This is the Day. . . April 2, 2013 My new, digital-download only, solo, instrumental piano music release BLACK & WHITE then BACK is now available at www.cdbaby.com. The first exclusively solo acoustic piano music release since 2008's critically acclaimed 'Put A Finger On It'.
BLACK & WHITE then BACK transports you to aural locales inhabited by emotions, sentiments, memories, hopes, joys and challenges- life events that we have all encountered. You may even hear a snippet of an old song you remember from childhood, have flashes from your first date with that special person, recall the evocative aromas from the kitchen while visiting your grandmother, remember your favorite summer vacation . . . or maybe even the first time you fell in love.
BLACK & WHITE then BACK is a digital download-only release brought to you by Boskey Dell & Sylvan Glade Records and www.cdbaby.com.
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You can NOW download
your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE
Creative Musician Ray Jozwiak's new, digital-download only, solo, instrumental piano music release BLACK & WHITE then BACK transports you to aural locales inhabited by emotions, sentiments, memories, hopes, joys and challenges we've all encountered. You may even hear a snippet of a song you remember from childhood, have flashes of your first date, recall aromas from the kitchen when you visited your grandmother, remember your favorite summer vacation or when you fell in love.
BLACK & WHITE then BACK will be available through digital distribution only (www.cdbaby. com).
"RAY JOZWIAK is back with his gonzo piano, boldly taking us to places no-one has gone before, not even him! (Rod Deacey, Board Member of the Frederick Acoustic Musicians Enterprise (FAME), Musician, Performer, Writer, Poet, Organizer, Emcee, Bluesman 11/20/11)
". . . Anywhere he dabbles along the piano keys, he produces sonic glitz forming impressionistic images. . . " (Susan Frances, cdreview.com)
". . . He’s got some terrific ideas there and an unusual approach to rhythm and song structure. These are fantastic assets and more than one of his songs could find tons of fans who appreciate music which isn’t the same ol’ same ol’ all the time. . . " (Paul Sedkowski, Fairplayformusic.com)
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AMBIENCE & WINE
(from the desk of Mr. Rod Deacey)
"At Brewer’s Alley Songwriters’ Showcase this Monday, Jan 28, we are delighted to welcome back TOM McBRIDE, who since his last visit has a new CD out, called Morning in Glen Burnie. One track from that CD – But I Don’t Care -- has won Gold in the Adult Contemporary category of the 29th Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, organized as always by the Songwriters Association of Washington (SAW)! We’ll know tonight if he wins any other awards at the MASC Gala! Tom is much in demand around the country these days – his next gigs after Brewer’s are in San Francisco – so come and catch him before he gets too famous! . . .
The gonzo piano prelude this week is played for us by our favorite classical composer, Rockin’ Ray Jozwiak! Ray usually can’t resist tinkering with those keys as soon as he arrives, around 7:15 pm or so, just to make sure they are all in working order, and he then proceeds to put them through their paces... Without the monthly work-out from Ray, our embryonic piano would soon be soft and flabby, unable to convey the simplest emotion, so we’d like to thank him for keeping it in shape! As per normal, come early to find good seats for the evening and to catch the entire prelude. You can come upstairs at 7:15 pm (maybe 5 minutes or so earlier than that if we’re ready; performers can come up when they arrive). . ."
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(From SAW Note, July 2012)
Doug Sedgwick is a widely-traveled poet, Army veteran, high-energy live performer and spiritual (Unitarian) musician based in Reston, Virginia. Doug is also a longtime Songwriters' Association of Washington (SAW) member and winner of 2 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest Honorable Mentions (Jazz/Blues/Instrumental 2005, World 2006). He hosts a monthly open mike at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reston every second Friday of the month. According to music critic / blogger Wildy Haskell, Doug has “tremendous songwriting talent and the ability to project different personalities/voices into his songs, like soliloquies in a one-man Broadway show. This folk/rock singer-songwriter might be one of the best of the genre, and you’ve probably never heard of him.”
