
I felt a sense of satisfaction but also felt sadness that so much is lacking in the education system.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

The Powers of Music and the Mind



“Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine, it brings us near to the infinity.” – Thomas Carlyle

We live in a world full of noise. Noise is one of the curses of the modern age. Noise seems to increase as we progress and grow more civilized and harness more mechanical monsters to do our bidding.
Because of this and many other factors my own piano playing performances are geared to relax the listener. I was fortunate to start music at an early age of five. It was never forced on me but the interest stimulated my mind to explore it more. Listening to classical programs on the radio, as we have not yet that time experienced the onslaught of television as we have now, induced a kind of therapy of calmness. Playing the piano made me feel that I’m one with the universe and this has become therapeutically a saving grace when in turmoil or having a dispute of elements in one’s daily lives, and we all have that.
Intensive classical training taught me the art of nuances in a “cantabile” gentle fashion which is evident in the different styles of music interpretations on my CD recording. The repertoire chosen were themes that have played a significant role in my “life’s soundtrack” over the years. Their progression serves as a reminder that things change – life’s fortune waxes and wanes. It is in taking responsibility and initiating movement in your own life, that you ultimately find yourself composer, conductor and performer in your own magnificent production.  That, you can do as well. You as a person have a remarkable ability to accomplish, virtually in every situation, a suitable satisfying outcome.
The brain is constantly sending biochemical messages which initiate positive or negative stress. The challenge is to create positive, positive and more positive. It is universally recognized that music has a profound positive impact on our minds and emotions.
One of the reasons great singers, speakers, and actors have such an effect on their audiences is because people are listening so deeply to them. When we are focused on listening to that which moves us emotionally, breathing becomes deeper, muscles relax and endorphins flow into the bloodstream to produce contentment and serenity.
Music enhances the experience. George Gershwin said, “Music sets up certain vibrations which unquestionably results in a physical reaction. Eventually the proper vibration for every person will be found and utilized”
The ancient Greeks investigated the physics of sound and observed that harmonic law governed the movement of the planets. The seven-note scale which they discovered (and which is basically what we use today) was an expression of beautiful mathematical harmony. This same harmony was used by them to develop geometry, architecture, philosophy and aesthetics.

A stereogram (see attachment) may be considered an example of applied geometry and can become very intensive numerically. Stereograms are a form of non-computerized virtual reality – the human brain being the most incredible virtual – reality machine ever. All you have to do is learn a simple technique of relaxing the eye muscles and letting your focus shift. Once you learn how to do it, the effect is very calming. It is nothing more nor less than a unique tool for returning to the basics of sensual perception that are so important to us.
The combination of stereogram and gentle music creates a soothing, relaxing oasis in the rush and chaos of daily living – a means of recovering a sense of balance and wholeness. As you respond to the atmosphere intellectually, sensually and spiritually you experience a place of inner peace and tranquility – you are in the state of “here and now” everything is as it should be.

(The stereogram was designed by me in August 1999 as the cover for the CD booklet. The original title of the CD was “Jean-Paul Grimaldi-Lasserre at the Piano in 3D”   
My CD is available for purchase at Cavendish Square and also at Casa Labia where I perform regularly. The nature of the recording with elements of relaxation and calmness induced me to experiment with some of the sound tracks by creating DVD videos. The videos embrace the same state in synchronized movement and tranquility. These are also available for purchase.)


To reveal the image look at it divergently.


Monday 9 July 2012

Performances at Cavendish Square, Claremont, Cape Town


Thursday and Friday from 12:00 until 14:00
Recital performances on beautiful Kawai RX-2 grand piano.
Piano generously sponsored by Ian Burgess-Simpson Pianos
For more information about this top quality piano please go to:





                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Casa Labia photos

Compilation of pictures:  Casa Labia Cultural Centre.
These are all android taken photos.










Piano performances at the Casa Labia

My performances are scheduled from 13:00 until 15:00, every Friday and Sunday, at the Casa Labia Cultural Centre, Muizenberg, Cape town.
Repertoire is diverse in various kind of music from classical to popular modern works.
Interpretations of compositions brings classical styles to a wide spectrum of people for easy listening, regardless of their usual taste in music.
CD is available for purchase.
Picture: Piano in the ballroom at Casa Labia.This is a Kawai Grand Piano model RX-5