Like memories, pictures and even sometimes smells,
Emotions evoked by music can explode.
The sources of inspiration are evasive for certain.
For this, it came from a thing called Chicago.
Other Ray Jozwiak Offerings
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
I used to own one of these babies. Tremendous sound, and I was only pushing a Farfisa Fast IV through it. Played a B3 with a Leslie at a dive in Curtis Bay for a brief period with my current OHO bandmates in the mid-seventies. It was a (sonic) blast.
(from wikipedia.com)
". . . The area's recorded history begins with the arrival of French explorers, missionaries and fur traders in the late 17th century and their interaction with the local Potawatomi Indians. There were small settlements and a U.S. Army fort, but the soldiers and settlers were all driven off in 1812. The modern city was incorporated in 1837 by Northern businessmen and grew rapidly from real estate speculation and the realization that it had a commanding position in the emerging inland transportation network, based on lake traffic and railroads, controlling access from the Great Lakes into the Mississippi River basin. Despite a fire in 1871 that destroyed the central business district, the city grew exponentially, becoming the nation's rail center and the dominant Midwestern center for manufacturing, commerce, finance, higher education, religion, broadcasting, sports, jazz, and high culture. . . "
Mother Chi
live home recording (October 2015) by Ray Jozwiak
OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com
My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
(http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/about/history.html)
Throughout their city’s history, Chicagoans have demonstrated their ingenuity in matters large and small:
• The nation’s first skyscraper, the 10-story, steel-framed Home Insurance Building, was built in 1884 at LaSalle and Adams streets and demolished in 1931.
• When residents were threatened by waterborne illnesses from sewage flowing into Lake Michigan, they reversed the Chicago River in 1900 to make it flow toward the Mississippi.
• Start of the "Historic Route 66" which begins at Grant Park on Adams Street in the front of the Art Institute of Chicago.
• Chicago was the birthplace of:
◦ the refrigerated rail car (Swift)
◦ mail-order retailing (Sears and Montgomery Ward)
◦ the car radio (Motorola)
◦ the TV remote control (Zenith)
• The first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, ushering in the Atomic Age, took place at the University of Chicago in 1942. The spot is marked by a Henry Moore sculpture on Ellis Avenue between 56th and 57th streets.
• The 1,450-foot Sears Tower, completed in 1974, is the tallest building in North America and the third tallest in the world.
OHO's
"Ocean City Ditty," the
CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if
you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak
My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
20 Top Ten singles, 12 Top Ten albums (five of which were #1), and sales of more than 120 million records . . . stylistic changes, I must admire the work ethic and perseverance of these musicians, the early work of which had [and still has] a tremendous influence on my music. . .
(from http://www.classicbands.com/chicago.html)
". . . "Baby, What A Big Surprise" sailed into the Top 5, and Chicago XI was certified platinum the month after its release. But only a few months later, the band would be devastated by a terrible loss. On January 23, l978, Chicago guitarist and singer Terry Kath died from an accidental gunshot wound. "Terry Kath was a great talent" says Jim Guercio, who worked with him on a solo album that was never completed. "Hendrix idolized him. He was just totally committed to this band, and he could have been a monster (as a solo artist)." Kath's death devastated Chicago, and the band considered breaking up. A short time after Terry's death, "Take Me Back To Chicago," was released as a single.
If the band was going to continue, it would need a new guitarist, and auditions began in earnest in the spring of 1978. "We felt that we were being left behind by the new music," says Cetera, "and we thought we needed a young guitar player with long hair. We sat through I don't know how many guitar players, but I'm sure it was 30, 40, or 50 guitar players. Toward the end, Donnie Dacus showed up. He played a couple of songs right and with fire, and that's how he was in the group."
Fast forward to 2014 - their new album . . .
(from http://chicagotheband.us/profiles/blogs/james-pankow-interview-chicago-trombonist-and-horn-arranger-leads)
" . . . includes 11 brand new songs, recorded on the road.
"We have some very exploratory stuff and music that is traditionally Chicago," Pankow said. "We have the signature horns and the identity that the music has always had, but we also have the fun of taking it places that was not possible before. The music is very daring in some ways. It is where we are now."
For this record, Chicago built a new "recording rig" that travels with the band.
"This new technology has allowed us to be extremely mobile," Pankow said. "The music is reported by us as we travel, as we get inspired. We can record in hotel rooms, on the bus, in the venue. We don't have to, like the old days, assemble in a traditional recording studio and track new songs and go through the protocol. We are now free to do whatever we want. We can push the limits."
