Notes_Norton

Groovin With Jug — Richard Groove Holmes

I haven't been to France yet, but it's on my list. I played in a band, here in the USA with a French man who went back to France and became famous, Gilbert Montagne. I've been to Quebec, Canada, which has a lot of French-speaking people, and I enjoyed it. I play in an RV park when man of them spend the winter, and they are a great audience. One of these days I'll get to France. We can only take one vacation per year, and we have been visiting places that are changing rapidly. Before COVID we were planning to go to Madagascar. But we put that off, after the lockdown, and with their internal troubles, it's been put on the proverbial back burner. This year we went to Hawaii, while Kilauea was erupting.

There is more than one way to enjoy music, and there is no wrong way. I've learned the lyrics to a few hundred songs that I sing on the gig. But when I'm singing, I'm in the place where the words don't make sense. They are annunciations, and since I know the subject of the song, I'm trying to emote the melody to agree with it. It's the same when I'm playing the sax, wind synth, or guitar. I'm in that wordless place where there is no space, no time and no me, just the music feeling like it's flowing through me, instead of from me, and the energy from the audience feeding back to me. Some might think I'm weird, and I wouldn't disagree. Notes ♫

Cheesecake? Mmm. How about some... Cherry Pie — Skip and Flip From my big sister's era of rock and roll.

I gave up trying to write songs. Why? I'm not very good at it (OK, I suck at it). Every lyric I've ever written has sound either blatantly ripped off from someone else, or simply too trite and terrible. Perhaps because I really don't listen to the words much when I listen to music. The lyrics are the last thing. Until then, they are just articulations, with no meaning by the soloist. How do they work with the chords? How are the countermelody and rhythm instruments supporting the melody? How are the bassist and percussionist working together? And there are so many other things, both big and nuanced little things, to analyze about what makes this song that I like work. After I digest the music completely, I'll listen to the words, and then decide if the music is supporting the mood of the song. Even then, I'm paying more attention to the expressive nuances of the vocalist. How is he/she treating that note, bending it? Changing the dynamics? Adding ornaments? And how is he/she phrasing the lines. How can I apply what I like about that to my sax, wind synth, or guitar solos. Then how is this all put together to make the whole thing work. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I became a live player. But not the only one. I've never had stage fright, and really enjoy performing. Plus, I really like playing the music. I like being in the place where there is no space, no time, no me, just the music feeling like it's flowing through me, instead of from me, and feeling the energy coming back from the audience. It's the most fun I can have with my clothes on. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

For lunch, I'm going to have a grilled cheese sandwich. Two slices of seeded bread. Inside a thick slice of Danish Havarti, another thick slice of Irish Kerrygold Dubliner, and a bit of crumbled bacon (optional). Heated in a pan with a generous amount of Finlandia butter until browned, and then served with a fried egg on top and some pancake syrup. Plus a glass of California Cabernet Sauvignon wine on the side. Sometimes instead of the bacon inside, some fresh strawberries on the side is nice. Mrs. Notes invented these, and IMO it's the best grilled cheese sandwich, ever. For us, the cheese is better if it's whole milk cheese. We shy away from part-skim cheese. The flavor is in the fat. Also, the cheese should be from A2 cows. How to tell? If she eats it and gets black eyes the next day, it's A1. That excludes most USA cheeses. I've read A1 cows give more milk. But one of the amino acids has a mutation, instead of it being a proline it's a histidine. That turns into histamine, which you need an antihistamine to combat. At least that's the way I understand it. I also read that one of the few bulls imported to the “new world” had the mutation, but the cows it sired gave more milk, so the lucky bull got to breed with a lot of cows. So did its descendants. What I do know for sure, is she has a sensitivity to A1 milk, so we avoid that. Notes ♫

Yippee, all the drugs I want, for free!!!

One is too many But seriously, I played an 'Italian Fest' and an accordion player played some beautiful non-polka, romantic music. It CAN be done. Notes ♫

I make my living doing music, and nothing but music. That involves compromises, what to play, where to play, and so on. But to me, the ultimate compromise is to take a 5-day, 40 hour, proletarian, wage-slave job so I can play 'art music'. I can do commercial gigs, and still play 'art music' on the side. And I really enjoy the gigs, too. Notes ♫

Space Is The Place — Sun Ra

French Brie, English Cheddar, Italian Scamorza, Dutch Gouda, Swiss Gruyère, and so on, Mrs. Notes and I usually buy European or Australian cheese. Why? She has a reaction to A1 milk products, and most USA cheese is A1. Most of European and Australian is from A2 milk. There are good cheeses in the USA. I've been to Europe, Spain, Italy, Gibraltar, Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, and England/Scotland/Wales (which aren't really in Europe). I enjoyed my visits very much, I enjoyed the Europeans and the food, too. My opinion of the Europeans? Same as everywhere else I've traveled, mostly populated by nice people, but sadly, infiltrated by a few jerks. I've also been to all 50 USA states, plus 4 US territories, and enjoyed my visits, the people, and the food here, too. I've done Asia, Africa, and the Americas/Caribbean, as well. Of all the places I've been to, there are only three I'd like to live in, the USA, Spain, and Australia. Of all the places I've visited, I enjoyed them all. From Jamaica to China, to Austria, to Florida, to Alaska, to Australia, to Hawaii, to Labrador, to Moscow, most people are just trying to live a happy life, and make the world a decent place for their children. And most governments are servants of the greedy, rich, and powerful. I think it has always been that way, the only thing that changes are the details and the technology. Notes ♫

Wanted Dead Or Alive — Bon Jovi

Scream — Mickael & Janet Jackson

Sorry to hear that you are burned out on music. I've seen it happen to quite a few. My main advices is don't sell all your instruments. Keep enough so that if you change your mind in the future, you can return. My story is opposite. At 19, I was almost a star. Opening concerts for the people in the Billboard top 10. We were in negotiations with Motown for a record deal, but Motown only wanted to pay 2 cents per record. Out of our royalties they wanted to take exaggerated recording, distribution, and promotional costs. In addition, they wanted to own our name, have all publishing rights, and a non-contributing ghostwriter to take half any songwriting royalties. Our management tried for 2.5 cents and they quit talking. So I got my disappointment when I was still young, We went back to playing bars, this was before DJs took over singles clubs. So there was money coming in and plenty of pretty girls to try to impress. I was never much at writing lyrics, so I've made a life playing other people's music. I'm past retirement age, but still enjoying each and every gig. I married one of those girls who happened to be another musician, and since 1985 we've been gigging as a duo. But this life is definitely not for everyone. I've seen many of my band buddies quit it entirely, and others put it down for a few years and come back to it. There is more than one right way to go through life. Enough about me, here is the important part: Whatever you do to replace the music in your life, I hope it gives you great enjoyment and fulfillment. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

You didn’t hear about the three big holes in the ground? Well, well, well. (We do need a groan emoji)

Hound Dog — Big Mama Thorton