Writing about music . . .

. . . is like dancing about architecture. . . (Martin Mull)

If I may interject. . . 
 I’ve listened to the compositions here: http://rayjozwiak.com/music.html
Before I even listened to Ray’s music, I had to deal with his website.
Unhappily, it’s a clunky old thing and you’ll find yourself bemused with how even the simplest things can be complicated! I recommend setting up a WordPress site, Ray. It’s dead easy and it will look a million times better and work flawlessly, thus making it possible for your potential fans to check your music out without missing a beat (pun intended).
. . . quite possibly. . . 

And now to the real issue at hand. The music.
The samples provided are mainly solo piano pieces in a light jazz style. Most have a lot of potential, actually, and all feel like a welcome breath of fresh air in this mechanized-music world. But… there are issues here.

While Ray’s picture shows him playing a real piano, I couldn’t help but feel that many of these recordings were done on a piano synth/keyboard and then quantized with a sequencer. . . the piano in the photo was in fact NOT REAL, but an embryonic digital grand manufactured by Yamaha (off to a bad start). . . I don't know what quantization is. . . I could be dead wrong on that front, but that’s how some of this comes across. There’s a sense of rigidity which is so characteristic of quantization, so if this has been actually played . . .'fraid it's BEEN ACTUALLY PLAYED. . . should you just stop here?. . .  and NOT quantized… Ray! You’ve got to loosen up!. . . I'm sooo tight. . .  But if, indeed, it has been quantized – Ray, please stop that! . . . kinda damned if I did and damned if I didn't. . . A breath of 'quantized with a sequencer' fresh air huh?. . .

And so we come to my primary, and perhaps the only . . . why did you go on to mention six more and throw in a seventh in the GOOD part then?. . . really meaningful complaint. There are groove and tightness issues on these recordings which simply have to be addressed before this music sees a wider audience. This is particularly evident in the few multi-instrumental tracks within the above demo.

You’ve got to have a really loose feel when playing jazz, granted, but here we’re dealing with two forces pulling in opposite directions. On the one hand, many of the pieces feel rigid to the point of almost quantized, and on the other hand, some of the piano pieces seem to be doing their own thing while the background . . . background??? on the SOLO pieces. . . .come again please. . . is stubbornly refusing to get in synch!

Yeah I know. I’m a nitpicker from hell. . . . NO, YOU!!!???. . . But as a piano player myself and a part-time aficionado of good jazz, I wouldn’t be doing Ray any favors if I didn’t point these issues out. . . . you're TOO kind. . .

And then there is another side here. Ray clearly has the chops and a good technique – a good little . . . all 5'10" of me. . .  piano player for sure. But there’s also this thing known as a “take” . . . thank you very much. . . in the modern recording world! If you play it once and it ain’t quite perfect, . . . "Perfect". . . thought you said you KNEW jazz. . .  hit the record button again and do another one! And another. And you can even seamlessly combine takes using your sequencer . . . I don't have a sequencer. . . so that the final product is just perfect enough to be magical and just imperfect enough to be human.

In my view, then, the final production (i.e. attention to detail of the performance, not just the way the whole thing sounds) needs another serious look.

Since even the multi-instrumental pieces sound like it’s all done by one person with a sequencer, . . . I repeat. . . I don't have a sequencer. . . I would advise a different layering strategy than what might be a typical pop example. Rather than starting with sequencing a beat and then playing to it, start with pure piano performances (done on an acoustic piano, ideally) and then play LIVE along with the recording, when layering your drums, bass and whatever else you like. Avoid quantization like the plague except to correct minor errors.
And now for the good news. . . . there's GOOD news???. . .

As a composer, Ray is clearly in his element. He’s got some terrific ideas there and an unusual approach to rhythm and song structure. These are fantastic assets and more than one of his songs could find tons of fans who appreciate music which isn’t the same ol’ same ol’ all the time.
While I would question some of the dissonant notes here . . . what a surprise!!!. . . and there, none of that took away from the pleasure of immersing myself in the melodic, chordal and rhythmic patterns which are definitely not run of the mill. I miss this kind of music in today’s mad world. . . . maybe you could have LINGERED on some of this huh?. . .

In summary then, this needs to be meticulously “produced.” Just keep recording and fine-tuning each track until it completely rules. But make sure that it swings and is tight like a flea’s arse . . . sounds like you just might know something about THAT. . .  – while at the same time feeling loose and free. One of those paradoxical mysteries which make jazz so compelling.

