Am playing Becky's Song (Martin Speake) for grade 2 jazz piano. I'm really struggling to get it feeling relaxed and easy. The main 'theme' is this lovely calypso bass with descending semiquavers, slurrred and staccato, in the right hand, but whatever I do the melody sounds so straight. Any ideas on how I can free it up?

I don't know the piece so I can't give you any specific help, but one exercise I did with my teacher a little while ago (because the piece I was playing just felt too constrained and stiff) was to play it in different moods. So first off in a really gentle way, as though I was talking to a small child, then as though I'd had a c*ap day and was in a foul mood etc. I had to really exaggerate the feelings, not worry too much about the notes and just try to let the feeling come through. Foul mood was much easier than gentle!

Something that always helps me when I'm tackling standards is to try and listen to several versions to see how other's approach it but I'm not sure how easy that will be with this tune.

Well I had a lesson yesterday and it sounded much perkier, so I guess I musthave been doing something right. Cheers for the ideas TSax.