Notes_Norton

Unsung indeed. Thanks for sharing.

See You Later Alligator - Bill Haley And His Comets From the jurassic rock era.

Egad, the word that refers to a procurer of customers for ladies of the night got bleeped. So to comply with the auto censor, I'll choose another. Insert cheat for the ***** above. My apologies to the censor, I'm not trying to be rude. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Those are just too funny. Worse than any day-job I ever had.

Thanks for the well-wishes Zip. Fortunately, we are both still in good health, but like I said, you never know. One instant you could be fine and a short second later, not. Life goes on and we have to meet the challenges and keep on keepin' on. I, too, have a life policy to take care of Mrs. Notes if I go first. Plus the mortgage is paid off, county taxes are low, and in FL the "Save Our Homes" only allows the gov't to raise the taxes 3% per year (which they do every year). Yes, I'm a Florida guy. I grew up in Pompano Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale, and when I turned 18, I played from Palm Beach to Miami. We also did a house gig in Fort Meyers for the better part of a year. The Rendezvous Lounge, which was downtown, and is no longer there. We rented a house, and would drive back to Ft. Lauderdale once a week to collect the mail. Then we went on the road, college bars, singles bars, show clubs, eventually being the opening act for major stars in concert, and then losing a record deal over money (they wanted to ***** us). That broke the band up, I played locally in Michigan for a while, then returned to Florida. Mrs. Notes and I did cruise ships for 3 summers while working South Florida for the tourist season until we got a reputation. That was enough to keep us booked year around after we jumped ship. I moved up the coast north of Palm Beach, and now gig in the tri-county area; Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River. This area worked out well for us. We were just another nice fish in a big pond in Ft. L, and it took aggressive marketing to stay booked. Up here we are a big fish in a small pond, and we have so much repeat business, that other than our website and an e-mail mailing list, I don't do any serious marketing at all. The tragedy of life is that it ends. So we have to get as much enjoyment out of each day while we are here. Sometimes that's very difficult, but we need to bounce back. Notes ♫

Back In Love Again - LTD

I wanted to take pictures of the fog this morning but I mist my chance. I guess I could dew it tomorrow!

When I was in Junior High School, I was in the school band, but after school I was in a rock and roll band. We were terrible, but so was everybody else at the time. We practiced and practiced trying our best to figure out the hit songs of the day (by ear, it was the dark ages) and play them. We got our first gig at a school dance. There I was on the stage with my best friends, playing with 90% energy and 10% technique. I was having the time of my life, and when I looked down off stage, that cute girl who didn't even acknowledge my existence in English class was "making eyes" at me. And at the end of the night they paid me $10 (which bought about what $100 does today). That's when I said, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life!!!" I was on the road after the free-love revolution and before AIDS put a ***** on that movement, and every girl I've ever met was introduced to me by my saxophone (*****ophone), including the best one of all, who I married. She is also a musician, and my duo partner since 1985. I don't need no stinkin' scientific proof, I have personal experience. I made love to women who were way above my pay grade. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

My wife is my duo partner. We've been together 44 years and married for 5. When we met we were in different bands that broke up about the same time. We both got into a 5 piece that was forming, then a few others, and in 1985 we were in a 5 piece with personnel problems which left us out of work for 3 months. That's when we decided to go duo. I play sax, flute, wind synthesizer, drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, and vocals in various amounts of proficiency. I bought some MIDI sequences in those early MIDI days, they were so bad we laughed our a__es off. So I started making my own. I still make my own backing tracks, that way I know the chords and the substitutions, I put them in the best key for the singer, arrange them so recognizable parts come soon (for the audience) and leave room for the solo hog (that would be me). Mrs. Notes is a great singer and she also plays guitar and synth. Most of all, she is my lover and my very best friend. I'd be devastated if I lost her, I'd probably cry for a month non-stop, so I feel for you Zippy. I'm 6 years older than her, and male, so odds are I'll go first. But you never know. We are greedier than we are sane. Not only 18 gigs this month, but last Sunday we played two. We had a breakfast gig at an outdoor restaurant in a hotel, and an evening gig about an hour's drive south. We had the morning gig booked for a while, and then the country club called and wanted that evening. We've played that dance for many years now, interrupted 2 years by COVID, and wanted to do it for 2 reasons (1) we really enjoy those people and (2) we know that if you give up a long-running gig like that, and they book someone else, chances are you won't get the gig back. The new committee will say, "Well, who did we have last year?" because it's easy and they have other details to be concerned about. Monday we just vegged out. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't gig anymore. I've done that since I was in Junior High School. The audience interaction is part of the high for me. I identify myself as a musician. Gigging is the most fun I can have with my clothes on. We play at a hotel that has 2 or 3 music acts a day/night. We were talking to one of the single musicians and he told us his idea of musician's hell - "Having to set up and tear down your own gear, and never getting to play." My idea of musician's hell would be having a disability that prevented me from playing. Zippy, I hope you recover in time, I suspect that your wife would want you to keep playing. Notes ♫

Kodachrome - Paul Simon I wasted a lot of Kodachrome in my camera, most of the slides have since faded with age.

