October 9, 2019:      I Can See Clearly Now – Part 2

Last  month I reported my difficulties in keeping track of my new eye glasses and how this was affecting the all-important job I have of watching every last Law & Order re-run.  I can now report that my ever resourceful family has come to the rescue.  For my most recent birthday I received the present of 4 eyeglass holders (see attached pic):

These have been scattered around the house in strategic locations – i.e. where I am most likely to take off and/or leave my glasses.  So now, when I can’t find my glasses, I know that they will be in one of 4 places.   Of course this requires a bit of discipline on my part – when I take off my glasses I have to remember to leave them on a holder.   But so far I seem to be getting the hang of this.

Speaking of getting the hang of things, here are a few places you can hang out this month:

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

October 11th, Friday, 8:00PM-11:00 – Shuffle Jump & Moan at Trend Cafe, 411 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair NJ 973-744-1333
Trend Café is a cute and funky little sandwich & dessert place located in the heart of busy downtown Montclair.   Please note that I use “funky” in the positive sense of the word here.  SJ&M will be doing our usual mix of blues and R&B.  One mild warning – when I say “busy” downtown Montclair, this is no exaggeration – downtown Montclair gets packed on Friday Night.  You may have to park several blocks away – or in the parking deck.   But please don’t let that discourage you.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts
http://www.trendcoffee.com

0ctobert 19th, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
Is this a Halloween extravaganza or is it just a regular old run-of-the-mill extravaganza?  The prosecution & defense have both rested but the jury is still out.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

October 25th, Friday, 8:00PM-11:00 – Shuffle Jump & Moan at The Shillelagh Club, 648 Prospect Ave, West Orange, (973) 509-1134
For those of you who simply skim my e-mails and do not read the details (and I know just who you are) with a name like The Shillelagh Club, you might draw the obvious conclusion that they only feature a particular type of ethnic music, but that is also not the case.  The Shillelagh Club happily welcomes visitors of all ethnicities with open Irish arms, has good burgers & fries, and a good selection of on tap beverages (if you are so inclined).
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/ShillelaghClub/

September 22, 2019:      From Russia With Love

Yeah this is a real long shot, but if any of you just happen to be in Moscow this coming Friday the 27^th (that’s Moscow as in Russia, not Moscow, PA) one of my classically oriented compositions –  Divertimento for Violin and Viola a la Bartok – is being performed in a Musical Bridges Concert at 7:00 PM (Moscow time).  The concert will take place  at the Nikolai Myaskovsky Concert Hall, Moscow Conservatory Moscow, 103009, Ulitsa Bolshaya Nikitskaya 13/6.  Besides my piece, there will be compositions by some of my fellow composers in the New York Composer’s Circle as well as pieces by several Russian composers.

I don’t know if there is an admission charge, but if there is I’m sure it’s reasonable.

This concert is part of the New York Composers Circle Exchange Program.   There are more details here:  http://newyorkcomposerscircle.org/In-the-Loop/Entries/2019/8/nycc-goes-to-russia.html

Please do not make a special trip to Russia on my account.  There are two up and coming local New York concerts that will have pieces of mine – one on Wednesday October 30th and another on Thursday December 12th.  I’ll send out details when these are closer.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = =

P.S. There’s now a video of the performance out on Facebook. The performers had an unfortunate music stand snafu.

August 8, 2019:      I Can See Clearly Now

Well, at least for objects (or people or animals) closer than 3 feet or so.   But I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s rewind a bit. . . .

Last fall I was driving home in the rain and things seemed a bit blurry to me.   I assumed that this was due to my lax eye-glasses cleaning tendencies.  But no-o-o-sey.  In yet another one of these marvelous age related things, I had cataracts – in both eyes no less.  Not to worry – modern medicine to the rescue!   Fixing cataracts is now roughly equivalent to going to the DMV and getting your license renewed – in some respects easier.    You go to the River Drive Surgery & Laser Center in Elmwood Park, you sign in, you wait a few minutes, they call your name, they take you in, you endure some moderate discomfort, and then they give you a fig newton and some apple juice.    Hah!  Try asking for a fig newton at the DMV after you get your license renewed, see how far that gets you.  

But this is not the end of the story.   Modern medicine now gives you the choice of fixing and/or altering your vision – for an additional  fee of course.   You get your choice.  You can optimize for near distance or far distance.   Since I spend a lot of time composing music in front of a computer screen, I opted for near distance.  This is also great for reading.   What I didn’t realize is that “far distance” – at least for my eyes – is anything greater then roughly 3 feet (that’s one meter for those more accustomed to metric units).    Everything beyond that is a bit blurry.  But that’s OK, especially around the house.  If the kitchen table or living room couch is a bit blurry, I can get around just fine.

