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Ooops! Where to begin? First, thanks, Richard, for posting all the Dorothy Donegan material. Long time no hear! I enjoyed. Second, let me make myself clear, something I have been remiss in doing lately. I do believe dementia is finding a place in my mind because I meander off on tangents; hence my sidetracking your post into the jazz field which, as profD noted, had nothing to do with the question you posed. I just became fixated on the jazz angle probably because an instrument was involved, and I tend to associate jazz with any black soloist famous for playing an instrument. Little Richard being an exception. Lol But. - not surprising - I digress... back to your question. No, I don"t think anyone will duplicate Alicia Keyes' success. She's sort of a unicorn. And I also found Delano's take on her interesting. I, myself, noticed how at a certain point in her career, she stopped wearing heavy eye make-up seemingly to make a statement about being her natural self. I also want to give some props to Aretha who was a very gifted pianist, not classically trained but a natural talent who frequently enhanced her singing by accompaning herself on the piano. As for Roberta, i wasn't even aware until her recent death of her extensive musical history. I always just thought of her exclusively as a singer with a lush voice. Anyhow, bear with this ol girl. My vision is hampered by cataracts (which i am schedueled to have surgery for) and it's kinda hard to participate in forums via this Android phone. I need to get a lap top since my computer crashed but just haven't gotten around to it.

I also don't consider her a jazz artist. Although that wasn't in the post . It just said music. I have to say on the Jazz side Robert Glasper is amazing. He did a show with a full orchestra on Northern Europe. Also his vocalist Bilal is amazing. The only current female I can think of is H.E.R. vocally Indo like Jazmine Sullivan and Muni Long

ProfD Not sure what confident brothas being locked up has to do with this situation. Because sometimes confident people often act without fear or hesitation. Which means they may not properly think their actions....and the potential consequences...all the way through. Walking up to a woman you don't know, putting your arms around her waist, and asking her for her phone number is a CONFIDENT move. However, if things go sideways...the consequences could be dire. Bro, you're taking it too literally. There is a tactful way to ask direct questions. Lol, because you PUT it literally. I thought you meant just that. A less than confident dude or one can't handle his own bizness wouldn't approach a woman directly. Maybe not, but atleast when he goes home lonely...he gets to GO HOME. And not to jail, lol. Among other things....I'm a musician. We see women do all types of things I've seen women run up dudes bar tab and leave them dry. Those same women would leave the club with us musicians for FREE. They'd even help pack up equipment. But you've already established a report and foundation with them as they see you as an artist and musician. They know you. They know something about you. ...as opposed to some nigga in a white short-set hook up and some alligator sandals with a toothpick in his mouth sliding up to a woman, looking her in her eyes, and asking how much would it cost for her to let him "beat that thang up" for a good 30 minutes and possibly longer if the price is right. Lol....what's the STARTING rate?

I should point out that Diana Krall has enjoyed a long very successful career as a singer- pianist jazz musician. She's white, however. And Canadian, Go figure.

Black folks haven't mastered and/or owned their existence on the Earth. Black folks are not using resources collectively to build an infrastructure here on Earth. IMO, Black folks have zero business even thinking about minerals from outer space. Africa has a ton of natural resources and very little control over them. As usual, white and Chinese folks are carving up the minerals on the Earth. They will be doing the same beyond the planet. In gambling places, there are high roller tables and rooms that are off limits to regular patrons. Outer space is the high roller part of the universe.😎

Patrice Rushen is a Jazz pianist who had R&B hits back in the 1970s and 1980s. Ledisi is a phenomenal singer who incorporates every form of Black music in her bag. There's no shortage of talented Black female musicians and artists. Becoming a major star is different. Beyonce is the most successful Black female artist in history but she doesn't play any instrument to any significant degree. 😎

OK got it @ProfD! Good thing I did start going around saying Prof D said, Neely Fuller Jr. said, "Ask a woman how it is to have sex with her." See how stuff starts.... 🙂 Reminds me of that old parable where a man says to a woman, "Would you have sex with me for 10 million dollars?" She says, "Sure!" He counters, "How about I give you $50?" Incredulous, she replies, "Hell no! Do you think I am a prostitute?!" Calmly he says, "Well we've already ascertained that. Now we are just negotiating the price."

