Dear . . .

. . . NPR,

During a recent, morning show interview of a political, Christian, rapper, your reporter asked his guest if he would be voting in November. The musician said that yes, he would, first carefully choosing his local representatives and then added that he will cast a vote for a presidential candidate, but that candidate would not be Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. To that, your reporter responded to the effect that, 'aren't you concerned that in so doing, you are not participating in the election at all, or not voting?'  To his credit, the rapper had a quick, considered and intelligent response which in short said simply - NO.  I, for one, agree with the latter's response and find your reporter's question (as many other questions and posits I have heard from them during this election cycle) contemptible.


(http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2016/06/21/Your-Vote-Third-Party-Candidate-Won-t-Be-Waste-2016)
". . . many voters will be looking at third party alternatives this year. But most will categorically reject minor party candidates, dismissing a vote for anyone other than Clinton or Trump as a wasted ballot. Such thinking is deeply flawed and very dangerous for America’s future. . . The belief that voting for a candidate destined to lose is a waste confuses voting with betting. Unlike the lottery, there is no immediate reward for picking the winning candidate. And, by voting for the “lesser of two evils,” each voter marginally helps a bad candidate take office. . ." 

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://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

Tweet  

Maybe . . .

. . . we're mistaken about the meaning of the word. . . success . . .


Success
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

Get your copy of OHO's  Where Words Do Not Reach now!

The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube

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)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet  

Nothing Succeeds . . .

. . . like success

Formulate AND stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding.  Hold this picture tenaciously.  Never permit it to fade.  Your mind will seek to develop the picture…
Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.
-Norman Vincent Peale


To laugh often and much
to win the respect of intelligent people
and affection of children; to earn the
appreciation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best
in others; to leave the world a bit
better, whether by a healthy child
a garden patch or redeemed
social condition; to know even
one life has breathed easier because
you have lived. This is to have
succeeded.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

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

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

Serious . .

 . . . candidate?. . . 

NO ONE should be placed on a pedestal.


From Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow, Media Matters for America (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-boehlert/ben-carson-fox-news_b_2998799.html)
". . . Obviously, if (Dr. Ben) Carson aspires to be a serious national leader and wants to groom himself for a possible presidential run he shouldn't have spent the last two months making nearly 20 appearances on Fox News. And he certainly shouldn't have teamed up with comically unserious Fox if one of his crusades is to help educate voters whom Carson thinks are being poorly informed by the press.

"You know, intelligent people tend to talk about the facts," Carson recently said, condemning those who reduce political disagreements to the kind you find on a "third grade playground." He urged partisans to "find some accommodation" and to "tone down the rhetoric a little bit."

He said these things while appearing on Fox News, the cable bastion of name-calling and blind partisanship.

So yes, it's difficult to take Carson's pontificating seriously when he treats Fox News, of all places, as a serious meeting place of ideas. Did Carson not think it was odd that people on Fox were constantly saying things like, "I would vote for you in a heartbeat." "This guy's a star." "Hallelujah. Amen. I don't think that anybody could have said it better." Is that what he considers to be normal political give and take, or did he knowingly sign up for hero worship duty?. . . "


(from Marcela Y., Odenton [MD])
"To say that, and I quote Daniel Rodricks, "Ben Carson had firmly developed, antiquated beliefs that he wants a wide audience to hear," is an understatement ("Ben Carson's conservative views are drawn from the Bible" Mar 30). Dr. Carson is an admirable man because of the contributions in pediatrics that he has made throughout his career, but as a human being and as a member of our society, he needs to educate himself and understand that this is 2013 and we, as a society, need to evolve. How sad to know that such an intelligent man is so narrow minded and ill informed."

What do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html


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

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)



Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet

Not popular, definitely better. . .

. . . than most.

Artist Profile: Jazz Singer Johnny Hartman
By Jacob Teichroew, About.com Guide

Johnny Hartman
Born: July 23rd, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois as John Maurice Hartman
Died: September 15th, 1983

The Struggling Balladeer:
Despite his talents, jazz singer Johnny Hartman struggled to maintain a thriving career. Hartman caught a couple of big breaks during his life that seemed to show promise, but the racial and cultural milieu during his active years were such that he never earned the recognition he deserved while he was still alive.

Hartman’s first big opportunity came after he won a singing competition at age 17 in a Chicago supper club. The prize was a brief engagement with Earl Hines’ big band. Hines, whose band cultivated the talents of bebop stars such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, invited Hartman to join the group for a longer period.

Bebop: Not the Right Fit:
Hartman, whose strengths were his dulcet vocal timbre, emotional nuances, and meticulous phrasing, did not entirely fit into the bebop scene. He left Hines’ band to sing in Gillespie’s big band, but abandoned it in 1949 for a solo career.

Hartman distinguished himself from the majority of jazz singers in the 1950s by rejecting conventions such as scat singing and modifying standard songs. He prided himself on staying close to original melodies, allowing the lyrics to guide his musical interpretation. Some argue that for this reason, Hartman’s potential was squelched by promoters who weren’t interested in supporting a black musician who sounded thoughtful, intelligent, and romantic.

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman:
Hartman barely got through the 1950s as a solo artist, but got another big break in 1963. That year he recorded John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (Impulse!), an album of ballads including Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.” On the record, Hartman employs his rich baritone voice to convey the melancholia of various love songs. Hardly straying from the melodies, Hartman’s approach evidently inspired John Coltrane to do the same. The two complement each other perfectly, and the album is one of the best jazz vocal albums ever made.

While Hartman’s reputation got a boost after his work with Coltrane, he could not sustain it. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, when rock music pushed romantic jazz out of the mainstream, Hartman refused to compromise, recording jazz with bands led by Oliver Nelson and Gerald Wilson. His 1980 album Once in Every Life (Bee Hive), was nominated for a Grammy in 1981, but that was the last hint of promise in his career. He died in 1983 of lung cancer.

In part thanks to Clint Eastwood’s 1996 movie, The Bridges of Madison County, which uses recordings of Hartman in the romantic scenes, Johnny Hartman started to achieve posthumously the acclaim that he deserved while still active.




What do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html


Download your
very own copy of
ANOTHER SHOT
by Ray Jozwiak

Please Visit
http://www.rayjozwiak.com


Tweet


Top Stories