WHAT STUART CAN PRODUCE for an NGO or ORGANIZATION

HOW TO ENTER THE RAFFLE

-- Buy a ticket by sending $25 to piano88@sbcglobal.net (via Venmo or PayPal). Deadline is July 20.

QUESTIONS? totalembrace88@gmail.com

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

Good people of planet Earth, it is my great pleasure to inform you that the very magnificent, masterful, fun-loving, creative, multi-instrumentalist and man-about-town, Jonathan "Fuzzbee" Morse, has just released a wonderful new four-song EP, I Burn For You.

If you already know Fuzzbee's music, you are in for a treat. If you don't know Fuzzbee's music, here is your introduction to a man who, at 16, was jamming with Frank Zappa, and has gone on to play with such other musical greats as Bono, Sting, Lou Reed, Aaron Neville, Jaco Pastorius, Third World, Karla Bonoff, Richie Havens, Jean-Luc Ponty, Ric Ocasek, Axl Rose, Chambers Brothers, Greg Hawkes, Ben Orr, Pink, Dave Grohl, The Soul Survivors, Daniel Lanois, Donovan, Jerry Marotta, Tony Levin, Derek Trucks, Julian Lennon, Rufus Wainwright, John Sebastian, David Sancious, Jesse Colin Young, Freebo, Natalie Cole, Lee Sklar, Nick Mason, and Russ Kunkel.

And that's just a sampling, folks.

What follows are excerpts from the liner notes of Fuzzbee's EP booklet. After that? Fuzzbee's answers to my questions.

PS: The best way to read the rest of this post is to listen to "I Burn for You" at the same time.

1. "I Burn for You"

I got to know Sting in 1986, when we were both on the Conspiracy of Hope tour and became a doubles team (undefeated!) on the tennis court. Whenever we've seen each other since then, there's always been a warm, mischievous vibe.

A little while back, Sting put out the word he wanted to hear some different takes on his songs. That intrigued me, and this song is one that I've always loved: I Burn For You.

Sting's band at the time I got to know him was the band that worked this up, including my friends, Janice Pendarvis, DoLette MacDonald, Darryl Jones, the great Kenny Kirkland, Omar Hakim (who went nuts on the original) and Branford Marsalis.

I cooked this up and got it to Sting in London on a Saturday night. By the time I woke up on Sunday, there was a message from him letting "mr. fuzzbee" know how he appreciated my Burn and that he now wanted to play it more again, himself.

So, here ya go. Alto flutes, bass, guitars, keyboards & things you hit. Enjoy!

2. "Warmth Of The Sun/Sleep Walk"

This is as close as I come to Christmas music! I've always adored both of these songs and thought there might be a way to musically tie them together with the guitar & harmonies. I could've added several other resonant songs to this mashup, but felt it better to contain it to these two gems and find the ways that they could cross.

Brian Wilson's chord changes always killed me, so consider this a little thank you and homage to Mr. Wilson. May 2022 - 2023 be far better for all of us!

3. "Anybody Like You"

In my inexplicable & thoroughly wacky life, I've had many unexpected friends, mentors and colleagues, and Paul Allen was easily one of the most impactful.

As opaque and removed as he could be to many, we had a warm, funny and meaningful friendship for many years. We connected on a deep lifelong love of Jimi Hendrix and became jamming buddies and friends from our first meeting, playing 'til 4 in the morning on his birthday in January of 2006.

His Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship the next day, as I pointed to him on the TV and told Julie, "that's the guy I was jamming with last night!"

He was the ultimate wildcard. A truly brilliant man, whose head was immersed in finding solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems like climate change, ocean health, curing Alzheimer's and figuring out how to properly pull off Little Wing.

I'll consider him one of the greatest human beings I've ever encountered 'til I check out of this madhouse. And a treasured friend. We had so much fun together. From that first moment, on his birthday.

With great love and appreciation to Paul G. Allen.

4. "As Long as the Wind Blows"

Written with abiding love & respect for George Harrison, with embedded Beatles tributes by Tony Levin, who played with John & Ringo and Jerry Marotta, who played with Paul McCartney. The Beatles made me want to play, write & perform when I was a little kid. Oh yeah, and get chased by screaming girls.

George was so profoundly an essential part of the depth & timelessness of the Beatles, along with John, Paul & Ringo. His contribution is immeasurable. With much love to PR.

EXCERPTS FROM MY INTERVIEW with FUZZBEE

1. What inspired you to produce/create/release this EP at this time?

I'd already decided to release my reinvention of a song of Sting's and, rather than just selling one song, it seemed natural to combine it with other unreleased pieces from the last couple of Years of the Plague.

