April 15, 2018:      Loopers (and Where Eric is NOT)

“Loopers” are small portable electronic gizmos that allow a musician to record a short piece of music and then play along with the recording – all in real time right before your very eyes – and ears.   The player can continue to record and add additional loops – so a musician can end up being an entire ensemble – albeit limited to the structure imposed by the original loop.
 
In a fit of whimsy I recently composed a piece for cello with a looper, strangely enough titled Exercise for Looped Cello, which will be performed this Tuesday evening by world class cellist Dave Eggar (you can google him).

BTW – I have been negligent in not acknowledging that this piece was inspired by Sammy Mellman’s looper compositions for the trombone. Sammy is the son of my friend and one time band mate Bob Mellman
 
Please note that there is an admission charge for this concert – and to anticipate your next question, sorry I do not have any “comps”.  

Here are the details.   If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get back to me.

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April 17, Tuesday, 8:00 PM – Miscellaneous Ensembles and Electronics
Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church, 346 West 20th Street|
Admission $20, students free
As advertised, this concert will have a variety of musical styles and ensembles.   I believe my piece will be the next to last on the bill.

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AND – Where I am not 
If you were planning on trekking out to the wilds of Boonton next weekend to see Shuffle, Jump & Moan at Maxfields, that show has been re-scheduled for May 19th

March 28, 2018:      Retirement Check List, Take 2

In my previous missive, I listed a variety of important new tasks that a person needs to take on after they retire.    However, I have since realized that I left off several important items.   Since I know you are assiduously keeping track of all this, here goes.

Get library card and catch up on your reading 
Through the years I have neglected numerous authors and important works of literature  – but where to start?   For no particular reason, I have tried reading (with various degrees of satisfaction & success) Henry James, John le Carré, and Edith Wharton.    Sigh.  I have to pick something lighter.   Faulkner’s next.

Catch up on contemporary music
I’ve been reading in the New York Times that there’s this new type of music out there called rap?   So I thought I would see what this is all about.   “Power 105.1 FM” seems to be the go to place on the radio to listen to this music, although for some reason they’re calling it Hip Hop and R&B.   R&B????    R&B is Sam Cook, James Brown, and The Four Tops.  But what do I know?   Meanwhile, my favorite tune so far is Bodak Yellow by Cardi B.

Read Henry James while listening top Hip Hop Music
“The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.    Or so  F. Scott Fitzgerald says.   I don’t know if I passed that particular test, but I can report that it is an interesting sensation to read Henry James’ stories of bad relationships & existential angst amongst the late 19^th  century upper classes while listening to Cardi B bragging about bloody shoes and red bottoms.

Get the flying squirrels out of the house
What is that scratching noise we’re hearing in the walls?  It’s flying squirrels.  Yes, I kid you not.  We’ve got flying f**king squirrels in our house – and none of them are named Rocky.   How do you get rid of them?   It’s a man’s job, let me tell you.   By “man” I am referring to 2 nice gentlemen – Angel & Don – who have been climbing all over the exterior walls and eaves of our house, sealing up gaps and installing one way traps.  Not to be alarmed, these traps are like reverse Roach Motels.  Flying squirrels check out but they can’t check back in.  They’ll just have to invade our neighbor’s house.

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March 31, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
There’s a ton of construction going on by Route 46 but “Da Notch” stays open.  Expect a bunch of new tunes, plus some of our greatest hits.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

April 19th, Thursday, 7:00 PM-9:00ish – Ensemble Ipse Benefit Gala at Broadway Dive, 2662 Broadway (by 101^st), NYC  (212) 865-2662
One of my rare – and rather short – appearances in New York.   This is a benefit to support one of my fellow classical composer in arms.   I will be doing a short set of boogie woogie and/or R&R piano tunes, most likely early in the evening. There will be a bunch of other performers doing some strange, fascinating, and unusual music.  Broadway Dive has 4.5 stars out of 5 on Google.
www.ipsemusic.com

April 21st, Saturday, 8:30 PM-11:30ish – Shuffle, Jump, and Moan at Maxfields on Main, 713 Main Street, Boonton, New Jersey 07005  (973) 588-4450
SJ&M are back at one of our favorite haunts.   No it’s nowhere near Halloween, so any haunting will be virtual, but we’ll do our best.  Great food, great vibe.
http://www.maxfieldsonmain.com/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts

January 27, 2018:      Retirement Check List

As some of you already know, I am now officially retired.   But being retired does not mean that you are home free and can relax – there are many important new tasks that you need to take on to be a successful retiree.   To help those of you out there who may be thinking of switching occupations and becoming a retiree, I’ve assembled a small check list of critical items:

Register for Medicare Part B   
This entails going down to your local Social Security Office, sitting in a waiting room for several hours, then talking to a very nice person who – in a matter of a few minutes – takes your information and reassures you that everything is going to be just fine.

