Eli plays his NEW Guitar (2011 Christmas Gift) along with his Papa !

Christmas 2011 was wonderful because our sons and our grandson, Eli, was here to visit us.  It’s always great when family gets together for the holidays; it just makes it that much more fun, especially when there are children involved.  In our case, our grandson Eli (who’ll be 3 on March 13th) is the joy in our families life.

The short video below will show you how happy he was to be playing his NEW Christmas Gift, a guitar, along with his Papa.  The song may not be recognizable, but most importantly, a future musician / guitarist has been born.  He will have Nana and Papa’s full support should he decide to stay with it and choose music later in his life. 

Merry Christmas Eli, we love you very much !

Nana and Papa 2011  /  xoxo   

Eli plays his NEW guitar (Christmas 2011–Gift) along with Papa-#1 !

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Eli plays his NEW guitar (Christmas 2011–Gift) along with Papa–#2 !

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Today is New Years Eve and many of you will be celebrating with friends and family members at house parties as well as large Celebrations at Local Hotels, etc. and some may be just enjoying the evening with their loved ones at home watching the ball drop on TV. Unfortunately, due to my medical situation, we will be celebrating at home together watching that ball drop. 

No matter what you have planned, we wish you the Happiest, Healthiest of New Years !!  Anita and I are looking ahead to a bright and healthy 2012 together as we thank GOD for each other, David & Angelica, Christopher and our son-in-law Dave and our grandson Eli, Dawson and Phoebe (our dogs), my mother (87) & father (91), my brother Tony and sister-in-law Susan and their grown children Anthony and Holly, Anita’s father Gus and Gus’s wife Janice, her sister Jacqueline and sister and brother-in-law Loretta and Fred.  We also are lucky enough to have wonderful extended families on both sides, though we would be here all day if we were to name them all.  Suffice it to say that we are so very grateful for each and every one of them.

Until next year;

Musician By Night . . .

Biréli Lagrène, a French jazz guitarist . . .

Biréli Lagrène (born September 4, 1966) is a French guitarist and bassist. He came to prominence in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt-influenced style on the classical guitar, as well as for being a jazz fusion virtuoso on the electric guitar. He often performs within the swing, jazz fusion and post bop mediums.

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Biréli Lagrène was born on September 4, 1966, in Soufflenheim, Bas-Rhin Alsace, France, in a traditional Manouche-Romani people (Gypsy) family and community. He started playing the guitar at the age of four. He grew up in the loving but tough environment of the "tzigane". His father Fisso (a very gifted violinist), his mother Berga and his brother Gaiti were his biggest influences.

   Django Reinhardt

When, at the age of eight, he covered Django Reinhardt’s repertoire, his relatives were already calling him a child prodigy. Winning a Romani music festival in Strasbourg at the age of twelve gave him the opportunity to tour in Germany and, later, to record his performance on the LP Routes To Django - live At The Krokodil.

 

Offered a chance to leave for the United States, Lagrène met some of the most distinguished jazz musicians on the international scene, such as Stéphane Grappelli, Benny Goodman, and Benny Carter. In 1984, he met Larry Coryell in New York. Later, he was introduced to bassist Jaco Pastorius and ventured with him into jazz fusion. Together, they toured Europe, which contributed a great deal to Lagrène’s musical emancipation. Lagrène has also performed live with guitarist Al Di Meola.

             Al Di Meola                            Larry Coryell

                    

Back to a more traditional style, Lagrène recorded Gipsy Project and Gipsy Project and Friends in 2002. Along with his usual cohorts Diego Imbert (double bass) and Hono Winterstein (rhythm guitar), the latter session featured Henri Salvador and Thomas Dutronc (son of legendary French pop pair Françoise Hardy and Jacques Dutronc).

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What a group of professional jazz artists that surrounded Biréli Lagrène as his career unfolded.  He couldn’t have been surrounded by any better jazz guitarists in the business.  When I first heard one of his songs, it just blew me away.  I strongly suggest that you pick-up one of his albums and give it a listen; I’m sure it’ll do the same for you as well.

If you have an appreciation for jazz, jazz fusion or jazz swing, you’ve got to check him out.  I’m trying to incorporate some of his guitar licks into my guitar playing where possible, but it isn’t easy, let me tell you. During my time off recuperating from the surgery, I am practicing as much as possible in an effort to incorporate as many different guitar styles in order to improve on my own and to develop a more broadened approach to the guitar fingerboard than I’ve had in the past.

           

         

Christmas is officially over with, however, we are still waiting to celebrate with our sons and their families.  Chris, (son in law)Dave and their son Eli will be here tomorrow and (son) Dave and his girlfriend Angelica will be here on Thursday, so we have a few busy days ahead of us, which will be fun and exciting.  We hope that you and your families had a very Merry Christmas and have plans underway for a Happy Healthy New Year !!

Until next time ~

Musician By Night . . .

It’s Finally Here . . . .

The day I’ve been looking forward to and dreading at the same time is finally here! Yes, today’s the day; I’m going into the hospital to have the total hip replacement surgery along with some additional reconstruction of my right leg and my pelvis.  All of this due to an accident I went through some 12 years ago when I pulled over on 295 North to help a disabled vehicle.  An oncoming vehicle traveling at a very high speed hit me head on.  After that, I was transported to the trauma center and here I am today after a some very disturbing situations following that incident.