They have even created an online collaboration portal that allows even more performances to be worked on around the clock from remote locations.
"For the first time since the beginning of the band, we are looking at not only a new way of making records, but a new way of manifesting those records," Pankow said. "We do business now essentially direct to fans through the Internet."
OHO's
"Ocean City Ditty," the
CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if
you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)
My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
(from wikipedia.com)
Indiana observes Eastern Time, except for twelve of its ninety-two counties, which observe Central Time. Six of these counties are in northwestern Indiana, near Chicago (which observes Central Time), and six are in southwestern Indiana, near Evansville, where the metro area includes portions of southeastern Illinois and western Kentucky, which also observe Central Time. The twelve counties are:
Northwestern Indiana (Gary Metro Area):
Jasper
Lake
LaPorte
Newton
Porter
Starke
Southwestern Indiana (Evansville Metro Area):
Gibson
Perry
Posey
Spencer
Vanderburgh
Warrick
Since April 2, 2006, all counties in Indiana observe daylight saving time.
. . . the more I heard. From Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears' sophisticated, jazz-inflected arrangements, I branched out, under the influence of newly-gained high school buddies. Now I was listening to Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull and then in 10th grade, with the help of Steph, (Stephen being his full name) I came upon that musical marvel they call Zappa. Frank Zappa. Steph highly recommended the Freak Out! album. Of that release, Wikipedia says:
"Freak Out! is the debut album by American band The Mothers of Invention, released June 27, 1966 on Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, the album is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa's perception of American pop culture. It was also one of the earliest double albums in rock music (although Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde preceded it by a week), and the first 2-record debut. In the UK the album was originally released as a single disc.
The album was produced by Tom Wilson, who signed The Mothers, formerly a bar band called the Soul Giants. Zappa said many years later that Wilson signed the group to a record deal in the belief that they were a white blues band.[1][2] The album features vocalist Ray Collins, along with bass player Roy Estrada, drummer Jimmy Carl Black and guitar player Elliot Ingber, who would later join Captain Beefheart's Magic Band under the name Winged Eel Fingerling.[3][4]
The band's original repertoire consisted of rhythm and blues covers; though after Zappa joined the band he encouraged them to play his own original material, and the name was changed to The Mothers.[5] The musical content of Freak Out! ranges from rhythm and blues, doo-wop and standard blues-influenced rock to orchestral arrangements and avant-garde sound collages. Although the album was initially poorly received in the United States, it was a success in Europe. It gained a cult following in America, where it continued to sell in substantial quantities until it was prematurely discontinued in the early 1970s."
So by the time Steph, and me by association, discovered that magical music of Freak Out!, it was only about seven years old, and Zappa, a mere musical infant. I call it magical, but I believe Frank only improved with age and no matter what he created, or would have created if not for his untimely death in 1993, it would have been interesting, challenging and musical. Freak Out! was, in retrospect, more an attraction to my peers for its unconventionality than any true musical innovation. But clearly, this man Frank Zappa was one musician to watch, or should I say. . . Listen!
download your very own copy of ANOTHER SHOT by Ray Jozwiak
. . . my musical development moved closer to the area in which my peers were located. My love for Chicago (Transit Authority) and some of the 'pop' favs at the time (I listened to the radio and was exposed to such delights as KNOCK THREE TIMES by Tony Orlando and Dawn - which I openly admitted to enjoying [how UNCOOL!]), along with my musical appetite, tastes and scope continued to grow. So now, I wasn't a total freak for being a fan of Sonny James and Charles Magnante because I also like Jethro Tull and Three Dog Night.
My good friend Joe, now being of driving age, was more involved with cars than his old American Flyer. He wasn't a mechanic though. He was enamored with the aesthetics, internal and external, of the automobile with his favorites being those manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation. And if one is an afficionado of the sleek lines and contours of the fine, automotive form, what better way to enjoy it than with some. . . MUSIC?!
Joe was a fiend when it came to high-end sound in his cars. The more speakers, Joe theorized, the better the sound. (Joe's Mother once joked that Joe should install two-way speakers in the car seats so that if someone broke wind, everyone else in the car could hear it.) The source of all this wonderful aural confection was an 8-track tape player. And the sounds Joe liked to pump through those speakers included Rare Earth; Blood Sweat & Tears, The Ides of March and Neil Diamond. And just about one, short city block away from Joe, my buddies Michael and Gus were grooving (although in not-nearly as high fidelity as Joe) to Tull, Bloodrock, (more) Chicago and some Jesus Christ Superstar thrown in.
download your very own copy of ANOTHER SHOT by Ray Jozwiak
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