Get supplement Medical Insurance   
This entails reading a bewildering assortment of confusing documents, wading through web sites giving the pros and cons of the alphabet soup of options available, talking to friends, choosing a provider, then spending hours on the phone giving someone in Florida the same personal information twice because the first time they choose the wrong plan, then talking to someone in Topeka Kansas – giving them the exact same personal information yet again because the nice person in Florida made an error entering your information the first time, then talking to another person from Topeka Kansas explaining why there are three applications in their computer system.

Get a new electric toothbrush   
I can’t stress strongly enough the importance of good dental hygiene in senior citizens.

Sign up for medicare Part D drug coverage   
Make absolutely sure that you have proof of creditable coverage.   If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry about it – you’re screwed.

Get new T Shirts     
You need to be covered in may ways – but meanwhile I’m still working on this one.   I have very stringent requirements about t shirts.  They have to be heavy duty cotton and they must have no friggin pictures or words or letters or insignia or slogans on them!    DO YOU HEAR ME???   Yes, I’m talking to you-  Berne T-Shirt Company!!    You tricked me!   You snuck your name on the left sleeve of that t shirt you sold me and it wasn’t in the picture on the web site!   I’ll remember this!!  

Sign up for dental insurance   
I can’t stress strongly enough the importance of good dental hygiene in senior citizens.   Get new sneakers   I can’t stress strongly enough the importance of good footwear in senior citizens.   And somehow, either my old sneakers shrunk or my feet have expanded.   Go figure.

I likely missing several other important tasks but they seem to have left my mind at the moment . . . .

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January 27th, Saturday, 9:00ish PM-12:00ish
Better Off Dead at at Maxfields on Main
713 Main Street, Boonton, New Jersey 07005  973-588-4450
It’s a good start to the new year.  They’re calling for a bit of rain tonight but don’t let that stop you.   “Tastes Like Chicken”.
http://www.maxfieldsonmain.com/http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/

February 17th, Saturday, 9:00ish PM-12:00ish
Shuffle Jump & Moan at at Maxfields on Main
713 Main Street, Boonton, New Jersey 07005  973-588-4450
And this brings up an important point that somehow I have overlooked.   For years I have blindly inserted commas into the name thusly:  “Shuffle, Jump, and Moan”.   Notice that I also used “and” instead of the more succinct “&”.   However, I have recently noticed – much to my embarrassment – that the correct moniker has no punctuation, it’s simply “Shuffle Jump & Moan”.   I have mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, without punctuation you save two whole characters – thus saving precious time that would otherwise be spent typing all those extra commas.   On the other hand, you are leaving yourself open to ambiguity.   What’s going on here?  Are you first doing a shuffle and then a jump?   Or perhaps there is a special kind of jump – a “shuffle jump” – which is different than a regular run of the mill jump.   Inquiring minds want to know.
http://www.maxfieldsonmain.com/http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/

December 14, 2017:      The Latest in iPhone Apps – and Morbid Thought of the Day

For someone who makes his living working with computers, it may surprise you to know that I am quite the Luddite when it comes to these new fangled smart phone thingees.    I clung to my flip phone for as long as I could – albeit in part just to embarrass my kids:  “Dad!   Are you still using that flip phone?  Will you plee-ee-eze get an iPhone already”.   

Finally my dear old reliable Motorola flip phone bit the dust.  I broke down and got an iPhone, but for the longest time, I only used it to make telephone calls and to text my kids (that’s the only way to reach them).   Eventually I broke down and got a banking app so that I could deposit checks without having to make a special trip to the bank.  Yay!   Then I installed Google maps.   Yay!   And I needed Slack for my job.

