What's In a Name? . . .

(from http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Corporate/History/Default.htm)
" . . . In the United States, The Ritz-Carlton Investing Company was established by Albert Keller who bought and franchised the name. In the early 1900s, several hotels were known as The Ritz-Carlton, in places such as Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlantic City and Boca Raton. However, by 1940 none of the hotels were operating except The Ritz-Carlton, Boston. The hotel embodies the finest luxury experience, Yankee ingenuity and Boston social sensibilities. The standards of service, dining and facilities of this Boston landmark served as a benchmark for all future Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts worldwide.

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston revolutionized hospitality in America by creating luxury in a hotel setting:

Private bath in each guest room
Lighter fabrics in the guest room to allow for more thorough washing
White tie and apron uniforms for the waitstaff, black tie for the Maître d’ and morning suits for all other staff, conducive to a formal, professional appearance
Extensive fresh flowers throughout the public areas
A la carte dining, providing choices for diners
Gourmet cuisine, utilizing the genius and cooking methods of Auguste Escoffier
Intimate, smaller lobbies for a more personalized guest experience . . . "

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


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)

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

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It Never Ends. . .

(from http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2014/08/14/adrev-illegally-preying-diy-musicians)
". . . I got two emails from “Katherine Foster” within 10 minutes of each other to two separate email accounts – one which I haven’t used in years. They both read: Subject: Missing Info
Body: I have not yet received the info to setup your account at http://cid.adrev.net.  If you own and control original music, our service can help generate new revenue for you.
At AdRev, we help musicians, labels, and composers make earnings from their recordings in YouTube.  We simply find videos using your music, show ads, and pass the revenue down to you.
With artists signing up every day, we’d love to help you tap into this new revenue stream.
Drop a line if you have questions,
Kat
Katherine Foster
Artist Recruiter

Pretty sneaky. You haven’t received the info because I didn’t send it. Or opt into this list. Or ask for information. And feel quite violated. This, AdRev, to say the least feels very slimy. As someone who is very used to these unsolicited emails targeting DIY musicians, I’m fed up. I don’t like it from “promoters” offering me to pay to play, I don’t like it from “A&R” trying to get me to buy their overpriced services, and I don’t like it from you. With the number of partners AdRev boasts (Universal, Warner, BMG, Source Audio) and the number of videos they monetize (27.5 million) you’d think they would have the budget to target these musicians through ads. Spamming musicians via email not only diminishes their reputation, but showcases their lack of respect for the working DIY musician community.  They are directly looking to prey on musicians’ ignorance. . ."

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


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)

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

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Passing the Bar . . .

 . . . or stopping in . . .

Tips for the bartender (from http://www.shakestir.com/features/id/571/10-tips-for-the-beginner-cocktail-bartender)

1) Focus on service, not just drinks.
You are a bartender, not an artist - you provide service above all else. If customers have a good experience from a very engaging, attentive, and accommodating service staff but the drinks aren't amazing, they are still likely to come back.

2) Taste everything.
A great chef would never serve anything without knowing that it tastes good, and neither should you.

3) Be knowledgeable.
Know everything you serve, not just the items that interest you. If you are all about cocktails, good for you, but you are still a bartender and will be called upon to serve beer, wine, and of course food.

4) Don't be pretentious.
Customers do not want to feel judged, but welcome and appreciated (because they are!). Remind yourself that you are here because of them.

5) Don't be lazy.
This covers a wide range of issues behind the bar (and every job there is). Old or store-bought juice will make a noticeable negative impact on your drinks, as will using stale vermouth.

6) Control your dilution.
Mixing too long can make your drink flabby, and it's very hard to get the balance back from over-dilution.

7) Don't adjust too much.
Once your palate develops you'll start second guessing your drinks a little bit while you look for the perfect flavour balance. Adding a dash of an ingredient for balance is fine, but making too many adjustments can lead to over-dilution and long drink times.

8) Don't shake everything.
Presentation is very important for both food and drink, and any discerning customer will not appreciate a cloudy Manhattan.

9) Measure your ingredients.
While many an experienced bartender can probably free-pour any volume very accurately, this style belongs in nightclubs and not in cocktail bars and restaurants.

10) Communicate!
Good service and good working relationships start and end with good communication. Keep everyone in the loop with what you are doing and make sure you know what is happening outside your station. Do not be afraid to ask for help, and offer to help others if you have the time. It is also important to call back orders, as restaurants and bars can get loud and miscommunication can cost time and money. If you are not talking to your co-workers behind the bar, you are not doing your job properly.

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

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)

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

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Help . . .

It's getting really old hearing from theses web music artist 'services' who have the secret to your success.  It's really just the secret to their success because they're plugging THEIR service and the only secret is that you have to give them money.  Then they post the video testimonial.  The 'bait' email says ". . . thanks to our bag of tricks this artist grabbed over 297% more sales and she is going to tell you she did it. . . "

And if you don't read that carefully, you don't realize that that is ALL she does.  In 28 seconds,  this artist simply tells you that she DID IT.

Convinced? . . . me either.

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

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)

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

Tweet

Why . . .

. . . Christmas? . . .

. . . Why not ALWAYS . . .



Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
-Oren Arnold

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

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Ceremony. . .

. . . at its best?

No 'white smoke' for these folks.

(from nbcnews.com)
". . . Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church chose a new pope, Bishop Tawadros, in a sumptuous service on Sunday that Christians hope will lead them through an Islamist-dominated landscape and protect what is the Middle East's biggest Christian community.

Many Christians in Egypt, who make up about a tenth of the population of 83 million, are worried about political gains made by Islamists since Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year. They have long complained of discrimination in Muslim-majority Egypt.

In a ritual steeped in tradition and filled with prayer, chants and incense at Abbasiya cathedral in Cairo, the names of three candidates chosen in an earlier vote were placed in a wax-sealed bowl before a blindfolded boy picked out one name.

Copts believe this long-established process ensured worldly influences did not determine the successor to Pope Shenouda III, who led the church for four decades until his death in March at the age of 88.

"Pope Tawadros II is the 118th (leader of the church), blessed congratulations to you," said interim Pope Bakhomious, dressed in gold-embroidered robes, who has temporarily been in the post since Shenouda's death. . ."

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
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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One step forward and two steps back . . .

. . . by our armed forces . . .

(origin: MSNBC.com)
". . . Wednesday two women sailors became the first to share the coveted "first kiss" on the dock after one of them returned from 80 days at sea.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of Placerville, Calif., descended from the USS Oak Hill amphibious landing ship and shared a quick kiss with her partner, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell of Los Angeles. The crowd screamed and waved flags around them. . . "

FINALLY!!!

But, meantime. . .

Maybe only a few bad eggs, but that's only a few bad eggs too many . . .(Also courtesy of MSNBC.com)". . . Eight U.S. soldiers have been charged in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, the 19-year-old soldier from New York City who was found shot to death in a guard tower in Afghanistan two months ago.

Chen, who is Asian and is from Chinatown, was found dead Oct. 3 with a gunshot wound below his chin. Army officials never gave details about his death, but it was believed the wound was self-inflicted.

The military's investigation found that Chen had been the target of racially motivated taunts and physical attacks at the hands of his superiors and comrades before he died. . ."

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

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