Until I turn on the TV – which is inconveniently located much further than 3 feet.  Uh-oh, I can’t read the closed caption.   Now where did I leave my glasses?  Let’s see – did I leave them where I should have (by the piano)?   Nope. Think, think – when did I take them off?  Did I take them off by the downstairs computer?  Nope?   Did I take them  off by the upstairs computer or the bedroom?  Nope and nope.  Where else might they be?  The fact that my vision is a bit blurry is not helping matters.    Hmmm.   Maybe the kitchen table?   Tada! There they are!  

Now I can watch that Law & Order re-run.  BOOM! BOOM!

Oh, I almost forgot.  The rain is gone.

BTW, I would be negligent if I did not mention that Lisa also had her cataracts removed, but she opted for improved far distance sight.   Between the two of us we can see it all. . . . .

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

August 10th, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
In spite of the ongoing road work, the Notch *is* open and this Saturday looks to be a great clear night.   I’m sadly gonna miss it, but for those of you going to the Montclair Jazz Festival to hear Bettye Lavette & Eddie Palmieri, I encourage you to came over afterwards for a good rock & roll “palate cleanser”.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

August 24th, Saturday, 7:00PM-8:30 – Shuffle Jump & Moan at The Jack Alter Fort Lee Community Center, 1355 Inwood Terrace , Fort Lee , NJ 07024 
This event is listed as Movies & Music Under the Stars 2019.   I don’t know what the movie is going to be, but the music will be just fine.   Seating is limited so please bring a lawn chair or blanket.
https://www.fortleenj.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=318
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts

August 30th, Friday, 8:00PM-11:00 – Shuffle Jump & Moan at The Shillelagh Club, 648 Prospect Ave, West Orange, (973) 509-1134
For the longest time, I’ve driven by this location and assumed that it was a private club, but that is not the case.  And with a name like The Shillelagh Club, you might draw the obvious conclusion that they only feature a particular type of ethnic music, but that is also not the case.  The Shillelagh Club happily welcomes visitors of all ethnicities with open Irish arms, has good burgers & fries, and a good selection of beverages (if you are so inclined).
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/ShillelaghClub/

June 5, 2019:      Can I Kvell?

Kvell – verb:   To be extraordinarily pleased; especially, to be bursting with pride, as over one’s family.   Derived from Yiddish kveln, meaning “to be delighted,” which, in turn, comes from the Middle High German word quellen, meaning “to well, gush, or swell.”

– – – – – – – – – – –

Submitted for your approval is a photo.  To be more specific, it is a photo of my son Joshua, AKA “Josh”, AKA “Get out of bed this instance!”  Well OK, that last moniker has been out of use since his adolescence.   

You might notice that he appears to be attired for some sort of graduation event, and your eyes are not deceiving you.   Josh is now the proud owner of a degree from Seton Hall with a BS in Chemistry.   Furthermore, he did the entire thing with almost no parental financial support.   

Now you would think that after this he would rest on his laurels?   But no!   He’s going for some sort of crazy advanced degree.    With any luck he’ll actually be able to earn a living – maybe before he turns 40.   In this he is taking after both his father and his father’s father.   As the saying goes, the music doesn’t fall far from the keyboard . . . . 

Anyway, I hope it’s OK with you if I kvell a bit.    

Josh – I am so proud of you.   Love you, dude!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

June 7th, Friday, 8:00PM-11:00 – Shuffle Jump & Moan at The Shillelagh Club, 648 Prospect Ave, West Orange, (973) 509-1134
For the longest time, I’ve driven by this location and assumed that it was a private club, but that is not the case.  And with a name like The Shillelagh Club, you might draw the obvious conclusion that they only feature a particular type of ethnic music, but that is also not the case – SJ&M will be doing our usual blend of blues, R&B, & R&R.  The Shillelagh Club happily welcomes visitors of all ethnicities with open Irish arms.   
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/ShillelaghClub/

June 28th, Friday, 7:00PM-9:00 – Better Off Dead at Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134
With any luck the weather gods will smile on us as we play outside on the world famous Ruthie’s Veranda.   Remember to BYO. 
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/

April 5, 2019:      Getting Organized

Now that the kids are finally, thoroughly, and completely out of the house  (except when they come back to use our washer & dryer) Lisa & I have speculated about maybe, possibly, sometime in the not too distant future, possibly, somehow downsizing out of our oversized house.  Maybe move into one of those condo things. 

Maybe we’ll do this while we can still sit up straight without drooling. 

Some of our friends have already bitten the proverbial bullet and done this.   I would note for the record that there was no obvious bullet biting involved; as far as I could tell they just went ahead and did it.  How?   Maybe they used edible bullets?  And what did they do with all their stuff?   All that stuff. . . . .

Aye, there’s the rub.  All your stuff.  George Carlin had a very funny comedy routine about dealing with your “stuff”.    