FOISFOIS
from AMBIENCE & WINE
©2011 Raymond M. Jozwiak


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Archaic? . . .

. . . things may be different tomorrow. . .

(from Science of Mind by Earnest Holmes)

 "We are not dealing with a negative as well as a positive Power—not two powers but one; a power that sees neither good nor evil as we see it. It knows only that it is all, and since it is all, it creates whatever is given it. From our limited standpoint we often think of good and evil; not realizing that, as yet, we do not know the one from the other. What we call good today, we may call evil tomorrow, and what we think to be evil today, we may tomorrow proclaim as the greatest good we have known. Not so with the Great Universal Power of Mind; It sees only Itself and Its infinite ability to create. . 

. . . The law is no respecter of persons and will bring good or evil to any, according to his use or misuse of it. . . " 

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One perspective . . .

. . . on the meaning of life. . .

(maybe you've heard this one. . . )
On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"

And God saw it was good.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"

And God, again saw it was good.

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"

And God agreed it was good.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."

But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God, "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

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The Bitter End . . .

You never want to have to hear a word
From me again
Never want to have to see my face
At your door
If there's so much as the mention of
My name
You can feel an uncontrollable
Fit of pain

I'm the one
That you said
You would love
Til the bitter end

This must really be
This must really be the end
Nothing could be fitter
This must really be
This must really be the end
Make no mistake it's bitter

You never want us to be seen again
In public places
Can't explain it to another friend
How it goes
You say there's torment that you feel inside
From many things
I can tell you that I still don't know
What that means

Long ago
We were friends
Far removed
From this bitter end

This must really be
This must really be the end
Nothing could be fitter
This must really be
This must really be the end
Make no mistake it's bitter

There's no candy coating
To make it go down easier
Not so simple to digest
No bright colors and no
Exotic flavors sweetening
What you see is what you get

You never want to have to hear a word
From me again
Never want to have to see my face
At your door
If there's so much as the mention of
My name
You can feel an uncontrollable
Fit of pain

With one fell
Swoop you sent
Me direct to the bitter end

This must really be
This must really be the end
Nothing could be fitter
This must really be
This must really be the end
Make no mistake it's bitter


The Bitter End
from CHROMATOSE
©2003 Raymond M. Jozwiak




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A view . . .

. . . from the bottom. . . 

The richest 400 Americans own as much as the bottom 150 million put together. And these multimillionaires and billionaires are now actively buying the 2012 election—and with it, American democracy.

750 people at GS Technologies lost their jobs thanks to a bad deal engineered by Bain Capital. 15 million lost jobs after the cumulative deal-making 
of the entire financial sector pushed the whole economy off a cliff. Comparatively, Solyndra was a rounding error.

In 2011, America's top fifty financial CEOs got a 20.4 percent pay hike, even as the wages of most Americans continued to drop.

Welcome to the new Gilded Age, where buoyant rich men with flashy white teeth, raging wealth and a measured disdain for anyone lacking those attributes and challenge their own primary opponent to a $10,000 bet and referring to their wives'' several Cadillacs.

Something much like the robber barons of the Gilded Age complete with political power has now returned with a vengeance.

(based upon the writings of Robert Reich)

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Harsh? . . .

. . . yes.  But I feel better.

 To William Lori (archbishop of the archdiocese of Baltimore),

First, you must understand that there are people who are devout, practicing Catholics and there are people who are NOT.  Accept them all as human beings possessed of the dignity and deserving of every right and privilege that entails. And that means equally and without discrimination.

While you say and think that your right to practice your religion freely is being obstructed, I say that you are deceitful.  In pretending that your hospitals or other healthcare facilities offer 'healthcare' services to everyone without discrimination and then refusing to provide your very own employees (who carry out the tasks that make those services possible) healthcare that any and all 21st century rational people would expect to receive, makes you little more than a hypocrite.

You blatantly claim that your 'dogma' prohibits you from offering birth control or abortion services to your very own staff, yet you will happily accept federal funds and claim that your ineligibility to receive those funds is the government prohibiting your RELIGIOUS FREEDOM???!!!  This stance reveals that you are pre-scientific, tribal and irrational. 

Please wake up, read, think, digest and bring yourself up to date.  The year is 2012, not 1600.

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July already. . .

. . . but I REFUSE to rush my summer, thank-you-very-much!

Here's what my good friends in Frederick (MD) are up to today.  Now that's the way to spend a hot July afternoon.

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