Showing posts with label white. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

The Piano . . .

. . . still sounds the same . . .
    

. . . but it's a whole lot easier to get to now.  Not too long ago, our living room was renovated, so to speak, after many years of the same, familiar, yet tasteful and welcoming decor. The furniture was comfortable, small enough to rearrange frequently, greens and rusts prevailed, one wall was papered for accent, all resulting in a quite cozy atmosphere. The new is every bit as wonderful.  All new, larger furniture, beiges, dark wood and orange.  Yes, orange is the accent color.  Funny as is may sound, or maybe it doesn't, it is very tasteful. After the major paint, floor covering and furniture was complete, we concentrated our efforts on finding small, unique, orange items to place throughout the room.

About a month ago, I took a collection of loose papers containing original song material of a couple of artists with whom I occasionally perform and some co-written material and placed them in an old, white binder for safekeeping and easy access.  Since I only use the book on a monthly basis,  I neatly filed it at the edge of a bookshelf in the living room out of the way, a practically out of sight. At least I thought it was out of sight. The chief living room decorator looked up from her ipad the other day and said, "how long has THAT been up there?" which surprised me not a little. The stark white book among the carefully placed books, vases, picture frames and various items of orange and black caught the distinguishing eye of the decorator, and not in a pleasant way.

I agreed, as I in truth knew I would eventually, to move the white binder to a more appropriate location.  The decorator suggested it be placed inside the piano bench, wonderful idea with which I heartily concurred. The problem with that however, was that the bench was chock full of piano tuning receipts, notebooks of original material, beginner piano and guitar publications, and various books and sheet music of popular and classical pieces.

Yesterday I actually made the time to sort through, organize and actually remove extraneous material from the piano bench and neatly file the mysterious white binder in the piano bench.  After about a thirty-minute workout at the the keyboard, I leaned over to scoot the bench neatly under the piano when I realized . . . the vastly reduced weight of the newly organized contents of the bench makes lifting it much easier on my old, aching back. I suppose the entire episode can legitimately be called a 'Win - Win' situation.




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:

Ray Jozwiak: 2014

(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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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

WAMMIE . . .


(from http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001C31GFZrDKjKaWrZodhcUSUcZtk-3m6-ryC3VIvQ8Ak9lp6sq3Q6oPuA-qTUs4LprnOFVMtCIcV0tR0QaP4BRsmco46fWgHUUwy12wIvrO_Qhl8v1ybLwodMElepkCbM5WDMpe-bHYy_IZySV9BD9UsA774U6RiQIjPbA5RIOBpGR_seo_C7mFs8zcm2idMlf5uKyyG_8Coo=)
28th Annual WammiesTM Nomination Ballot
2013 Washington Area Music Awards

Voting Deadline is Thursday, February 6, 2014, 10 PM
You must be a current WAMA member to vote.

JAZZ RECORDING

    Black & White Then Back / Ray Jozwiak      www.rayjozwiak.com

    Blue Velvet Soul / Maysa   www.maysa.com
    Compared to What / Redmond, Langosch & Cooley   www.cdbaby.com/cd/             
       redmondlangoschcooley
    Deep Inside Me / Stephanie Rebecca   stephanie-rebecca.com
    Déviation / Daisy Castro   www.gypsymothmusique.com
    Eclipse of the Soul / Lori Williams   www.lorijazz.com
    Leo Rising / Aaron Myers II   www.aaron2.me
    Look For The Silver Lining / Bob Schwartz Quartet   www.groovem.com
    Moon Country / Esther Haynes  www.estherhaynesmusic.com
    The Truth / Allyn Johnson & Sonic Sanctuary 
        www.allynjohnsondivineorder.com




The Washington Area Music Awards recognize significant career achievements by area musicians. Nominations and balloting come from the WAMA membership. Past show participants include Emmylou Harris, Joan Jett, The Clovers, Bo Diddley, Jorma Kaukonen, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Jimmy Dean.





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:
Ray Jozwiak: Black & White Then Back

(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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Sunday, December 22, 2013

Black and White. . .

. . . or NOT?   (not to be confused with 'Black & White Then Back' [see below])


. . . all the hubbub about the smug Fox News reporter who said that both Jesus and Santa Claus were white would be laughable IF IT DIDN'T BECOME THE NEWS ITSELF!   (Yes Virginia, Marshall McLuhan was right- the media HAS become the message.

Personally, I don't put ANY stock in television news at all - let alone Fox News.  Nor does watching pretty, smug and snooty little egocentric blond girls on television do anything at all for me.

BUT, SANTA CLAUS.   Give me (I was gonna say effin', but will refrain) a BREAK!!   Adults, in the year 2013, are actually spending valuable time thinking about, listening to, watching television programs or debating the skin color of a mythical figure based upon a 13th century religious figure??

SOMEBODY give me some music PLEASE!!!!!!







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:
Ray Jozwiak: Black & White Then Back

(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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Friday, December 6, 2013

Freedom From? . . .

(from Ain't Nothing Like Freedom by Cynthia McKinney)

". . . The old 11th District that first sent me to Congress was Georgia's second poorest district.  People paid rent, but didn't have running water in their homes.  Why was it, then, that when Blacks finally did get representation, the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that purports to be a "civil rights organization," filed an amicus curiae brief on the side of the five White plaintiffs, and against the 649,995 Blacks and Whites who were working together in that district, in a lawsuit designed to dismantle that district and allow insensitive representatives to continue to fail to serve Georgia's poor, rural, and much-neglected Black Belt?  Surely, the Anti-Defamation League would support poor Blacks who had never had authentic Congressional representation, right?  Wrong.

