Yes, Jean Martin is through to the finals with her Yamaha Electone, with even Simon Cowl (Who hates arranger keyboard/organs) saying yes to the performance.

Video clip can be seen here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUPw0K2mUmc

Enjoy

Bill

Hi Bill
I have been going to the keyboard - cavalcade festivals
for more years than I can remember and Jean Martyn
is one act I really look forward to. She is an international player
and what you see on you-tube, is what you get at the festival.
An hour of great entertainment, from classical music, through to jazz.
I also believe she played for the Queen of England at a private function!
One great talent
Fred.

Was that a SMF ?
Perhaps if I was familiar with Jean Martin's music previously, I'd feel otherwise, but the BGT presentation looked like nothing but merely glitzy smoke (fire) and stage props (dancers).
Merely watching that clip, and with only a couple of brief seconds showing her hands actually on the keyboard, I'm not even convinced she was actually playing it.

She's bit sloppy, but she's a very enthusiastic player.

It may have been "pre-recorded" by her, and she was just miming, but, that's only a guess.

Ian

Hi Scott

In these types of shows it’s always difficult to tell what’s real and what’s not, however I have never seen or heard Jean use a backing track in any of her performances, (Styles are even kept to a minimum) so I wouldn’t think she would start now.

Also the Electone is from the 90s, so I am not sure if it can even play SMF. (Midi on most organs was not that good in the 90s)

Bill

What turned me off I suppose (whether her performance was pre-recorded or not) was that the stage prop visuals 'over powered' her performance making whatever she was actually playing appear trivial in comparison. I would have preferred the cameras to focus on longer POV shots of her actually PLAYING the keys instead, as this kind of thing further legitimizes fake performers to imitate the same on stage behavior and props to pass for being competent keyboard players. JMO.

Here are more details about her

http://www.jeanmartyn.co.uk/index.html

Bill

She appears not to be playing in sync with the music at several points during the performance...that's why I figured she may have pre-recorded the music, and then mimed over it.

I also agree with Scott in that the other stuff happening on stage, tended to be distracting and took away from her performance.

Ian

Although I am not in a position to say if Jean’s music was or was not pre-recorded.
At the weekly keyboard festivals, where I have seen her play, with other international players,
there are two giant screens each side of the stage
with the cameras trained on the players hands,
and all though, some artists may use sequencing, which they tell you before hand,
as it is not ease to fool a 1,500 audience of keyboard enthusiasts,
and the two friends I go with are classically trained pianists,
and unlike me, who just listens to the music,
they don’t miss a mistake, they have not said that Jean uses pre-recorded music
to add to her performance, which I feel she would say if she did.
But having stood beside Jean when she has been demonstrating
one of the latest organs, the lady can certainly play.
Fred

I think for the TV show, she probably pre-recorded the tune...she was definitely out of sync with the c at several points, so it didn't look to me like she was actually playing.

That said, I doubt if a lady of her talent would do (or need to do) the same sort of thing at a keyboard festival.

They probably made her pre-record the music for the TV show.

Ian