Gerri Allen was also an amazing piano player. And Cassandra Wilson did an album where she put lyrics to Miles Davis' tracks. Ledisi is a oio singer but I reckon she could do Jazz

@aka Contrarian we have patience with you and please remain having patience with us. Get busy handling your health:)

richardmurray Riker's island is legally a jail, functionally a detention center. 85% of those in Rikers are pretrial defendents. That's what I thought.

I didn't think the original intent of the post was specifically Jazz pianists. Jazz music has always been an acquired taste. Jazz hasn't been Pop(ular) music since the 1950s. A handful of Jazz musicians and artists have reached mainstream status over the decades. Otherwise, Jazz *flavor* is sprinkled in other styles of Black music (R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul, etc.). Most Pop musicians and artists come from every other genre except Jazz. 😎

I don't think Alicia fits into the Jazz category either. Indeed, I have trouble grouping her in with the other three, but that could be my age talking 😉 I voted in the negative, as it is pretty obvious given the females who get the awards and attention, Bey, Doechii, Mehgan, Minjaz, Syza, (pardon any spelling mistakes). A Black man can gain notoriety and acclaim more easily than a sister... I'm not sure why perhaps a smooth brother on the keys appeals to more white people (which is necessary for any real recognition). Speaking of the Brothers on keyboardists. I recently heard a podcast on Stevie Wonder which reminded me of the 4.5 year stretch in which Stevie released 5 GREAT albums. What I failed to realize was that all of these albums were released before Stevie was 27! Music of My Mind — March 3, 1972 Talking Book — October 28, 1972 Innervisions — August 3, 1973 Fulfillingness’ First Finale — July 22, 1974 Songs in the Key of Life — September 28, 1976 I guess a streak like that over a career is impossible... but that was certainly and prodigious and perhaps an unparalleled run.

@aka Contrarian, I respect that it's your energy to waste but turn the lemons into lemonade. Focus on the humor in this BS because there's nothing else we can do about the sh8tshow of a circus running the country. I hope the Democrats are spending some of their energy retooling for the midterms. They have a lot of work cut out for them. Always delighted whenever you decide to pop in and chop it up with us.🤗 Claiming your cataract surgery will be a breeze and you'll be fine. Let us know how it goes as eyesight and time permits.😎

Hummm. I, for one, have better things to do than to try and picture what kind of facial hair I prefer on a man. As if men would even be interested in the opinion of somebody my age who is out of the loop. To come up with an opinion, I have to go back in time to the days when I gave a damn about what men looked like.... Just for the record, I'm not big on facial hair. Neat mustaches, fine. close shaven VanDykes and goatees, okay, bushy or shaggy full-grown beards, - not so much. Solid dark color. preferred. Anything else a distraction because I simply don't like the wolf man effect of facial hair. My personal preference: clean shaven. I know I'm out of step with what is currently very popular. It's like guys nowadays take great pride in being able to grow a beard and like being envied by those who can't. 😴 As for the sub topic about the virtues and rewards of "confident" men... Again, back in the day, - I always gravitated toward the laid-back understated type; even a tad self-depricating. wry wit a plus. More often than not, these types had the most going for them, intellectually. To me, it was a compliment if one of them tried to seduce me. No accounting for tastes... Oh well. Chevedove and Mel, you can chime in. I'm going back to fretting over how too much of my energy is being consumed by despising Retrumpican MAGAs, - black ones in particular. Why am I even still alive??? I'm going for catarac surgery next week. So if they laze me to death, - it's been real, folks! 👋