There . . .

. . . most resent pitcher . . .

(from http://www.teachthought.com/industry/12-data-points-detailing-the-crisis-of-poor-writing-in-america/)
1. Four out of five students are not proficient writers.


2. Even with spell check and a thesaurus on hand, just 27% of students are able to write well-developed essays with proper language use.


3. Even worse, 26.2% of college graduates produce writing that rates as deficient.


4. Fewer than 50% of college seniors feel their writing improved during college.



5. SAT writing scores are falling, too.


6. About 17% of college freshmen require remedial writing classes.


7. The average fourth grader spends fewer than 3 hours per week writing.


8. Students struggle with reading.


9. Poor writing cost employers $3.1 billion per year.


10. Many students prefer texting over composition.


11. Male students are struggling worse than female students.


12. Writing isn’t considered fun by today’s students.

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 will be released April 7, 2014  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  

Q & A . . .

 . . . for OHO

Q -  I live in the southern part of Maryland, right on the border of DC and MD.  I write for local Okinawan interest articles for the Okinawa Times in Okinawa and ever since I found and bought your tin can set album of Okinawa, I have been wondering if you had some personal connection to the island.  Would you mind telling me your story?  Please excuse me if you were asked the question many times, but I have been unable to find anything, as a mysterious band you are.  Hope to hear from you.

A - The band were brainstorming for a title.  We wanted a title where the "OHO" vowel sound also sounded in the title.  The bassist's father was an American soldier who was stationed in Okinawa, and he had a black silk jacket with your island embroidered on it, which we hung in the studio for inspiration.  So, while not totally random, there is only this fabricated connection to the music.  Little Wing of Refugees, a German record label, apparently took its country's status as a Japanese ally more seriously; & so you have all the South Pacific war imagery in their version of the release.  

BTW OHO stands for the 1st initials of the last names of the band's 3 founding members; what does "OHO" mean in Japanese?

What do you think?

Tell me athttp://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 available now 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  

Times . . .

. . . change . . .

. . . but you always gotta laugh . . .


(from http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/stan-freberg-comedian-satirist-dies-dead-1201467899/)
". . . Satirist Stan Freberg, who influenced generations with his witty comedy albums and cartoon voices and memorable advertising campaigns, died Tuesday in Santa Monica. He was 88 and had been suffering from respiratory problems and pneumonia.

His son Donavan posted the news on his Facebook page, saying, “He was, and will always be, my hero, and I will carry his brilliant legacy forward as best I am able.”

The writer-producer crafted some of the funniest TV commercials of the 1960s and ’70s, including “Today the pits; tomorrow the wrinkles. Sunsweet marches on!,” and Contadina’s “Who put eight great tomatoes in that little bitty can?”

He also scored such novelty-record hits as “John and Marsha,” “Saint George and the Dragonet” and “Green Christmas.” His 1961 comedy album “Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America” remains a classic of the form and an influence for a generation of comedians. . ."

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 will be released April 7, 2014  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  

Lines . . .

. . . Written in Early Spring
BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:—
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?


(from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/181415)
Source: The Longman Anthology of Poetry (Pearson, 2006)


Hope
from Ambience & Wine
©2012 Raymond M. Jozwiak
available at CD Baby

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 will be released April 7, 2014  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  

Now . . .

For my ninth release, I have decided to dispense with the hyperbole, intricate poetic descriptions, buzzwords and self-aggrandizing verbal excesses and issue a collection of Just More Music.

Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak is here . . .

. . . NOW!!!


Clarity
from Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak
©2007 & 2014 Raymond M. Jozwiak
Available Now

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 will be released April 7, 2014  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  

Scared . . .

. . . or belligerent?!!


(According to Reuters)

". . . Big Wall Street banks are so upset with U.S. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's call for them to be broken up that some have discussed withholding campaign donations to Senate Democrats in symbolic protest, sources familiar with the discussions said. Citigroup has decided to withhold donations for now to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over concerns that Senate Democrats could give Warren and lawmakers who share her views more power, sources inside the bank told Reuters. JPMorgan representatives have met Democratic Party officials to emphasize the connection between its annual contribution and the need for a friendlier attitude toward the banks, a source familiar with JPMorgan's donations said. . ."

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 will be released April 7, 2014  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  

Two . . .

. . . more days . . .



Creative musician, Baltimore-based Ray Jozwiak offers recordings and performances of eclectic, instrumental solo piano (and piano-based) compositions that have been referred to as 'Fractured Jazz' laced with generous amounts of 'Improvisational Terror Tactics.'

Ray has been nominated for a WAMMIE Award in the Jazz Instrumentalist category, named Baltimore Magazine's BEST LOUNGE PIANIST and was a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest for the composition ALWAYS YOU.

Performances in and around Baltimore include the 13th Floor Lounge-The Belvedere, The Kiss Cafe, Gardel's Supper Club, The Full Moon Saloon, The Baltimore Songwriters Association, Border's Books and Music, GBMC, Tyson's Tavern, Elk Run Vineyards and appears regularly at The Brewer's Alley Songwriters' Showcase.

For the last couple of years, I have been working with founders of the Baltimore icon prog-band OHO (and former members of Ful Treatment) for a present-day OHO power trio crankin' out OHO classics, new material and selected 'covers' when live for your aural stimulation. Check it out at http://www.ohomusic.com

Ray's music (CDs CHROMATOSE, CRITIC'S CHOICE and PUT A FINGER ON IT and FOR THE RIDE and digital downloads-only ANOTHER SHOT, AMBIENCE & WINE, BLACK & WHITE THEN BACK and his latest "2014") are available for purchase at http://www.cdbaby.com/all/rjozwiak as well as a host of cyber-outlets for download.

The music incorporates, conjures, channels, borrows, steels, and respectfully pays homage to cartoon theme songs, childrens novelty tunes, pop, country, Polish folk songs and dances, hymns, the Beatles and the British invasion, prog and art rock from Gentle Giant to Egg, Myron Floren and Lawrence Welk, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Merle Haggard, Cannonball Adderly, Vince Guraldi, Wynton Kelly, Fats Waller, McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Eric Dolphy, Frank Zappa, Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk, Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco, Bob Zacharcko, Jay Graboski and David Reeve and more.



Available
from Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak
©2007 & 2014 Raymond M. Jozwiak
Available April 7, 2015

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 will be released April 7, 2014  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