We're on our way out
It's been a wonderful ride
Memories of times
More good than bad
Were made in this place
In ways it's not easy
In others, not hard
More thought was devoted
Than to you may appear
On leaving this place
For so long we held dear
The place that we're going
Is filled with such joy
That it softens any uncertainty
. . . or more specifically, the contents therein, provide me with a wealth of entertainment. Musing on the past, present, life, death, the world, the country . . . it's endless. Today, for some reason, the past took front and center, and monopolized the activities of the grey matter for a portion of the early morning hours. The past and my place in it and the person I was in that place back then would pretty much sum it up. I was timid, unsure. So many personalities come to mind; personalities that I envied for your sheer joy, their fearlessness, their humor and their confidence. Then I wonder, where are they now? What are they like now? Are they still joyful, fearless, funny and confident?
Caught in the crosshairs
of my poison-dart marauding rifle
Of course what can a body do
You’re not the man you used to be
You say with certain relish
But still you’re here with me today
And though you surely cannot hide
You’ll try to run for cover
And I will follow where you go
As we perpetuate the dance
We’ve done through all the ages
Ours is much more than just a show
Bought my ticket
Took time off for the
Drama of life
Drama of life
Drama of life
Front row orchestra
Tails, tux just for the
Drama of life
Drama of life
Drama of life
Some choose their circumstances
With a dearth of careful thinking
Some can’t make any choice at all
But all the options must be weighed
Outcomes evaluated
And for the joy you must add salt
Bought my ticket
Took time off for the
Drama of life
Drama of life
Drama of life
Front row orchestra
Tails, tux just for the
Drama of life
Drama of life
Drama of life
Take an intermission
Look at what you’re missing
It’s not a natural
Or a simple kind of understanding
Half-heartedness won’t make it so
To rise above self-serving
Vanities makes all the difference
Sometimes that’s all you need to know
Bought my ticket
Took time off for the
Drama of life
Drama of life
Drama of life
Front row orchestra
Tails, tux just for the
Drama of life
Drama of life
Drama of life
. . . as full of wonder and joy; as carefree; as full of potential but more importantly, full of fun. With a bicycle practically a permanent part of my anatomy, the neighborhood provided (what seemed like) endless miles to explore, numerous friends with whom many adventures were undertaken. Safe, secure, content and not a care in the world. . . except for possibly 'in which direction do I ride today?' One day, with some friends (who sometimes possessed less-than-noble motives), my bike and I ventured to the property of a nearby box-manufacturing facility. In the yard of the property, which was not secured by fence, wall or canine representatives, were stored rolls of paper (a necessary component of cardboard boxes) of all sizes and weights. For some reason which does not readily or otherwise come to mind mind now, we dismounted our vehicles and came in personal contact to a relatively small roll which was probably about four and a half feet tall, not very big in diameter, yet quite heavy; a fact which I was later to discover first-hand. Our close contact with the object eventually involved changing its position from vertical to horizontal. As we proceeded in our endeavor, the roll of paper somehow managed to attain its horizontal orientation upon the tip of the big toe on my right foot. Upon my return home and my walk through the living room where my parents were watching their evening television, I resorted to limping somewhat to relieve the pain of the injury I had sustained. When questioned about my unusual method of walking, I assured Mom and Dad that nothing was wrong. This for two reasons: 1. I was hoping the injury was minor and would not require any significant attention; 2. House rules said that my wanderings were to be confined to our neighborhood and I was NOT to cross the major thoroughfare to where the box company was located. Eventually I 'fessed-up.' The nail of my big toe on the injured foot was severely bruised (nothing broken, thank goodness). It eventually fell off being replaced by a brand new one.
Watching movies about old people gets one to thinking . . .
