pianogonzology: story

Showing posts with label story. Show all posts

Monday, January 15, 2018

How . . .

. . . can ANYONE rationalize a "president" saying these???

(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-s-biggest-whoppers-2017-n830746)
". . . Here are the nine biggest falsehoods of Trump's presidency so far. . .
1. More people watched the inauguration than ever before
2. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because of fraud
3. Michael Flynn didn't do 'anything wrong'
4. 'Look what's happening last night in Sweden
(. . . criticizing Europe's refugee policy at a rally in defense of his travel ban, appeared to invent a terrorist attack in Sweden to make his point)
5. Obama bugged Trump Tower
6. Russia investigation is 'a made-up story'
7. Counterprotesters in Charlottesville lacked a permit
(. . . The first required no permits — it began on the UVA campus, where none are needed — and at the second, both groups had permits)
8. America pays the most in taxes
9. Tax reform will 'cost me a fortune'

What do you think?
Tell me at
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http://www.ohomusic.com

Other Ray Jozwiak Offerings

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Thursday, September 14, 2017

Wisely . . .

. . . managed . . .

. . . time. . .

. . . when Cinderella danced with the prince, a compunction she found unavoidable after making eye contact across the crowded room. . .

(http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2015/03/13/392358854/a-girl-a-shoe-a-prince-the-endlessly-evolving-cinderella)
". . . The actual Cinderella tale, while a nebulous thing that can be hard to pin down with precision, is more than that. There's very little that's common to every variant of the story, but in general, you have a mistreated young woman, forced to do menial work, either cast out or unloved by her family. She has an opportunity to marry well and escape her situation, but she gets that chance only after being mistaken for a higher-status person, so she has to get the man who may marry her to recognize her in her low-status form, which often happens either via a shoe that fits or some kind of food that she prepares. . . It's partly a fantasy about simplifying the relationships between social standing and coupling — one that makes the most sense in a world in which class differences are an accepted barrier to a good man choosing to marry a woman. If the prince is a man who believes from the outset that love conquers all, the story doesn't really make any sense. It would be hard to set Cinderella on a properly functioning egalitarian collective. . ."

Dance The Night Away
©2017 Ray Jozwiak

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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)

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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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Sunday, March 19, 2017

Another. . .

. . . story . . .

This song came to me with music and lyrics after pondering Carole King's 'Natural Woman', chorus of which is paid tribute in 'Together'. What I enjoyed very much about the song is the lyrics which essentially are the textbook lesson of exactly what lyrics should be (ex: The moon in June and sweet perfume have been used in a million love songs . . . ) while actually in complete agreement with the lesson. The chorus then becomes the love song (can a love song NOT be somewhat trite? - maybe). . . 'We'll be together for a very long time . . . '

It was actually written quite a long time ago but I've always enjoyed the melody and changes and finally put it on "No Frills", more of which you can find out by following the hyperlink below.

Together
©2016 Raymond M. Jozwiak

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
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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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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Caught . .

Sometimes the story behind a song, speaking strictly of MY songs, is not much of a story. 'Caught' is one such song. There are times when I must force myself to write a song, or to finish a song, or take the initiative to create something new, at least something with a bit of structure. 'Caught' was inspired by the music of a local, original group which features tight, percussive acoustic guitar and lots of percussion, somewhat reminiscent of Ani DiFranco's music. The phrase 'caught in the crosshairs', which opens the song, sounded 'tough' and fit rhythmically with the type of song I wanted to write. The lyrics developed into a reflection on 'the drama of life'. Of course I always take the opportunity to provide myself some freedom to improvise within a 'welcoming' (meaning chord progression) environment. A loose version of the tune is here for you to hear. . .

Caught
©2016 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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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Thursday, December 15, 2016

A Story . . .