That’s it – at least up to now.    But I’m reading about this new app – WeCroak – that has me thinking.   No, WeCroak is not an app that helps you identify unknown frog sounds (although there *is* an app for that).  WeCroak does one thing and one thing only.   5 random times a day it sends you some pithy philosophical message or famous quote –  reminding you that you are mortal and going to die. 
It is said that in ancient Rome, when a general marched in a victory parade after winning a great battle, they would hire a slave to walk behind him and remind him that he too was going to die.    Just to may sure he didn’t get too uppity.   So think of this app as the modern day equivalent.  I haven’t gotten it yet – I’ve been very busy checking my 401K plan to make sure I have enough money to last me for the rest of my life. . . . . . .

I kid you not, this is a real thing- you can check it out here:  https://www.wecroak.com/

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December 15, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls  (973) 256-7742
That’s tomorrow.  Dang, how did it get to be the Ides of December already.   Anyway, this BOD’s annual Christmas theme’s extravaganza and “Da Notch”  VD will put on his Santa outfit, and once again I will have to humiliate myself and wear an elf’s cap.   Oh – the things I have to put up with…..
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580

December 30th, Saturday, 9:00 PM-11:30ish – Better Off Dead at at Maxfields on Main, 713 Main Street, Boonton, New Jersey 07005  973-588-4450And lastly, finishing off the year at Maxfield’s.   Not to be a total downer, we’ve survived 11 months, but we got at least 3 more years and a month of insanity.http://www.maxfieldsonmain.com/http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/

November 6, 2017:      Welcome to a Bonus Edition of Where is Eric. 

The purpose of this brief missive is to tell you where I am *not* playing.    Just for example, I am not playing at Lincoln Center – so don’t go looking for me there.   I could continue with a list of other famous places where I am not playing, but the joke has already worn out its welcome.

So instead, here are some details on two concerts where you can hear other musicians play music that I have composed.     You will also hear music written by some of my partner composers in crime – I have one piece in each concert.

The scheduling gods have dictated that both concerts are happening next week in mid-town Manhattan, one on Tuesday and the other on Friday.

Please note that there is an admission charge for both of these concerts – and to anticipate your next question, sorry I do not have any “comps”.     Again, if you come to either of these concerts you will not see me on stage – although you may spot me lurking in the audience.    
Here are the details.   If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get back to me.

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November 14, Tuesday, 8:00 PM – A Concert of New Music for Strings
DiMenna Center for Classical Music, 450 West 37th St, New York City
Admission $20, students free
This concert features mostly music for string quartets – my piece will be the second (slow) movement of a three movement piece I recently finished up.

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November 17, Friday, 7:30 PM – Ten Composers, Four Saxes
National Opera Center, 330 7th Ave, New York
Admission $12 in advance, $15 at door
You may order tickets in advance here: http://www.composerscollective.org
And this concert consists of music for a saxophone quartet.   Yes, there is such a thing as a saxophone quartet and you will have to come hear it to truly believe it.

November 5, 2017:      The Next Big Thing

The other month I was walking down the street and I saw someone mowing their lawn.  Not an uncommon event in my neighborhood.   And on the sidewalk in front of that yard I saw someone pushing a baby carriage.   Also not an uncommon event in my neck of suburbia.  

And then it hit me – think of the money you could make if you could offer harried young couples these two services for the price of one.   All you need is a combined baby carriage/lawn mower.    

I wish I had the time & energy to patent and market this brilliant idea, but alas I do not.    Yes, there are a few technical details to be worked out – the noise level of the average lawn mower might disturb the sleeping tyke – but these are mere details.

 So I offer up this brainstorm to anyone willing to grab the starter pull-cord and run with it.   I will willingly settle for a small percentage of the profits.

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November 10, Friday, 7:00-9:00ish PM – with Rob Signorile, Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair  (973) 509-1134
I will be joining forces with Rob’s soulful/subtle singing and guitar playing this Friday Night at Ruthie’s.   As always for Ruthie’s – BYO.
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/

November 18th, Saturday, 8:30ish PM-11:30ish – Better Off Dead at at Maxfields on Main, 713 Main Street, Boonton, New Jersey 07005  973-588-4450
Better off Dead continues it’s triumphant march through North Jersey with a brief but loud stop over in Boonton.
http://www.maxfieldsonmain.com/
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/