(from http://flavorwire.com/324742/20-famous-writers-on-death-and-mortality)
“Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell. Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more intensely: we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy and love. There is nothing more; but I want nothing more.” – Christopher Hitchens, The Portable Atheist
“People living deeply have no fear of death.” – Anaïs Nin, The Diary Of Anaïs Nin, Volume Two
“Life was not a valuable gift, but death was. Life was a fever-dream made up of joys embittered by sorrows, pleasure poisoned by pain; a dream that was a nightmare-confusion of spasmodic and fleeting delights, ecstasies, exultations, happinesses, interspersed with long-drawn miseries, griefs, perils, horrors, disappointments, defeats, humiliations, and despairs — the heaviest curse devisable by divine ingenuity; but death was sweet, death was gentle, death was kind; death healed the bruised spirit and the broken heart, and gave them rest and forgetfulness; death was man’s best friend; when man could endure life no longer, death came and set him free.” – Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth
“I can remember how when I was young I believed death to be a phenomenon of the body; now I know it to be merely a function of the mind — and that of the minds who suffer the bereavement. The nihilists say it is the end; the fundamentalists, the beginning; when in reality it is no more than a single tenant or family moving out of a tenement or a town.” – William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying
“Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there’s a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see.” – Helen Keller
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)
On your mark get set
Disconnect that internet
Every girl and boy
Breathing in the joy
Not a care at last
Sit outside and bask
In rays of summer's bliss
Crabs and fish and shells
Feel your tensions melt
Fries and pizza pie
Smiles won't be denied
Everything is cool
in 2 1 8 4 2
Feel the sparkle in your eyes
Catch a wave and ride
Cars and motorbikes
Bikini babes in the sand
Vibin' to rockin' bands
Ocean City
From Memorial to Labor Day
We beckon you to play
To a boardwalk beat
Miles and miles of beach
Your memories to take
Currents dance and sway
leave your footprints in the sand
Fireworks at night
Give your love a kiss
Sail and fish the sea
Here life is a beach
in Ocean City
Now is the time that's right
For you only live once
Time does drag when it's all work and no fun
The ocean gateway calls you
Sport your shorts and shades
It's so divine to dine at life's buffet
It's almost heaven and
There's so much more we can say
Catch a wave and ride
Cool cars and motorbikes
Bikinis on the sand
Dance to rockin' bands
Ocean City
Ocean City Ditty
OHO(Jay Graboski, David Reeve and Ray Jozwiak) live at Johnny's-Ocean City, MD, June 2015
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)
(from http://www.irasullivanjazz.com/#!bio)
Hyperbole surrounds Ira Sullivan. It is evident in both his music and his life. His talent has been called "Pure lyric," "Fire," "Formidable," "Complex," "Ornate," "Unparalleled," "Haunting," or, more simply, "Legend." Some reviewers say he is a musical genius; others say this is an understatement. They cite his ability to pick up a strange instrument and, within a few days, to be as conversant with it as if he had been playing it for years. World class multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan plays trumpet, flugelhorn, peckhorn, tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, flute, and an occasional round of drums, all of them impeccably and not as a gimmick. A master of almost the entire range of brass and reed instruments, he is known for his ability to come in cold and turn in a stellar performance. Ira is widely recorded and tours on the national and international jazz circuits. A five-time Grammy nominee, he serves as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. As a clinician, lecturer, and adjudicator in jazz workshops at universities and schools across the country and abroad, he finds that the History of Jazz programs that he initiated while attending high school in Chicago are now being replicated in many of these institutions. One if his current projects is an ensemble he calls the INTER/OUTER CONTINENTAL JAZZ QUINTET. Together, this unique and multi-ethnic group expresses a wide spectrum of the jazz milieu, dipping freely into both traditional and uncommon territory. Ira Sullivan feels that music is one of the finest gifts God has bestowed upon mankind. One of his greatest joys is leading Jazz Vespers at the many churches he plays, where the congregations share his belief that there is a dynamic spiritual connotation to this most American of musical styles. It is this spiritual impulse that most clearly defines Ira Sullivan's music. For forty years, he has ended his performances all over the world with the venerable hymn "Amazing Grace," a soulful salute to the Spirit within.
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)
On your mark get set
Disconnect that internet
Every girl and boy
Breathing in the joy
Not a care at last
Sit outside and bask
In rays of summer's bliss
Crabs and fish and shells
Feel your tensions melt
Fries and pizza pie
Smiles won't be denied
Everything is cool
in 2 1 8 4 2
Feel the sparkle in your eyes
Catch a wave and ride
Cars and motorbikes
Bikini babes in the sand
Vibin' to rockin' bands
Ocean City
From Memorial to Labor Day
We beckon you to play
To a boardwalk beat
Miles and miles of beach
Your memories to take
Currents dance and sway
leave your footprints in the sand
Fireworks at night
Give your love a kiss
Sail and fish the sea
Here life is a beach
in Ocean City
Now is the time that's right
For you only live once
Time does drag when it's all work and no fun
The ocean gateway calls you
Sport your shorts and shades
It's so divine to dine at life's buffet
It's almost heaven and
There's so much more we can say
Catch a wave and ride
Cool cars and motorbikes
Bikinis on the sand
Dance to rockin' bands
Ocean City
Ocean City Ditty
Live
at Johnny's, Ocean City, MD-August 2014 [field recording
by OHO - Jay Graboski, David Reeve and 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
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 Hymn To Intellectual Beauty by Percy Bysshe Shelley)
I vowed that I would dedicate my powers
To thee and thine -- have I not kept the vow?
With beating heart and streaming eyes, even now
I call the phantoms of a thousand hours
Each from his voiceless grave: they have in visioned bowers
Of studious zeal or love's delight
Outwatched with me the envious night --
They know that never joy illumed my brow
Unlinked with hope that thou wouldst free
This world from its dark slavery,
That thou - O awful Loveliness,
Wouldst give whate'er these words cannot express.
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)
Noise, life joy love family friends fun relaxation inspiration challenge music discipline nature water ocean sand sensitivity humanity macabre pleasure food music drink conversation memory chords music beauty desire motivation amusement green music forest dark blue sky storm violence lightning wind disturbance humidity music rest dedication satisfaction enjoyment wonder questions doubt anticipation regret longing music realization resignation acceptance fortitude positivity focus . . .
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)
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