(from https://theintercept.com/2016/11/09/donald-trump-will-be-president-this-is-what-we-do-next/)
". . . We need a story. . . The core belief of the technocrats who run the Democratic Party is that people rationally evaluate facts and then make decisions. . . In reality, humans all have an emotional, internally consistent story running inside them all the time about the world and their place in it – and if they encounter any “facts” that contradict this story, the facts just bounce right off. Ironically, this is demonstrated by how Democratic technocrats emotionally reject all the evidence for this. . .Trump succeeds at telling a story – and while it’s hateful and bogus, any story always beats no story. Clinton never tried to tell a competing story, making her blizzard of facts meaningless to non-technocrats. Part of Trump’s story was “Muslims are lunatics who want to slaughter your children, we can’t let them in!” Clinton would respond, “An intriguing Harvard School of Government study found our circa-2014 immigration vetting procedures were able to measure radicalization by five benchmarks that [audience loses consciousness].”. . . By contrast, a progressive story would say: “We’ve been bombing the Middle East for 60 years. People there are mad about it just like we were mad about 9/11. Until we stop bombing them a small number of Muslims will always want to retaliate, and some will pull it off no matter what we do to prevent it.”. . . "

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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Friday, December 9, 2016

The Power . . .

. . . music

(from http://theotherjournal.com/2008/09/16/the-monk-and-the-hymn-encountering-grace-in-the-work-of-thelonious-monk/)
". . . Each of us is continually involved in the co-creation of our story or the performance of our song. A song and a story alike are each common, apt metaphors for our lives, for living both as individuals and within a community. It is in the reality that we are all continually stumbling our way through life that the beauty and truth of Monk’s intentional awkwardness with this song (This Is My Story, This Is My Song) becomes evident. His characteristic discordant notes and unconventional timing are so appropriate as a symbol for our own lives. It aptly expresses our own imperfect faith, our own inconsistent story. . . I hope that I can tell my story in a way that contributes to the story, in a way that offers redemption to the broken world around me, yet my stuttering tongue and broken heart often keep me feeling useless and futile. I want to be able to play my song in a way that points to the beauty of the Kingdom, but my clumsy fingers seem to ruin the power of the melody. It is here that Monk’s performance offers me hope and inspires me within my own believing unbelief, in my own “already, but not yet” song. . ."

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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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Stuff . . .

. . . of which movies are made . . .

Is it me, or is it refreshing to hear this news story? No terrorism, no politics, no deaths, no injuries. A hi-jacked plane, freed hostages and . . . a woman . . .

(from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35915139)
Most of the passengers and crew who were on board a hijacked Egyptian plane that was forced to divert to Larnaca airport in Cyprus have been freed. . .EgyptAir Flight MS181 was taken over after a passenger claimed to be wearing a suicide explosive belt. . .Reports say the lone hijacker wants to talk to his estranged wife in Cyprus, and the Cypriot president has said the hijack is not a terrorist incident. . .Egypt's civil aviation minister said seven people remained on board the jet.

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:
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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Mid- . . .

. . . section . . .

. . . from Third-Hand Intelligence, a tune on which OHO is diligently working at present, is presented below as performed on solo piano by yours truly. The OHO arrangement of this tune incorporates hard-rock elements while dynamically presenting a torchy story of the ill-effects that can potentially result when less-than reliable information is related between parties who do not necessarily hold any substantial stake in the matters in question. It really has shaped up nicely thanks to Messrs. Graboski and Reeve. It will hopefully appear on the tentatively titled 'Male Pattern Radness' in the not too distant future.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

The Story . . .

. . . continues . . .

Question: Sorry again for the long delay. Do you have a proposal drafted up that we would be able to review? After talking with my boss, the concerns would be from the promotional material, logo usage, etc. If you have a document going through all the requests and stipulations, would you be able to send that over?

Answer: The only proposal I can give you is the summary that I have already submitted. There is nothing complicated here.

This is a celebration of local musicians singing about their local environment. Period.

I don’t understand concerns about promotional material, logo usage (you say etc. but if there is an “etc” could you please be specific.)

