pianogonzology

Sunday, April 29, 2018

The Past . . .

Finally it happened. A match. A 'club' that required exactly the musical product we were offering. It was a relatively roomy, oblong configuration with a large rectangular bar that encircled the tending staff, located at one end with a dance floor to the side and a stage at the far end of that. It was located in an industrial area to the south of the city, in close proximity to the docks, business of which brought many merchant marine and an assortment of blue-collar clientele for some weekend reverie. In fact, we frequently, unfairly generalizing, joked about the patrons' general lack of teeth and violent tendencies. Let's face it though, large amounts of quickly consumed alcohol frequently does result in less-than-gentlemanly behavior in humans, irrespective of type of employment or socioeconomic level. . . Our bigotry was not based entirely in fiction though. One particularly well-lubricated Friday night crowd included two, physically imposing females, complete with the teased, bouffant hairdo, each with a personalized version of a blond-streak adornment. Someone in the crowd was heard to refer to these ladies as 'skunk-heads', referring to the aforementioned blond coloring. As the evening progressed, it became obvious to us that the 'skunk-heads' had become enamored with several male members of the crowd. It became more obvious still later, that there was some discontent among the party of ladies and their newly-found, romantic interests. Eventually a real, true-to-life bar brawl erupted as a result of the developing sexual tension (or was it friction?) When the fists began flying, the entire band and our visitors were, for lack of a better description, flabbergasted. At that point, we all know precisely what happened, but each would relate a different version now if asked, one of the involved merchant marines picked up a chair from a table adjoining the dance floor, and broke it over the head of his antagonist, sending a wooden chair leg hurling meteor-like onto the bandstand. It seemed as though the frame froze at that point, all sound ceased, and we all stared toward the crowd, mouths agape in astonishment for what seemed to be a short eternity, but ended with Greg (our saxman/vocalist) picking up the disconnected furniture appendage, waving it in the direction of the audience saying something to the effect that he dared anyone to try anything NOW!

The Chariot
(Er-Nel's 1977)

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
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
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!
Watch The Ocean City Ditty Video on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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Saturday, April 28, 2018

Greener . . .

. . . grass

(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/dnc-sues-trump-russia-wikileaks-over-2016-email-hack-n867801)
". . . The DNC is seeking recompense for what it says was millions of dollars in damages from Russia’s hacking of its internal emails, which were then published by WikiLeaks, with the encouragement of then-candidate Trump and his campaign. . . The civil complaint, filed in federal district court in Manhattan on Friday, is unrelated to the criminal investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, as well as congressional investigations into Russian meddling. . ."

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
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
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!
Watch The Ocean City Ditty Video on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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Friday, April 27, 2018

Let Us . . .

. . . bow our heads. . .

(. . . the prayer offered by Rev. Patrick Conroy on the House floor on Nov. 6, 2017, before tax legislation was passed and signed the into law by President Donald Trump. . .)

(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/speaker-ryan-forces-out-house-chaplain-n869421)
". . . "As legislation on taxes continues to be debated this week and next, may all members be mindful that the institutions and structures of our great nation guarantee the opportunities that have allowed some to achieve great success, while others continue to struggle," Conroy said. . . "May their efforts these days guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans," he added. . . "

(. . . then Paul Ryan FIRED him!)

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Thursday, April 26, 2018

Divine . . .

The church of music
Holds no ham and oyster suppers
We're all just deacons
With our boots upon the ground
Marching into mystery
In command but
Still can't quite see

The church of music
Won't require your weekly presence
You'll find it stays with you
No matter where you are
No dogmatic postulates
No demands on
Your fidelity

It can end the darkest night
Carry you through the hours
Know not if it’s wrong or right
Make no mistake
It’s divine
This church of mine

There are no fiery demons
In what I believe
It’s not for me to say
Who’s what and where they go
All things flowing naturally
No controlling
Power over you or me

It can end the darkest night
Carry you through the hours
Know not if it’s wrong or right
Make no mistake
It’s divine
This church of mine

Stricly spiritual
No trace of any politics
Lurking in the mix or in the fabric
Only what is good
No room for hate and no deceit
Honesty
Sincerity will move you
And me

This church won’t interfere
With what you think or do
Your body and your mind are
Yours and yours alone
No one tells you what to say
No one criticizes
What you feel inside

It can heal the deepest wound
Shine a light in the darkness
Warm a chill in any room
Make no mistake
It’s divine
This church . . .
It can end the darkest night
Carry you through the hours
Know not if it’s wrong or right
Make no mistake
It’s divine
This church of mine

Church
©2016 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Gazebo . . .

. . . (coming to an auditory nerve near you SOON)

And here are the ladies and gentleman who made it all possible:

OHO:

David Reeve (drums, rhythmelodic deployment, vocals, engineering, keyboards, whistling)

Ray Jozwiak (keyboards, accordion, vocals) Jay Graboski (vocals, guitars, bass, mandolin, percussion, keyboards) and Bill Pratt (engineering, vocals, keyboards, whistling) with Steve Carr (bass guitar, 14; engineering, 9, 14, 18) John Cochran (bass guitar, 6) T. Craig Considine (trombone, 8) Denise Fischer (vocals, 3) P. Daly German (lead guitar, vocals, percussion, 4) Lisa Griffee (backing vocals, 13, 15) David Hughes (bass guitar, 2, 15)

Spencer Jozwiak (bass guitar, 12) Bruce Kovacs (french horn, 10, 13) Ric Levine (additional bass guitar, 6) Harry Maben (drums, 14) Gene Meros (sax, 7, 10, 16) Mark O’Connor (“Ivy Dog” groans, 12) Mary O’Connor Bruns (backing vocal, 14) Bill Phelan (electric 12 string guitar, 6, 10; pedal steel guitar, 4) Barry Lee Reichart (lead vocal, lead & rhythm guitars, 12) Wayne Rosenbaum (additional drums, 6) Kirsten Smith (backing vocals, 15)

Ted Staley (percussion, 15)

This one’s for Connell

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

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Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Bend . . .

Inevitably we must move along
Irrespective of the past
But not forgetting it
Fortify yourself with it
It is the stuff of which you're made
And if it doesn't quite seem relevant
Quite possibly you haven't really lived

It's not always simple
It's not always easy
Some precious things will be missed
But they will live on stubbornly
Others will remain
Though possibly on a modified scale
While the glory of new possibilities lies ahead

The Bend(032518)
©2018 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Monday, April 23, 2018

Roads . . .

. . . more and less traveled . . .

People talk about all kinds of things
Like the weather
Like their politics
Like the things that they watch on TV
But still the roads diverge

Funny though all this chatter don't mean a thing
When compared with the wondering
When they speak of just how
The roads diverge

There comes a moment
You’re suddenly face with a choice
All that you thought that you
Knew becomes smoke
And all of your detailed and
Best laid-out plans
Have become just one
Great big joke

Some will cope
Some will agonize endlessly
Pleading take this away from me
This decision I face
When roads diverge

Less Traveled
based upon Roads Diverge ©2014 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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