2. Is there some kind of theme or thread that connects all four songs?

They were all triggered by different events & people, but the underlying theme may be irreplaceable people and appreciations of the richness of life.

3. How did COVID 19 and the closing all all musical venues affect you? What did you learn from that experience?

All musical work stopped completely for a while. No studios open, no live music, very little income from my field. I ended up re-doing my studio and started to work remotely from my place, but it was a pretty brutal stretch. I learned how hungry people are, including me, for live music and live interaction.

4. Some people say that music is the universal language. Is it? And if so, what is it trying to say to all of us?

Yes, it's the closest thing to a universal language, with all of its varying flavors from different cultures, eras and styles. Great music can be enjoyed by anyone from any part of the world.

5. Who are your biggest musical influences?

Frank Zappa, The Beatles, Stravinsky, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Motown, Joni Mitchell, Philly Soul (especially Thom Bell's songs), Bernard Herrmann and all the great Bluesmen: Albert King, Robert Johnson, BB King, etc.

6. When did you know that music was what you were here to do?

Probably about eight or nine.

7. What are three (as yet) unfulfilled dreams of yours?

-- To have enough money not to waste time worrying about it.
-- To have a house in a healthy area with a full recording studio in it.
-- To play a piece at the Grammys that absolutely brings the house down. Or even one timeless solo.

8. Why would you like people to buy your EP?

To enjoy the music, further their own inspiration and help feed my chihuahua.

9. What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Boiinnnngggg!

10. What was it like to meet Mickey Mantle as a young boy?

Absolute nirvana.

11. Complete these sentences:

"The best thing about jamming with Frank Zappa at 16 was... the look on his face. (Playing the best I'd ever played in my life didn't hurt)."

"If I had $250,000 in the bank I would be... most grateful."

"My favorite line from a Bob Dylan song is... "he not busy being born is busy dying."

"In the next ten years I would like to... achieve having a comfortable life making my own music and spend lots of quality time with friends."

"Though money can't buy happiness, it can... keep the hellhounds at bay."

"If I met Buddha on the road, I would... ask him about his favorite restaurants."

"The most extraordinary musician i ever met was... Jaco Pastorius and Frank Zappa (tied)."

"One of the great things about playing music at Canter's Deli in LA is... that it's usually unplanned and great surprises occur. Having a weekly residency in a big city allows for plenty of experimentation and regular attendees."

"The thing baseball and music most have in common is.. breathing room and hits."

Fuzzbee's "I Burn for You" on Bandcamp
Fuzzbee's website

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:44 PM | Comments (1)

Six years ago, I had a rare opportunity to meet with Prem Rawat for an hour each day over the course of four days to talk about his photography. The goal? To learn about his fascination and approach to the art so I could write about his photography for his website, RawatCreations.com.

What was my experience during those four days? Like nothing I had ever experienced before.

After the second day of meeting with him, his secretary called to tell me that tomorrow would be a day off -- which I was very glad to have, needing as I was, some time to process everything we had talked about the previous two days and to more deeply get in touch with the feeling that was bubbling up inside of me.

And so, on the morning of the third day, after breakfast, I decided to go for a long walk by the beach.

As I walked, I began sensing an extraordinary sensation -- one most writers are very familiar with -- the experience of words spontaneously forming from deep within, giving shape to uncontainable inspiration.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a pen in a sudden urge to write, but realized I had nothing to write on. Not a notebook. Not a piece of paper. Not even the back of a business card. So I kept on walking, letting the feeling within me marinate, assuming I'd write it all down when I got back home.

Nice concept. Wrong lifetime.

I had to write! I had to give shape to what was burning within me to be born. I had to get it down on paper. That's the moment when I saw a garbage can just ahead of me -- an overflowing garbage can. Never before had I been this happy to see a garbage can. Reaching in, I pulled out three almost pristine napkins. Then, as I sat down on a park bench, a kind of divine palsy took me over and shook a whole bunch of words out of me.

It wasn't a poem. It wasn't a story. It was a song and I could hear it being sung.

When I got back to my friend's house, I typed it up and emailed it to my good friend, Stuart Hoffman, a wonderful musician, composer, and arranger -- someone I had collaborated with many times before on all kinds of fun projects.

The title of the song? Love Today.

In the days that followed, Stuart, God bless him, produced a demo of the song.

A few years passed. We moved on to other projects. The song just sat there wherever unfinished songs sit. But every time we talked about it, we'd feel a surge of irrepressible inspiration and delight. Late at night, more than a few times, we talked about taking it further, but the time just wasn't right. Until it was. Like a few weeks ago to be more specific.

That's when Stuart engaged the services of Stephen Rivera, an extraordinary vocalist who had just the right sound for the song.

And so here we are, today. Or, should I say, Love Today -- a musical collaboration between Stuart, Stephen and myself.

The three of us invite you to give it a listen. If you like what you hear, feel free to forward it to your friends or, if have any enemies, them too.

If you want to download it from Stuart's Bandcamp site, it's simple to do. It's also the bonus track on Stuart's newly released compilation CD, "Can't Stop This Love: The Essential Collection", which will be available for sale at the Focus Five Amaroo Peace Event from September 4 - September 10 and online at Eversound.

"Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life, bringing peace, abolishing strife." -- Kahlil Gibran

PremRawat.com
TimelessToday.com

Album cover design: Jennifer Edwards

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

Good people of planet Earth, it is my great pleasure to inform you that the very magnificent, masterful, fun-loving, creative, multi-instrumentalist and man-about-town, Jonathan "Fuzzbee" Morse, has just released a wonderful new four-song EP, I Burn For You.

If you already know Fuzzbee's music, you are in for a treat. If you don't know Fuzzbee's music, here is your introduction to a man who, at 16, was jamming with Frank Zappa, and has gone on to play with such other musical greats as Bono, Lou Reed, Aaron Neville, Jaco Pastorius, Third World, Karla Bonoff, Richie Havens, Jean-Luc Ponty, Ric Ocasek, Axl Rose, Chambers Brothers, Greg Hawkes, Ben Orr, Pink, Dave Grohl, The Soul Survivors, Daniel Lanois, Donovan, Jerry Marotta, Tony Levin, Derek Trucks, Julian Lennon, Rufus Wainwright, John Sebastian, David Sancious, Jesse Colin Young, Freebo, Natalie Cole, Lee Sklar, Nick Mason, and Russ Kunkel.

And that's just a sampling, folks.

What follows are excerpts from the liner notes of Fuzzbee's EP booklet. After that? Fuzzbee's answers to my questions.

PS: The best way to read the rest of this post is to listen to "I Burn for You" at the same time.

1. "I Burn for You"

I got to know Sting in 1986, when we were both on the Conspiracy of Hope tour and became a doubles team (undefeated!) on the tennis court. Whenever we've seen each other since then, there's always been a warm, mischievous vibe.

A little while back, Sting put out the word he wanted to hear some different takes on his songs. That intrigued me, and this song is one that I've always loved: I Burn For You.

Sting's band at the time I got to know him was the band that worked this up, including my friends, Janice Pendarvis, DoLette MacDonald, Darryl Jones, the great Kenny Kirkland, Omar Hakim (who went nuts on the original) and Branford Marsalis.

I cooked this up and got it to Sting in London on a Saturday night. By the time I woke up on Sunday, there was a message from him letting "mr. fuzzbee" know how he appreciated my Burn and that he now wanted to play it more again, himself.

So, here ya go. Alto flutes, bass, guitars, keyboards & things you hit. Enjoy!

2. "Warmth Of The Sun/Sleep Walk"

This is as close as I come to Christmas music! I've always adored both of these songs and thought there might be a way to musically tie them together with the guitar & harmonies. I could've added several other resonant songs to this mashup, but felt it better to contain it to these two gems and find the ways that they could cross.

Brian Wilson's chord changes always killed me, so consider this a little thank you and homage to Mr. Wilson. May 2022 - 2023 be far better for all of us!

3. "Anybody Like You"

In my inexplicable & thoroughly wacky life, I've had many unexpected friends, mentors and colleagues, and Paul Allen was easily one of the most impactful.

As opaque and removed as he could be to many, we had a warm, funny and meaningful friendship for many years. We connected on a deep lifelong love of Jimi Hendrix and became jamming buddies and friends from our first meeting, playing 'til 4 in the morning on his birthday in January of 2006.

His Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship the next day, as I pointed to him on the TV and told Julie, "that's the guy I was jamming with last night!"

He was the ultimate wildcard. A truly brilliant man, whose head was immersed in finding solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems like climate change, ocean health, curing Alzheimer's and figuring out how to properly pull off Little Wing.

I'll consider him one of the greatest human beings I've ever encountered 'til I check out of this madhouse. And a treasured friend. We had so much fun together. From that first moment, on his birthday.

With great love and appreciation to Paul G. Allen.

4. "As Long as the Wind Blows"

Written with abiding love & respect for George Harrison, with embedded Beatles tributes by Tony Levin, who played with John & Ringo and Jerry Marotta, who played with Paul McCartney. The Beatles made me want to play, write & perform when I was a little kid. Oh yeah, and get chased by screaming girls.