The CD will be promoted on cdbaby.com and on www.ohomusic.com described as above. Nothing more.

There will be NO LOGO usage. There need not be.

We have borrowed the basic melody of the fight song. NOTHING MORE.

The rest of the fight song is poetic license. Essentially jazz improvisation on chord substitutions for the basic, military march chords of the original.

Regarding ‘requests and stipulations’, I have stated our request. We would like to purchase the mechanical rights, meaning, 'the right to reproduce a piece of music onto CDs, records or tapes.' Nothing more.

Please, if this is not clear, call me (or have your boss call). I would be happy to speak with both (or either) of you.

An Excerpt
by Ray Jozwiak for the forthcoming MD/CD produced by Jay Graboski

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

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Old . . .

. . . saw

. . . but food for thought . . .

(from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2008/01/the_case_against_ hillary_clinton.html by the late Christopher Hitchens)
". . . Seeing the name Hillary in a headline last week—a headline about a life that had involved real achievement—I felt a mouse stirring in the attic of my memory. Eventually, I was able to recall how the two Hillarys had once been mentionable in the same breath. On a first-lady goodwill tour of Asia in April 1995—the kind of banal trip that she now claims as part of her foreign-policy "experience"—Mrs. Clinton had been in Nepal and been briefly introduced to the late Sir Edmund Hillary, conqueror of Mount Everest. Ever ready to milk the moment, she announced that her mother had actually named her for this famous and intrepid explorer. The claim "worked" well enough to be repeated at other stops and even showed up in Bill Clinton's memoirs almost a decade later, as one more instance of the gutsy tradition that undergirds the junior senator from New York.

Sen. Clinton was born in 1947, and Sir Edmund Hillary and his partner Tenzing Norgay did not ascend Mount Everest until 1953, so the story was self-evidently untrue and eventually yielded to fact-checking. Indeed, a spokeswoman for Sen. Clinton named Jennifer Hanley phrased it like this in a statement in October 2006, conceding that the tale was untrue but nonetheless charming: "It was a sweet family story her mother shared to inspire greatness in her daughter, to great results I might add."

Perfect. It worked, in other words, having been coined long after Sir Edmund became a bankable celebrity, but now its usefulness is exhausted and its untruth can safely be blamed on Mummy. Yet isn't it all—all of it, every single episode and detail of the Clinton saga—exactly like that? . . . "

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

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Oops. . .

I overheard an uplifting little story recently . . . one of two men of indeterminate age says, ‘You seem to be enjoying yourself though, I must say. It’s gotten you out of your box.’ The second responds, ‘Well, I don’t like to be too philosophical but you must live in the moment. This is only gonna happen once. You have to enjoy it because it’s not going to come around again. November 8, 2014 is here now and won’t be back tomorrow. ‘

Truly inspiring. Only problem is . . . I overheard it on November 6.

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

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Sad . . .

On Bob McDonnell, 'Strife has formed a core of their joint defense.' Bob McDonnell and his wife of 38 years insisted throughout the trial that their marriage was crumbling and in such a state that they barely spoke enough to be able to conspire to sell the influence of the governor's office to a dietary supplement executive in exchange for $177,000 in loads and luxury gifts. The trial was long and contentious.

The details of the story are convoluted. In my brief and superficial summary I see a marriage which slowly failed in sacrifice to promote a political career. Mrs. McDonnell dutifully raised the children while the ambitious Mr. McDonnell rose in political rank. The diet-supplement king enters the picture and captivates Mrs. McDonnell. She accepts his friendship and all the material and monetary accessories that accompany it. Mr. McDonnell sees it but believes no harm nor violations of law are occurring, so he lets it continue. Justice prevails in the end. But $177,000 and a political career? Doesn't seem worth the gamble in the first place.

Yes, it's easy for me to sit here and analyze at a distance from it all, but sad is my overwhelming reaction to it all.

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Also, be sure to visit:
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