As part of promoting his 2008 CD “Committed,” Doug was asked by the California-based “On Songwriting” blogger Rick Jamison for an interview – but instead of a Q & A, session, Rick ended up publishing a set of twenty insights Doug had put together and labeled as his songwriting“principles.” Here they are – slightly updated for your perusal and enjoyment.
(Paraphrased and edited for space)
1. If it works as a piece of art and doesn’t adhere to the “principles” - go for it! Never let anyone tell you what rules you should be following. Develop your own set of principles.
2. The basis must be emotion and the subconscious goal is movement of the listener. Move yourself emotionally and the listener will be moved.
3. The idea to get across should be simple. It should fit into 3 or 4 minutes - maybe longer if it requires a solo or extended bridge to help emphasize the point.
4. Stolen from Andrew McKnight: Your most favorite song in the entire world is the one you’re singing at the time you’re singing it. Put every ounce of your feeling into the performance.
5. A new song should begin with the words. The cadence of a phrase brushed against the cockles of your heart ought to get a back and forth rhythm going. Seek out the chords after the basis of the melody springs up from the motion of the words themselves.
6. Go to the musical fourth for the chorus. Get as much melody worked up from the words as possible – then see if you don’t naturally go the fourth for the chorus anyway. If not – see # 1.
7. [From “This is Your Brain on Music.”] Studying the brain waves of jazz musicians in the act of improvising shows a close correlation with the brain activity of dreaming. Dreaming and writing music are intertwined. Find where your intersection of the two activities helps you produce.
8. Even though the best songs are the usually the ones that seem to flow from a higher power, you should still attempt to work through and finish any song you start. Determination to solve musical challenges in lesser songs will help develop your songwriting skills.
9. Seek inspiration wherever you find it. If listening to Dylan gets your juices flowing – don’t be afraid to take in chunks from YouTube or your old vinyl. There’s no infringement in stealing an IDEA for a song that came from listening to another song.
10. Learn to let go and not judge what starts to happen when moments of inspiration kick in. Follow your instincts. Ignore your reason. (Paraphrased from songwriter friend Philip DeStefano, I believe.)
11. Rhythm rules. The beat trumps the melody. Greater is the sin to play offbeat than to play off-key. Develop rhythm EVERYWHERE in everything.
12. Learn to believe completely in your own magic. If Spielberg doesn’t put his own faith on the line, the audience will sense it the same way a dog senses fear. Your FAITH in YOU is what carries.
13. Your unique view is valuable. Your experiences and views are no less important than the 'virtuosi' - your execution and expression is just different - but must be here to satisfy SOME need in the universe. Revel in your ability to express yourself in a manner unlike any other.
14. Pitch matters - but not the way you hear it. No two people hear the same. No single person hears the same their entire life.
15. Zoom out. A painter with his nose inches from the canvas sweating the texture of a cloud may have lost sight of the true focus of his own painting. As the song develops, keep trying to step back from the easel a few feet occasionally.
16. Take all criticisms with a grain of salt. What if Tom Waits (or Bob Dylan or Neil Young) - attending song circles had been told he really needed to learn a new way to sing? Part of that which makes them truly unique would have been lost. But be polite and not vengeful.
17. Keep the child inside alive. If your musical knowledge and depth of understanding have grown SO VAST that you have lost the sense of wonder and the willingness to be fooled into believing in magic (see #12) - you should give up the craft.
18. Never stop learning. There is something to be learned from everybody you encounter – both inside and outside the realm of songwriting.
19. Give of yourself by listening to people. Especially in these times when we’re bombarded by the media talking at us, there is a deep hunger in the population at large to just be heard anymore. Lend a sympathetic ear.
20. Practice self-discovery and self-improvement. Take a spiritual path, and let your own self-awakening surprise you with songs inside you never knew were there.
You can reach Doug (who enjoys both writing AND talking about himself in the third person) via email through bugsunplugged (at) comcast.net. . . "
What
do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html
You can NOW download
your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE
