George's Journal
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Passion Party #265 - Immerse Yourself In What You Love
Posted: 1 September 2010, 6:41 am - Passion Party
Some people say "I love my job"
But very few people, on their deathbed, say
"My one regret is that I didn't spend enough time at the office".
Why do you love you job?
What aspects attract you?
Where is the challenge? Where is the fulfillment?
Now
Take a weekend
and immerse yourself in what you love
about what you do.
Whether it is helping people,
solving puzzles,
collecting, or dismantling, or hunting, or acting, or learning,
there is bound to be a place
where I can surround myself with like-minded people
doing what they love.
Passion Party #264 - A Dream
Posted: 31 August 2010, 6:49 am - Passion Party
I carry the dream
of a small boy
wishing to create his own rules
create his own country
where people live in peace and harmony
where creativity is the fuel
people love and respect art and music
and joy is the currency
that people trade in.
Passion Party #263 - Make It Happen
Posted: 30 August 2010, 6:41 am - Passion Party
The purpose of this day
is to produce "Bankable Results".
It is so easy to be busy right now
We are in a weird, uncharted financial time
and everyone wants to complain
or have their hand held.
It is easy to be busy
but hard to be productive.
The challenge is to find people
not just wishing
but ready to work with me
to make it happen.
Another Nail In The Coffin
Posted: 29 August 2010, 10:26 pm - SECRETS FROM THE JAZZ GHETTO
I love jazz. I love listening to jazz. I love playing jazz. Jazz does not frighten me - it excites me and invigorates me. And I am willing to support the music I love by purchasing the music and going to clubs to hear the music live.
But I fear, more and more, that I am a dying breed.
I read an interview last week with Vijay Iyer. If you have not heard of Vijay, he is an amazing pianist, and has been getting rave reviews for the last couple of years in many influential magazines. His album Historicity was voted BEST ALBUM of the year in Downbeat magazine this year (2010).
This acclaimed album has sold about 7000 copies so far, after 12 months. That is pretty sad - the BEST album of the year can't even sell 10,000 copies.
The spread of digital music is so complete and prevalent - and basically free - it is harder and harder to get people to part with their money to buy music.
So this week a friend of mine introduced me to the latest nail in the musical coffin: DIRPY.com
This amazing site allows you to search Youtube.com, and when you find a video you like it lets you separate the soundtrack of that video and instantly create an mp3 file for yourself.
AS I am writing this blog, I have been able to download a song from the Historicity album that was uploaded with an image to Youtube. I could also download and save his interviews, and some live performances that people have posted about Vijay.
Want some Charlie Parker? I am now downloading Bird and Diz playing "Hot House" in 1951 at the Downbeat Awards, when they received the best Alto Sax and Trumpet of the year awards.
Not much need to go to the local record store anymore...
A Great Article about George Kahn and Courtney Lemmon
Posted: 26 August 2010, 7:09 am - SECRETS FROM THE JAZZ GHETTO
Kirk Silsbee just did a great write up about George and Courtney, performing tonight at First and Hope in Downtown LA.
A Blond Ingenue and a Middle-Aged Keyboard Sage Come Together at First & Hope
by Kirk Silsbee
Published: Friday, August 20, 2010 4:30 PM PDT
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Strong musical marriages happen when one talent and artistic vision is complemented, encouraged and inspired by another. They flourish through creative stimulation and mutual respect. To musicians, these conjunctions are just as important as the matrimonial kind.
Jazz pianist, composer and arranger George Kahn shares one such union with singer Courtney Lemmon. The blond ingénue and the middle-aged keyboard sage make a striking pair and an example of inter-generational synchronicity. When she fronts his band, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Their special blend will be on display Thursday, Aug. 26, at Fedora, a small club inside the restaurant First & Hope.
Read the whole article here:
http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2010/08/24/entertainment/doc4c6f02be5c7d4690657357.txt
A Great Article about George Kahn and Courtney Lemmon
Posted: 26 August 2010, 7:02 am - Passion Party
Just published this week, a Musical Marriage between a blond ingenue and a middle-aged keyboard sage, by Kirk Silsbee
Read it here at the LADowntownNews:
Passion Party #262 - "Getting" someone
Posted: 25 August 2010, 6:41 am - Passion Party
You can live with someone
you can grow up with someone
but do you really "get" that person?
We are touching on something
so hot it can burn.
Is it to cherish you?
To honor you?
To celebrate you?
To know you well enough
to give you space
without fear of losing you?
Is it the spoken word
or the unspoken word?
The action
or the action not taken?
It is finding that seed of love again
in the past
or is it planting a new seed
for the future?
Passion Party #261 - Letting Go
Posted: 24 August 2010, 7:18 am - Passion Party
There are temporary things in life
that bring us joy
flowers in the garden
tomatoes ready for picking
money in the bank...
We can celebrate not just their existence
but also their passing
There is a joy in putting away the holiday candles and decorations
in closing up the summer cottage.
In the end
all things are temporary
and I need to find the joy
in letting go of things
when it is time to let go.
Passion Party #260 - Be generous
Posted: 23 August 2010, 6:18 am - Passion Party
The purpose of this day
is to be generous in spirit
to meet many people
connect with them
be giving
both physically and emotionally
and at the end of the day
to be generous with my son
as he creates music with his cello
preparing for his first college audition recording.
Passion Party #259 - Young Mind, Old Body
Posted: 19 August 2010, 6:31 am - Passion Party
My mind thinks about how beautiful it would be
to hike the High Sierra Trail from Sequoia to Mount Whitney
but my body tells me otherwise.
It took four days for my feet and hips to recover from our
four day hike
and this was without crossing much above 9000 feet,
not even attempting the 11,000+ foot pass crossings.
It is OK to accept the truth
that the body is getting old
reality won't stop my mind about thinking of the beauty
or planning alternatives so I can keep having these experiences.
Click here to see older SECRETS FROM THE JAZZ GHETTO posts.
Click here to see older Passion Party posts.