Still Thinking . . .

. . . of B3s and Leslies goin' rou-oun-ound. . .



Amazing thing, when I traded my old gear in for my first piano  I got almost what I paid for the Leslie. For the Farfisa, I think I got about twenty bucks.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html  or at
http://www.ohomusic.com 

My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

(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)

Get your copy of OHO's  Where Words Do Not Reach now!
The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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Be Thinking . . .

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.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html  or at
http://www.ohomusic.com 

My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

(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)

Get your copy of OHO's  Where Words Do Not Reach now!
The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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Dark. . .

. . . Side. . .

. . . NOT Pink Floyd. . .

Oho guitarist and several Baltimore underground talents WERE. . . The Dark Side

(from www.ohomusic.com)
". . . Evolving out of the infamous OHO, Dark Side began as a studio experiment in late 1977. While 70s OHO developed from a weirdly sinister and oddball Ubu/Beefheart approach, Dark Side had a preoccupation with "updated-for-the-80s" 60s pop, manifested in the teen-drama lyrics, neo-Spector production and delightfully squeaky Farfisa organ fills.

The original 6-man line-up recorded 2 EP's in January ("Wholesale Diamonds") and September ("Damaged Goods") 1978 respectively. Thanks to the intervention of Ful Treatment keyboardist, Ray Jozwiak, this incarnation of the band made their only live appearance on a local television program (Baltimore At Ten) in the spring of '78.

The band, reduced then to a quartet, began to play live at the infamous Marble Bar on Franklin St. in downtown Baltimore and The Odd Fellows Hall in Towson, MD. Due to the opportunities afforded by regular gigging, the Side discovered its identity and began to shape its own sound.

An LP (Rumors in Our Own Time/Legends in Our Own Room) was produced with USE guitarist, Paul Rieger, during 1979 and on into early 1980. Joining shortly thereafter, drummer David Reeve (OHO's current drummer) helped the band integrate its various influences and explore a range of music that encompassed 60s R&B, punk, humorous pop, garage and gothic-progressive rock. The band defied easy categorization, living up to the notoriety that Dark Side members Jay & Jeffrey Graboski, Mark O'Connor and David Reeve established in 70s OHO (1973-1977). Dark Side remained true to a music that was stripped down and driving, yet capable of an emotional subtlety not usually associated with bands of their ilk. . . "

Jay's composition You Should Envy Me, originally by The Dark Side, is redone here by the current lineup of OHO, Jay Graboski, David Reeve and me (Ray Jozwiak) . . .




You Should Envy Me
written by John P. Graboski
performed by Oho (rehearsal recording)





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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

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your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

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ahh. . .

. . . those were the days. . .

". . . My Farfisa Fast Four and Leslie 145 were setup in a prominent location in the den of our apartment for quick and easy access.  Truth is, I'm not sure if I even played once a week at that time. But I was building my vinyl record album collection of my favorite jazz cats during the period and joyfully and effortlessly soaking in their music as often as I could.  My Coltrane, Dolphy, Adderley and McLean collections grew with much less reliance on the old Tull, Gentle Giant and Yes for musical satisfaction.  This too combined with sounds exemplifying the musical tastes of my significant other, sometimes not so willingly or graciously. 

My technique and creativity suffered during this period.  Whenever I played, generally on Sunday afternoons, I ran through the same several bebop arrangements of standards that I had learned from or through my elementary-school friend Bob. I was grateful for Bob's influence which led me into the direction of jazz, that combined with my exposure to a superb collection of jazz, vinyl LPs at the college radio station where I worked during my undergraduate years.

It wasn't until our eldest son, Spencer, was born that I began to crave more music-related activity. . ."

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AMBIENCE & WINE

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Fast. . .

 . . . four. . . and it ain't a CAR. . .

 My Farfisa Fast Four and Leslie 145 were setup in a prominent location in the den of our apartment for quick and easy access.  Truth is, I'm not sure if I even played once a week at that time. But I was building my vinyl record album collection of my favorite jazz cats during the period and joyfully and effortlessly soaking in their music as often as I could.  My Coltrane, Dolphy, Adderly and McLean collections grew with much less reliance on the old Tull, Gentle Giant and Yes for musical satisfaction.  The library incorporated the musical tastes of my significant other as well, sometimes not so willingly or graciously on my part though.   

My technique and creativity suffered during this period.  Whenever I played, generally on Sunday afternoons (I now can't believe it was that seldom), I ran through the same several bebop arrangements of standards that I had learned from or through my elementary-school friend Bob. I was grateful for Bob's influence which led me into the direction of jazz, that combined with my exposure to a superb collection of jazz, vinyl LPs at the college radio station where I worked during my undergraduate years.

But much like a car, this instrument (probably now a collector's item) was worth very little upon trade-in.

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

Please visit
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A word or two. . .

. . . here about 'coolness' and musical instruments, the relation of one to the other quite relative but very important. The 'uncool'-ness of the accordion which had become, in essence a new appendage, had long since been a non-issue to me musically. But it was an issue for audiences of popular music, not to mention for bandmates of accordionists in groups that played popular music. In other words, okay to me-uncool to them. And in truth, I was enamored with the idea of a new, and much more widely acceptable to younger audiences, instrument which was a mainstay in a preponderance of musical groups professional and unprofessional, young and old- the electronic organ. I had previously graduated from my first very own 120 bass accordion to a 'mic-ed' acoustic/electric hybrid accordion (not as sophisticated nor as expensive as the Cordovox) which had its merits: additional volume and the mere characteristic of being 'electric'. But NOW, I was ready for the electronic organ.

Remember Paul Revere and the Raiders and Paul Revere himself (stage name, I'm sure) who stood, sang and danced while banging out those gloriously wheezing chords on his Vox electronic? Well that's what I wanted, only I couldn't dance and I didn't want the HAT.

Not surprisingly to me, electronic organs were expensive. At least for an adolescent earning about $10.00 a week delivering newspapers. A then you would of course, have to buy an amplifier through which to play this wonderful instrument. After some shopping, comparing and arranging finance with my parents, I decided upon the Farfisa Fast Four and a used Ampeg bass amp with two 24-inch speakers and nary a watt of output. I do exaggerate, but it was FAR from powerful. The organ itself was off-white with chrome folding legs and gray keys (naturals) with which sharps and flats with a little more than an octave of bass keys in black instead of gray. It was GRAND. It was downright COOL!




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