I may have been rather negative about the paraorchestra on Friday, and still say that performance was incredibly cringeworthy, but I still support them in principal. We all know how great they can be, and the work they are doing for inclusion can only be applauded. I just wish they had picked a better song.

Something like this. When I came across Jonatha Bastos last night, having seen a link on Lyn’s facebook, my jaw dropped. The guy is astonishing: he has no arms or hands, but he plays piano incredibly well. He also play electric guitar sublimely…with his feet. I try not to be impressed by such things, as it smacks of a ”aww, didn’t he do well” attitude to disability; but, credit where credit’s due, the dude can play. I think he’s brazillian (I haven’t read much about him yet) so I wonder if he’ll be appearing in the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Either that, or he could be a member of the International Paraorchestra Charles Hazlewood is trying to create. From what I’ve seen, his skill is phenomenal.

I must say, the devil in me wonders what Nicolas McCarthy will think when he finds out about Bastos. Having built a career from being an apparently unique onehanded pianist, to discover you have been trumped and that there’s someone even more unusual than you, doing what you do, could be quite a blow. Then again, they have vastly different repertoires and play entirely different genres, so there is clearly room for both. In fact, the two performers could be seen to complement each other. I wonder whether they could even perform together.