There’s now a whole mini-industry dedicated to helping folks like me who have this problem.   There are books and TV shows dedicated to the proposition that you don’t need all those possessions.   The premise is simple.  If a particular object no longer gives you joy, you thank the object for the pleasure it gave you and then you send it on its way.   The problem is that pretty much everything we possess gives me some sort of joy.   OK, not the attic toilet.   No joy from that.   Although we would have a hard time getting rid of that – it’s attached to the house.   And maybe not that box of graham crackers sitting in the back kitchen cabinet.   I could say goodbye to that.   But pretty much everything else gives me some sort of joy.   And not only is there a lot of stuff but it’s also a chaotic mess – or to show off my background in physics, our stuff  in a high state of entropy .  Picture albums that are falling apart, music books that my dad had as a child, letters, pictures of the kids that are not in albums, movies, books, picture, books, cards.    Just the thought of dealing with this gives me a near panic attack.

So I decided to start with baby steps and picked something simple.   Cards.   We have nearly every birthday, Valentine’s Day, Mother/Father day, graduation, etc. card from the last 30 years scattered about the house.   And these give us great joy.   So I decided to “get organized”.   The first step was to find something to keep all these cards in.  This entailed a several hour search on the internet until I found an appropriate card organizer on Amazon.   Of course they were back logged, so by the time they arrived I had nearly forgotten why I ordered them.   Next I had to do a sweep through the house to locate all the cards.   I’m still finding small stashes squirreled away in unlikely places.   Next I organized them by year, and filed them.  

I don’t know how easy it is to make out from the attached pic, but I think I can say mission accomplished on this one small task for a man.  Pshew!  

Now all we have to do is organize several thousand photos, 100s of CDs, letters, high school yearbooks, books, paintings, kid toys, tools, extension cords, musical instruments, nails, screws, record albums, cassette tapes – and then maybe, maybe we can start to think about moving.

Of course that brings up a whole new problem.   Through sheer dumb luck we live in a near perfect location for us.  We’re 10 minutes from Lisa’s job, we can walk to downtown Montclair for a movie or dinner, I can walk to catch the bus or the train to NYC.   

Where the hell would we move to?

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

April 6, Saturday, 7:00-9:00 PM – With Arthur Neilson,  at Ruthie’s Bar-B-Q & Pizza, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134 
We played at Ruthie’s back in February and made some truly outstanding music.  The problem (if one could call it a problem) is that by 6:00 the house was basically full.  And as no one left – a bunch of people couldn’t get in.  As they say in the financial world, past experience is no guarantee of future results, so you could get there this Saturday at 5:30 and the place will be empty.  Is Arthur & company worth waiting a hour and a half for?    I think so.   Besides, the food is great and I’ll do my best to keep you company until we start playing.  As always, BYO.
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/
http://www.arthurneilson.com/

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

And looking ahead, here’s where I’ll be in May:

May 3rd, Friday, 7:00PM-9:00 – Better Off Dead at Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/

May 4, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

May 18th, Saturday, 7:00PM-9:00 – Shuffle Jump & Moan at Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/

February 21, 2019:      Where is Eric’s Music?

I am not appearing anywhere next month – at least not behind my trusty old piano – but two of my (sort of) classical compositions will have their debut performances next month – both in Manhattan  (AKA “the city” to us New Jersey residents).

Just by coincidence, both concerts are at the same venue.   I can also report that there will be snacks & beverages after both concerts – as well as a chance to schmooze with the composers.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = == = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 – 7:30 PM – A Concert of New Music
National Opera Center
330 7th Ave (between 28^th & 29^th Streets) 
7th floor
New York, NY 10001
My composition – Fantasy for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Tag-Team Oboes – will have its World Premiere along with 6 other pieces composed by members of the New York Composers Circle (of which I am one).   This was one of the first ever pieces I composed and I’m happy that it’s finally going to see the light of day.  If you are asking yourself “What’s with the Tag-Team Oboes”?   You’re just gonna have to come to find out.

Admission is $20 – Students (with ID) are free
For more details – – –
http://newyorkcomposerscircle.org/

Sunday, March 31, 2019 – 4:00 PM – The Rite of String!
National Opera Center
330 7th Ave (between 28^th & 29^th Streets) 
7th floor
New York, NY 10001
The Shattered Glass Ensemble – an 18 piece string orchestra – will be premiering 12 new musical works by the busy beaver members of the New York Composer’s Collective (of which I am one).  This is gonna be a knock your socks off event.  Shattered Glass is a powerhouse ensemble and in this somewhat smallish hall the sound will be outstanding.  If you are at all thinking of attending, I recommend you order your tickets now as there is limited seating – if for no other reason than the orchestra will overflow the stage and take up seats normally occupied by paying customers.

You may order tickets online here:  https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4096569   

On-line tickets are $20.00 ($21.69 w/service fee).  Price at the door is $25.   Sorry, no student discounts on this one.

For more details – – –
http://www.composerscollective.org/
http://shattered-glass.org/