Walkin' - Stanley Turrentine (one of my all-time favorite tenor sax players)

Those are the best kind of puns. It did me, too.

What's the difference between a well-dressed man on a bike and a poorly dressed man on a unicycle? Attire.

I thought of the great guitar player Terry Kath today, and I haven't heard this piece in a long time. I usually go for "25 or 6 to 4" but I like this Chicago effort too.

Roky was a great talent, but had a tragic life.^^^ You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone - Brooks & Dunn for a quadruple word score

I remember those huge "Voice Of The Theater" cabinets, 1/2" plywood monsters with one speaker in the middle and a huge horn on top. I also remember helping to haul a B3 organ up a flight of stairs. I think they were over 400 pounds. In my youth, I was a sax player in the band, so all I had was a tenor sax, an alto sax, and a flute. That meant I was free to help everyone else with the heavy equipment. Now I'm in a duo with my wife, who certainly does her share of the schlepping, but being the male, the stronger of the two, and wanting to keep my faux-macho image, I lift all the heaviest gear. I also play guitar, wind synth and sing on the job, and because I also play bass, drums, and keyboard synth, I make our backing tracks. I used to bring another 10 space rack full of synth modules for my backing tracks, but I leave that at home now and record the tracks and bring the recordings on a computer. I schlep a spare for that too. A couple of years ago, I had my back x-rayed, and a world-famous orthopedic surgeon said my back is surprisingly good shape for a man of my age. Just lucky, I guess. He said there was some wear at the base of my neck, and that's where the sax strap hangs. Playing the same instrument for years does affect one's body. The fingers on my right hand are curved a little to the right, an effect of reaching for the keys on the tenor sax all these years. In the end, the back problem was just a pulled muscle, and continuing to lift the gear made it slow to heal. But I had no choice, Mrs. Notes helped as much as she could, but she weighs only around 110 pounds. My EV ZLX-15P active speakers are 38 pounds each (I just looked them up). I used to have Carvin passive speakers, but gaining a pound or so on the active class D amplifiers in the speaker cabinet, let me leave home a heavy QSC power amplifier. The Carvins sounded good, the EVs sound even better. The good thing about having active speakers, is if one amp goes down, I still have one working speaker and the show goes on. And yes, I have a couple of spares. I lift the speakers (with my legs, not my back) to about 4 feet, and Mrs. Notes guides the speaker hole over the pole. There is a crank on the stand to get it higher than that. The 10 space rack with mixer, fx, and synth modules is probably heavier than the speakers, but I can lean it against the van's side door, lift from the bottom and slide it in so I never get the full weight on my back. The rack has wheels. We're gigging on the average 18 gigs per month since covid restrictions ended in January 2022, and each gig is a set-up and tear-down, so I don't need a gym membership to stay in shape. I call it "Speakercise". :D I have been gigging for a long time, it's what I do for a living. Sick or well, good conditions or bad, so far, I have never missed a downbeat - never been late or missed a gig. I'm a "the show must go on" kind of guy. I'm old enough to retire, but I love playing music to an appreciative audience. I have no intentions of quitting as long as I can get an audience. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Agreed. I did say they were lame.

You played the gig. The sign of a real trooper. The show must go on. I hope your injury heals quickly and completely. And I'm glad you saved the speaker. Save the gear always comes first, doesn't it. And I understand about the speaker. Ours are almost 40 pounds each. I lift, and Mrs. Notes helps to get the pole in the hole. (That sounds suggestive, doesn't it?) Well, playing music is our second favorite thing to do. Notes ♫

Tangerine - Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra (Jimmy was a fine alto sax player)

I’m reading a book about antigravity. It’s impossible to put down!

Up Jumped The Rabbit - Sam Butera

I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King

I saw a sign that said "Watch for children" and I thought, "That sounds like a fair trade."

What do you get when you mix alcohol and literature? Tequila mockingbird.