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CALL for SUBMISSIONS!!!
ALL artists! I am very, VERY happy to announce that IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION is ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS again. I have been granted a (possibly long-term) stay of execution for my trip to Iraq. I will still be traveling all over the U.S., so new issues may be a little less timely, but (as always), we will review your materials as soon as possible after we receive them. Look at the guidelines for submission below, please:
MUSIC: All formats accepted. Snail mail to: Zzaj Productions, c/o Dick Metcalf, 5308 65th Avenue, Lacey, WA 98513 The only criteria for music you submit is that it MUST HAVE high performance energy... if you submit lacklustre material, it will be reviewed accordingly
POETRY: Poems are accepted for publication ONLY via e-mail. Poems submitted in any other fashion will NOT be published. Poetry that includes some reference to music is granted first priority for publication.
BOOKS: We will review some books; books about music are PREFERRED. We will NOT return any books submitted for review. Snail them to the address listed above for MUSIC.
DIY Announcements: We will post your (e-mailed) ad about DIY projects, regardless of genre or medium... HOWEVER, this is ONLY for INDEPENDENTS... if you are a corporation, don't even BOTHER sending stuff... it will be marked and reported as SPAM!
You've heard me talk about this over the years, but it's been "gnawing" at my mind again....
This "underground" scene that we (here) are part of is (for many of the artists here) where the "voices" of today reside. There are no millionaire football princes, or catsup cronies here, seeking to stroke their egos with opinion polls that show how much folks adore them.... now, admittedly, there are more than a few of us who would like to be recognized by more folks, in an artistic sense; but I don't believe we have any in our readership who are in danger of participating in this madness we call an "election"!
What so many players here DO HAVE, though, is an ability to translate feelings into music, or vocals & music, that wield far more power than ANY self-appointed "saviors" can... the beauty of the musical language is that even those who don't speak it "through their fingers", so to speak, can understand it with immediacy! If I play a note "off" (that doesn't resolve into something that lets the listener know that I "knew" what I was doing with it), they will know right away that I've tried to exceed my abilities... that I'm trying to put myself at a level that I'm not at yet. On the other hand, of course, if I stay "true" & use the musical/language skills I have learned, the listener will feel the rightness, & the truth, in what I have to say to them.
What we need to get more folks to understand is that they also have the power within them... even if they can only play ONE NOTE (& anyone can do that), they have an ability that a "talking head" will never possess! The ability to feel that note, & from those feelings, paint an image of how they feel right now! If we ALL spoke to each other with music, rather than words (often used to disguise our true feelings), the world would be a far more peaceful place.
So, spread the word.... get folks who are seeking your vote(s) to understand that you will not pay any attention to their words... & that if they were to pick up an instrument while on the stump & begin playing - you would have a much clearer understanding of from whence they came.
Do I expect this rant to have any impact on the up/coming purchase of the office of the presidency? Most assuredly NOT... what I do hope is that more folks will come to the realization that political officeholders and aspirants are being paid based on their ability to compromise - which means that none of them can have "ideals"... unless it's true (& Gourd, I hope it isn't) that "us" people want to be lied to!
Till next time...,
Rotcod Zzaj
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