Showing posts with label combo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label combo. Show all posts

Monday, January 28, 2013

Good. . .

. . . times. . .
In the early 70s, the members of the wedding combo of which I was a member (Reflection, by name), thought our regeneration (after the comings and goings of members in different combos) would be more thorough with a name change and finally settled upon the catchy moniker FUL TREATMENT (yes, ONE 'L') which accurately captured our ability to navigate the crosscurrents of musical genre and essentially play ANYTHING that ANYBODY wanted.  This gloriously selfless intention was more true in theory than practice, but our intentions were sincere, particularly at the start, although that facet of our existence did deteriorate somewhat in time.

Music, fun, abundant work and money were ours.  Good times, as they now say.  Our repertoire had evolved and developed during this period to include Bungle in the Jungle, You're So Vain,  Games People Play (Jethro Tull, Carly Simon and The Spinners respectively).  But then, in what seemed to be a not very long time later, Bruce (our drummer) resigned (abdicated his drum throne-pun intended).  My sister, who at the time worked for the state government, had become acquainted with a young man at the office who, in addition to charming all the ladies there (including her), was a drummer.  Not only was he a drummer, he was a drummer who was receptive to the idea of joining our little musical organization.  His name was Jeff. 

Jeff  'auditioned' and was quite impressive on many levels. He had a powerful touch, yet not without the ability to sensitively accompany a slow ballad. While not subtle, his drumming was strong, steady and something of a departure from his predecessor. We missed Bruce both personally and musically, but we welcomed Jeff and enjoyed the markedly different rhythm keeper and dynamic, debonair character that had become our drummer. I, more than the other members of the band, began spending additional amounts of personal time with Jeff, enjoying his captivating stories, his outrageous personality and his knowledge and appreciation of musical styles. Jeff and I visited many and varied drinking and eating places after gigs and I'd found that not only had the band acquired a fine new drummer, I had found a fun and fascinating new friend.

Keith, our guitarist and one of the founding members, had by this time decided to leave the band, an event that was somewhat bittersweet, as we sometimes longed for a guitarist with a different style.  But he certainly possessed many good qualities, was reliable and added musicality not infrequently.  Jeff had oft-times mentioned his seminary-educated, guitar-playing brother Jay who was also a founding member of a different, uniquely original music-playing organization called OHO. Jeff indicated that Jay would be interested in joining our combo in order to make some money because then, as now, local, original musicians weren't reaping great sums playing their own compositions.  I had no inkling at the time that this event would influence both my music and a substantial portion of my life.  But it has. 

Charisma evidently ran in Jeff and Jay's family, as Jay possessed possibly even more of it than his younger, drummer brother.  Jay somehow was more in control of the charisma with a certain maturity added to it, along with an additional self-confidence that may have been attributable to his age. Similar as they would appear from my description here, they were actually quite different from each other in reality.  But the musical combination radically changed the performances of Ful Treatment much for the better.  Jay rocked.  [And still does]  And following his lead, Ful Treatment rocked as well, at least on some of our repertoire, which at the time included 'You Really Got Me', 'Wild Thing', 'Needles and Pins' 'Twist and Shout' and 'Heat Wave'.  We were all young and relatively carefree, and more frequently than was wise, a gig would turn into a party. . . for the band. 

After  a period, as always occurs in such mini-organizations, Jeff decided to leave the band.  Jay was able to recruit alternate (with Jeff) OHO drummer David and, viola, the rest is history.  At least it's a big part of MY musical history.  Ful Treatment, in the ultimate configuration probably only played together for several years.  But they were fun years. 

I kept somewhat in touch with Jay in the intervening years.  He always treated me to an LP or CD of things he was working on musically.  Then about 2003, I read in the Baltimore CityPaper that OHO was performing at a local venue and I was determined that I would patronize same.  Various associations between Jay and myself (musical showcases at Gallery G in Hampden,  Mystic I) transpired.  Then in early winter of 2011 Jay, David and myself (sans any saxophonist) began rehearsing for Schlongtasm 29 (a showcase of musical acts brought together each year to celebrate Airiad Records' Dan Long's birthday.)  The ex-Ful Treatment rhythm section were reunited after 32 years as the latest incarnation of OHO, playing substantial amounts of original music and covers of far greater integrity . . . and of course, now infinitely wiser,

Good Times INDEED.






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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Local, underappreciated, talent. . .

. . . my old friend Jay (a musical force still to be reckoned with) has been making music in the Baltimore area for over forty years now. He is truly a talent, and a character as well. Check out one of his latest projects right here:




which features his son, Matt, a vintage composition from his long-time band and project-object OHO, with state-of-the-art technological enhancements to the basis of the original recording from way-back-when.

Anyway, briefly and happily, Jay and myself were involved in a musical endeavor about 35 years ago and it happened this way.
I played in a cover/standards/top40/wedding-type combo. This after many years of accordion lessons, family affairs and private parties. And we actually made real money doing this. (WIll wonders never cease?) Our guitarist was leaving the combo to join the ranks of a more well-established outfit and was leaving a hole in the group. Our drummer Jeff, who recently joined our group after the departure of our regular drummer, had a brother who had been involved in original, art/prog-rock music for several years (oh, how that word appears and reappears). Jeff's brother Jay, just (we were told) might be interested in joining our little combo in order to make some money. (You see, original music making in the Baltimore area was about as lucrative then as it is today.) So after an 'audition' of sorts (I don't think we really auditioned anyone else), Jay to Keith's place and "Ful Treatment" arose from the hackneyed, Baltimore wedding-band ashes. And arose we did indeed. Jay brought chops, life, energy, rock, exuberance and humor to our music, as well as to our 'backstage' existence. And it was good. Well, as good as a wedding band could be. We plied our trade doggedly between '76 and '79 when in anticipation of my forthcoming wedding and my increasing distaste for the wedding/bull roast/American Legion circuit, I retired from active performance. But not without a fond memory of the many wild and wooly nights playing with Ful Treatment, and my friend Jay.

More Later.


(hear my music at http://www.rayjozwiak.com/)