George was so profoundly an essential part of the depth & timelessness of the Beatles, along with John, Paul & Ringo. His contribution is immeasurable. With much love to PR.

EXCERPTS FROM MY INTERVIEW with FUZZBEE

1. What inspired you to produce/create/release this EP at this time?

I'd already decided to release my reinvention of a song of Sting's and, rather than just selling one song, it seemed natural to combine it with other unreleased pieces from the last couple of Years of the Plague.

2. Is there some kind of theme or thread that connects all four songs?

They were all triggered by different events & people, but the underlying theme may be irreplaceable people and appreciations of the richness of life.

3. How did COVID 19 and the closing all all musical venues affect you? What did you learn from that experience?

All musical work stopped completely for a while. No studios open, no live music, very little income from my field. I ended up re-doing my studio and started to work remotely from my place, but it was a pretty brutal stretch. I learned how hungry people are, including me, for live music and live interaction.

4. Some people say that music is the universal language. Is it? And if so, what is it trying to say to all of us?

Yes, it's the closest thing to a universal language, with all of its varying flavors from different cultures, eras and styles. Great music can be enjoyed by anyone from any part of the world.

5. Who are your biggest musical influences?

Frank Zappa, The Beatles, Stravinsky, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Motown, Joni Mitchell, Philly Soul (especially Thom Bell's songs), Bernard Herrmann and all the great Bluesmen: Albert King, Robert Johnson, BB King, etc.

6. When did you know that music was what you were here to do?

Probably about eight or nine.

7. In what ways has Prem Rawat affected your relationship to music and who you are as a human being?

Prem has taught me, carefully and over time, how to extract the most from as many moments as possible. In playing music for him over decades, you learn to balance the satisfying with the unexpected, the appropriate with the wild, the internal with the visceral.

Above all, you learn to serve the moment. Musically, your aim is to get the best out of that piece, at that moment, in that situation, for that audience.

8. What are three (as yet) unfulfilled dreams of yours?

-- To have enough money not to waste time worrying about it.
-- To have a house in a healthy area with a full recording studio in it.
-- To play a piece at the Grammys that absolutely brings the house down. Or even one timeless solo.

9. Why would you like people to buy your EP?

To enjoy the music, further their own inspiration and help feed my chihuahua.

10. What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Boiinnnngggg!

11. What was it like to meet Mickey Mantle as a young boy?

Absolute nirvana.

12. Complete these sentences:

"The best thing about jamming with Frank Zappa at 16 was... the look on his face. (Playing the best I'd ever played in my life didn't hurt)."

"If I had $250,000 in the bank I would be... most grateful."

"My favorite line from a Bob Dylan song is... "he not busy being born is busy dying."

"In the next ten years I would like to... achieve having a comfortable life making my own music and spend lots of quality time with friends."

"My most memorable moment with Prem Rawat was... too many to list just one, but many include a golden, beaming look directed at me or a shared belly laugh."

"Though money can't buy happiness, it can... keep the hellhounds at bay."

"If I met Buddha on the road, I would... ask him about his favorite restaurants."

"The most extraordinary musician i ever met was... Jaco Pastorius and Frank Zappa (tied)."

"One of the great things about playing music at Canter's Deli in LA is... that it's usually unplanned and great surprises occur. Having a weekly residency in a big city allows for plenty of experimentation and regular attendees."

"The thing baseball and music most have in common is.. breathing room and hits."

Fuzzbee's "I Burn for You" on Bandcamp
Fuzzbee's website

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)

Songs are an incredibly powerful way to tell a story. Here is a great example from Neil Young. He says so much in just three minutes and it stays with you...

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)

Wonderful new release by up and coming singer/songwriter Eva Snyder. More to come!

Eva's youtube channel

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)

Wonderful new song by Wooodstock's Tim Moore. Turn up the volume. Feel it.

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:46 AM | Comments (0)

More Marc
MarcBlack.com
Oooh, I Love My Coffee

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)

Poet, storyteller, and all around cool guy, David Gonzalez is a maestro in the fine art of embodying a story. His performance of The Oven Bird was featured on the April 26th Music & Sound Healing webcast, produced by Evelyne Pouget, Gabriela Rojas, and Fran Linry in beautiful San Miguel de Allende. You are in for a treat! Thank you, David! And thank you, Evelyne, Gabby, and Fran for your vision, perseverance, and soulful service to the world so much in need of healing.

PS: Next up on this page: Steve Gorn's bansuri flute performance from the 4/26 Music & Sound Healing webcast.

Next Music & Sound Healing performance: May 3, 5:00 pm, CST

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:09 AM | Comments (0)