Monday, February 17, 2020

Shape . . .


(from A Warning by Anonymous)
". . . "If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other"  - Ulysses S. Grant . . .

. . . It comes as surprise to no one that political tribalism is surging in America. Our self-selected groups are becoming more partisan and less inclusive than ever before. Today we have a digital Mason-Dixon Line. It is splitting our country right down the middle, all the way to the household level. Donal Trump is not its sole cause. The line was drawn by the disruptive effects of technology and the fundamentals of human psychology, but the president's demagoguery has worsened the problem. His words are reshaping who we are . . . "





Sunday, February 16, 2020

Check . . .

. . . in time on "The Hours" . . .


On and on flow the hours
Like rolling waves upon the sea
And like so many and so varied flowers
Each one some nectar for the bee

We're keeping tabs and writing numbers
Logging each minute in the book
We have a choice to
Either dread the counting
Or see the forest if we look

Store the knowledge
Hoard the wisdom
Take the years
And just run like crazy
Party’s only
What you make it
Make it into the
Best you can

There’s no protection from the power
Generated everyday
The blazing lights shine
From each lofty tower
To illuminate the way

Things that never occur to you
In the spring
Become clear with each
Passing season

All options must be on the table
All points of view be understood
And if you don’t do ev’ry thing you’re able
Make sure you do those which are good


The Hours
Latest version of OHO's rendition
(Special thanks to Jay Graboski, Dave Kelly, Bill Pratt &
Harry Maben)




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)

For all things "Gonzo Piano" please visit:
Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano on CD Baby.com
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano Website
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano You Tube Channel

For all things "OHO" please visit:
The OHO CD Baby.com Website
OHO Music Website
The 'More OHO Music' You Tube Website
The 'Original' OHO Music You Tube Website



Saturday, February 15, 2020

Chromatose . . .



Absorbed am I to such extent
That mundane items hold no cache.
Extremes to which I'm so  hell-bent
Possess no limit; have no match.
By diversity and like curtains rent,
From my former self I'm now detached.
My aim is not quite so grandiose,
Lacking better terms, I call it Chromatose.


Chromatose

©2003 Raymond M. Jozwiak
from the album Chromatose



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)


For all things "Gonzo Piano" please visit:
Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano on CD Baby.com
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano Website
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano You Tube Channel

For all things "OHO" please visit:
The OHO CD Baby.com Website
OHO Music Website
The 'More OHO Music' You Tube Website
The 'Original' OHO Music You Tube Website

Friday, February 14, 2020

Holiday??? . . .



(from https://www.history.com/news/6-surprising-facts-about-st-valentine)
1. The St. Valentine who inspired the holiday may have been two different men.
Officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, St. Valentine is known to be a real person who died around A.D. 270. However, his true identity was questioned as early as A.D. 496 by Pope Gelasius I. . .  One account from the 1400s describes Valentine as a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed. A different account claims Valentine was the Bishop of Terni, also martyred by Claudius II on the outskirts of Rome.

2. In all, there are about a dozen St. Valentines, plus a pope. . .
The official Roman Catholic roster of saints shows about a dozen who were named Valentine or some variation thereof.

3. Valentine is the patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy, among many other things.

4. You can find Valentine’s skull in Rome.

5. English poet Geoffrey Chaucer may have invented Valentine’s Day. . .
No record exists of romantic celebrations on Valentine’s Day prior to a poem Chaucer wrote around 1375. In his work “Parliament of Foules,” he links a tradition of courtly love with the celebration of St. Valentine’s feast day–an association that didn’t exist until after his poem received widespread attention.

6. You can celebrate Valentine’s Day several times a year. . .
you might decide to celebrate St. Valentine of Viterbo on November 3. Or . . . St. Valentine of Raetia on January 7. . . (or) the only female St. Valentine (Valentina), a virgin martyred in Palestine on July 25, A.D. 308. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially celebrates St. Valentine twice, once as an elder of the church on July 6 and once as a martyr on July 30.






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)


For all things "Gonzo Piano" please visit:
Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano on CD Baby.com
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano Website
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano You Tube Channel

For all things "OHO" please visit:
The OHO CD Baby.com Website
OHO Music Website
The 'More OHO Music' You Tube Website
The 'Original' OHO Music You Tube Website

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Whining . . .

. . . a little . . .



Not only do we have to cultivate the seed of ideas and form the words and musical context in which to frame them, we have to either 1. be able to present (perform) the product (composition) or 2. secure the talents of a performer to adequately get the point of the effort across. Then, we must amass the resources and/or master the skills necessary, and invest the time to capture the performance in a medium in order to be able to present the product easily to members of the public (audience, consumers). After that, we must market, post/upload/distribute either physically or digitally the performance product to potential distribution entities and the general music-purchasing public (if we can find them).  And this, all, must be done simultaneously and continually in order to remain vital. I'm not complaining, mind you, but this 'passion' with all of its joy, fulfillment, satisfaction, fun and amusement does involve a substantial amount of 'work'.  

But it is all part and parcel of this . . .
Church
©2016 Raymond M. Jozwiak
(latest "polished" demo version)



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)


For all things "Gonzo Piano" please visit:
Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano on CD Baby.com
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano Website
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano You Tube Channel

For all things "OHO" please visit:
The OHO CD Baby.com Website
OHO Music Website
The 'More OHO Music' You Tube Website
The 'Original' OHO Music You Tube Website

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

More Church . . .



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

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 of mine


Church
©2016 Raymond M. Jozwiak
(demo recording in early stages)



Tuesday, February 11, 2020

It's Only . . .




. . . make-believe . . . 



". . . In the 2016 presidential campaign, Mr. Trump promised to eliminate the deficit (and all existing U.S. debt) in eight years. Instead, the budget deficit is two-thirds larger than the deficit he inherited, and his latest spending plan expects the shortfall to linger into 2035. And that’s only because the budget is built on a mountain of falsity — from an expectation that the economy will grow by 3% (which it hasn’t in the Trump era) and that Democratically held U.S. House of Representatives will accept a slew of damaging social safety net reductions, including cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, while substantially increasing spending on the military and a border wall. . . "






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)

For all things "Gonzo Piano" please visit:
Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano on CD Baby.com
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano Website
The Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano You Tube Channel

For all things "OHO" please visit:
The OHO CD Baby.com Website
OHO Music Website
The 'More OHO Music' You Tube Website
The 'Original' OHO Music You Tube Website