pianogonzology

Monday, April 27, 2015

The Lengths . . .

. . . some take for an 'afterlife' . . .

I had no idea that in certain parts of China, there are services available providing strippers to appear at funeral services in order to attract more people. The logic is, the greater the crowd, the greater reward awaits the deceased in the afterlife. The government is working with the police to crack down on such practices.

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

Sunday, April 26, 2015

If Not Now . . .

. . . WHEN?

We will most likely hear of this type of situation in many more American cities before any meaningful change occurs. But it will. It has to. The time has come. The time is now.

(http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/25/us/baltimore-freddie-gray-protest/)
". . . Protesters angry over the death of Freddie Gray got into physical altercations with police Saturday night in downtown Baltimore near the city's famed baseball stadium.

Some of the hundreds who confronted lines of police officers got into shoving matches with helmeted cops while other demonstrators threw objects. At least five police cars were damaged by people who smashed windows and jumped on them.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was profoundly disappointed by the violence, adding that 95% of the protesters were respectful but a "small group of agitators intervened."

Twelve people were arrested, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts 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 is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Saturday, April 25, 2015

It Depends . . .

You said our love would last forever
It depends on what you mean by forever
You said we'd always be together
It depends on what you mean by together
You said you always want me near
And if I'd ever leave
You'd welcome me back
It depends on what you mean
It depends on what you mean by that

You're not distracted by another
It depends on what you mean by distracted
You took a vow said you'd be faithful
It depends on what you think take a vow means
You told me never have a fear
Nothing would change
No matter how the cards were stacked
It depends on what you mean
It depends on what you mean by that

I'd always hoped that you would be able to stop
And turn around in your tracks
It depends on what you mean
It depends on what you mean by that

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

What do you think?

Friday, April 24, 2015

Puzzled . . .

. . . about what I should learn from this . . .

(from http://riyadhconnect.com/african-girl-receives-thousands-of-riyals-in-donations-after-man-in-saudi-posts-selfie-with-her/)
An African child has received thousands of riyals in donations after a man posted a selfie with her picking through trash in the background on Twitter in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

The photo sparked outrage on Twitter and prompted a huge outpouring of kindness online.

Local newspaper Al Marsad reported that the man who came under heavy criticism for taking the selfie, roamed Jeddah until he found the girl so he can apologise and offer her gifts.

Since the selfie was posted, generous Twitter users have donated money and gifts to the girl. Famous Saudi rally driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi donated SR50,000 to the little girl.

Other supporters have also donated huge amounts and a businessman pledged to give the girl a monthly allowance for life.

What do you think?

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Cold . . .

. . . sweet memories

(from http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-05/news/wr-1156_1_ice-cream)
Around 50 years ago . . . ". . . Fidel Castro ordered his ambassador to Canada to ship him 28 containers of Howard Johnson's ice cream, one of each flavor. After tasting them all, Castro declared that his Cuban revolution must produce a quality ice cream of its own. So the Communist government plunged headlong into the helado business. An ice cream factory sprang up on the highway to Havana's airport, while an abandoned hospital in the city's busy Vedado district came down to make way for one of the world's largest ice cream parlors. Cecilia Sanchez, Castro's private secretary and close companion since their guerrilla days, took charge of the enterprise and named it Coppelia, after her favorite ballet. She designed the plaid skirts worn by waitresses at the two-story parlor since its inauguration June 4, 1966. As the revolution matured, Coppelia sprouted scores of branches in cities and towns across the Caribbean island. By 1980, the year Sanchez died, it was serving more than 50 flavors, from almond to walnut. . . "

What do you think?

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Normal . . .

(from The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon)
(. . . Though effective treatments exist even for diseases we do not begin to understand, knowing how the components of a disease are related helps us to discern its immediate precipitants and address them. It helps us to understand a constellation of symptoms and to see in what ways one system my influence another. Most of the systems of explanation for illness-the biochemical, the psychoanalytic, the behavioral, and the sociocultural-are fragmentary and leave many things unexplained, and highly irregular and unsystematic. Why do particular feelings and particular actions correlate in illness but not in health? "Psychiatry's most pressing need," (Michael) McGuire and (Alfonso) Triosi write, "is to embrace evolutionary theory and to begin the process of identifying its most important data and of testing novel explanations of disorders. Attempts to explain behavior, normal or otherwise, without having an in-depth understanding of the species one is studying invite misinterpretation." . . . "

What do you think?

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Marching . . .

. . . onward . . .

I had the pleasure to add a piano melody to this movement from Jay's 'Ahora' suite, which is creatively simmering to perfection under his watchful eye (and ears). With some motivation ("What's my motivation Mr. DeMille?") and the free time to devote one's undivided attention without the pressure of other commitments, the process of feeling the music and using one's imagination to add a melody that positively supplements the beauty of the basic music is at the same time intriguing, challenging, gratifying . . . and fun!

Requiem For Dolmis (from Ahora)
Mix by OHO April 2015

What do you think?