And as I think about it, it might have also had something to do with me not signing the pledge for Israel. . . "









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:
Ray Jozwiak: Black & White Then Back

(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

PIANOGONZOLOGY - Blogged My 
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Monday, October 28, 2013

Pair. . .

. . . ing


(from http://www.wikihow.com/Pair-Food-and-Wine)
Build on the basic understanding of what might match. It's easy enough to say that chicken goes with white wine, or beef goes with red wine but which wine exactly? And is this choice clear cut? The wine that goes with the food will depend heavily on the manner in which the food has been prepared. For example, it isn't as simple as saying that chicken goes with white wine. If, for example, the chicken has been poached, making it simple and delicate, a simple wine such as a young Semillon will be good. When roasted, the fat makes the chicken richer, thus requiring a heavier textured wine such as an aged Semillon. If barbecued, the chicken becomes smoky, and goes well with a wine aged in wood, such as a light Chardonnay. When chicken has been cooked in cream, it becomes really rich, a heavier Chardonnay will pair well. When it's made into a darker dish, such as by adding soy sauce, it can take a light red such as a Pinot Noir. Place chicken into a red wine marinade, and it makes sense to pair it with red wine.

    Learn the different flavors within each wine style and seek to match these to the food ingredients. For example, fruity elements and wood overtones impact the wine flavor and are important considerations when partnering the wine with food. If you can taste peaches, coconut, tropical flavors, smokiness, herbs, etc., then take those flavors and find their food equivalents.

    Weight of the wine has an impact on pairing with food. Wines are light, medium or full-bodied, referring to the depth of flavor on the mid-palate. When trying to discern the weight of the wine, either ask the retailer, or check the depth of color. Apart from Pinot Noir, the darker the color, the heavier the weight.

    Use your sense of smell to help you pair food and wine. The two senses are one, and you can trust your nose unless it's blocked. Wine smells can be floral, perfumed, mineral, fruity (common fruit smells are peach, melon, and fig), butter, nuts, earthy, truffle or mushroom, meaty, or even like the barnyard. If the smell is unpleasant, avoid it. An aging wine can have overtones of toast or engine fuel.





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:
Ray Jozwiak: Black & White Then Back

(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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Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Scream. . .


Robert Parry (http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/19242-the-white-mans-last-tantrum) presents a fascinating, still not unbelievable hypothesis that the government shutdown and potential default on U.S. credit may very well be a desperate attempt on the part of certain Republican and/or Tea Party members at white supremacy.

Paraphrased, in brief, the diverse makeup of their opposition (Democrats) is eroding the political domains of the 'white conservatives and white racists' of the former. William Buckley's principle, expressed in relation to the southern U.S. states in 1957, says “The white community in the South is entitled to take such measures as are necessary to prevail, politically and culturally, in areas in which it does not predominate numerically.”  Present-day Tea-Party-controlled Republicans are applying the Buckley rule on a national level. Some examples of this are "ballot security", reduction of voting hours, recent gerrymandering, endless Republican filibusters in the U.S. Senate and denial to DC citizens of congressional representations.  Right-wing billionaires are establishing and supporting a propaganda machine never seen in U.S. history. . . and now the ultimate solution of government by extortion is the result. Their message, put simply, is . . . "if the American people insist on electing Democratic presidents or enacting federal legislation to “promote the general Welfare,” the Tea Party will respond by making the economy scream. . ."





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:
Ray Jozwiak: Black & White Then Back

(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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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Good things. . .

. . . come in threes. . .
Ray Jozwiak (that's me) brings his Gonzo (gonzo:  idiosyncratically subjective but engagé) Piano to you three times in the upcoming weeks:

1.  Monday,  April 22, 2013 @ 7:30PM
Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery (Songwriters Showcase-Upstairs)
124 North Market Street Frederick, MD 21701
Telephone: 301-631-0089 Fax: 301-631-1874
http://www.brewers-alley.com/

2.  Friday, April 26, 2013 @ 6:00PM
Bread & Circuses Bistro
27 E. Chesapeake Avenue
Towson, MD  21286
410-337-5282
http://bandcbistro.com/

3.  Friday, May 3, 2013 @ 6:00PM
Elk Run Vineyards
15113 Liberty Road  Mt. Airy, MD 21771
Phone: 410-775-2513 • Fax: 410-875-2009 •
TOLL FREE: 800-414-2513
elk_run@msn.com

(For Ray's complete schedule, see http://www.rayjozwiak.com)
Get the complete BLACK & WHITE THEN BACK download at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3





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:
Ray Jozwiak: Black & White Then Back

(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

PIANOGONZOLOGY - Blogged My 
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Three. . .

. . . is a charm. . .

 Ray Jozwiak (that's me) brings his Gonzo (gonzo:  idiosyncratically subjective but engagé) Piano to you three times in the upcoming weeks:

1.  Monday,  April 22, 2013 @ 7:30PM
Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery (Songwriters Showcase-Upstairs)
124 North Market Street Frederick, MD 21701
Telephone: 301-631-0089 Fax: 301-631-1874
http://www.brewers-alley.com/

2.  Friday, April 26, 2013 @ 6:00PM
Bread & Circuses Bistro
27 E. Chesapeake Avenue
Towson, MD  21286
410-337-5282
http://bandcbistro.com/

3.  Friday, May 3, 2013 @ 6:00PM
Elk Run Vinyards
15113 Liberty Road  Mt. Airy, MD 21771
Phone: 410-775-2513 • Fax: 410-875-2009 •
TOLL FREE: 800-414-2513
elk_run@msn.com

(For Ray's complete schedule, see http://www.rayjozwiak.com)
Get the complete BLACK & WHITE THEN BACK download at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3




Also, please visit:  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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

(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

PIANOGONZOLOGY - Blogged My 
Zimbio
blog search directory Blog Directory