I’m very hopeful that after this surgery, I’ll be without the constant pain that I live with and I won’t have a limp after they correct my leg length.  All-in-All, I just hope to be able to walk normally and to be able to stand for extended periods of time without being in pain.

When this is all over with, I will be golfing again and of course, hitting my music very hard.  Golfing is good exercise and it is a great way to clear your mind and help you write music and lyrics for new songs.  So, I’m off to the hospital now and I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Until then, keep playing your guitars, and don’t forget about your children.

Musician By Night  . . . .

It's Dad’s, AKA Dzia Dzia’s, 91st Birthday . . . .

Here we are again, it’s December 3rd, 2011 and that only means one thing to our family.  It’s Dad’s (my father’s) 91st birthday; YES, I said that correctly, it’s his 91st birthday and he is going strong.  Now, we are a Polish family so we often call him Dzia Dzia which means grandfather, and Busia is Polish for Grandmother. 

Now my Mother, or otherwise known as Busia, is 86 years old and in January, she’ll become 87; so together, they keep each other very happy and obviously their LOVE keeps them going and going and going . . .

They’ve found the secret to everlasting LOVE . . . !

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I don’t know if you remember, but my father is a old-time musician who worked in music stores earlier in his life to not only be close to the music scene that he loved, but to help with the family finances and also bring homes wonderful musical gifts for my brother and me.  I’ll never forget the awesome Fender Classic Series Mustang that he brought home along with a ‘65 Fender Princeton Reverb/Vintage Reissue amplifier.

 Classic Series Mustang®, Rosewood

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'65 Fender Princeton® Reverb / Vintage Reissue

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I am very proud of this photo of me, my brother Tony and our Dad (Anthony Janicki, Sr. or otherwise known as ‘Dzia Dzia’).  My brother is an extremely intelligent individual who during his high school years, played the keyboards in a band when The Beatles were the No. 1 rock group in the country.  Now Tony and his wife Susan have a very successful environmental company located in St. Petersburg, Florida by the name of Janicki Environmental, Inc. 

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I don’t know if you remember Dzia Dzia’s short performance on his accordion that I published on YouTube and also on the following post;

http://musicianbynight.blogspot.com/2011/08/theres-music-in-our-family.html

Dzia Dzia’s 91st Birthday at our house in Severna Park, Maryland

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Well today is definitely a very special for our family, so I’m going now to enjoy myself and my family.  I hope you all have a wonderful day and find something special to do with your family, even if there are no birthdays or anniversary to celebrate.  Time spent with the family means more than anything you’ll ever give or receive in gifts, so don’t waste any opportunity you get to spend time with them.

The Christmas Holidays are quickly approaching, so we all need to keep our hearts and our minds on our family and friends and all of those in need. If you remember to start and end each day with a short prayer for all of those in need, you’ll be surprised what miracles can occur.

As always, please remember to hug your children and tell them that you love them. Even if they don’t tell you, it means the world to them.

Until next time, keep jammin!

Musician By Night . . .

5 Months And Still Going Strong

This is my 81st post to the blog I started with "Why Have I Started This Blog?"  back on June 28th. If you’ve been following along with me, you know that I’ve tried to cover a multitude of approaches to keep it informative, educational and fun for the new guitarist who is looking for ideas on gear, music or just ideas on how to get started in the music business as I’m doing myself, the second time around.

I’ve shown everyone my pedal board and explained in detail, what effects pedals were mounted to the pedal board and in what order.  My guitar collection has been the point of interest for at least 2 or 3 of my post’s not including my Music Studio’s; my first one that was located in our apartment in Baltimore City and the current one located in our home in Severna Park, Maryland. 

Not only have I shared with you all of the gear in my set-up including my collection of guitars, but I’ve also covered the many modifications that I’ve made to all of my Fender Stratocasters.  All along, I’ve kept myself open to any and all new ideas, suggestions, etc. from fellow guitarists.  I follow many other blogs relating to guitars, guitarists, Blues Guitarists, Blues-Rock and so on.  Just read down the left side of my blog and you’ll see the many different blog sites that I follow.  I also try to keep up on Twitter, Facebook, ReverbNation, BandMix.com, YouTube and all the other Social Media Sites to stay on the pulse of what’s happening amongst the many other musician friends I’ve developed since I started along my journey back into the music business.

Unfortunately, in the next few days, I’ll be admitted into Shady Grove Adventist Hospital to undergo a long-needed surgery on my right leg and hip that will ultimately allow me to walk, and stand for extended periods of time without being in tremendous amounts of pain and pouring down with sweat.   I should be in recovery / rehab for approximately 90 days after being discharged during which time I plan to practice the guitar as much as possible to improve my playing and advance myself as much as possible so that when I am ready to hit the stage with the band, I’ll be more than ready to jam with them no matter what song type is chosen.  However, I may not be able to keep up with regular posts to my blog so please excuse me; I’ll get back to you as soon and as much as I possibly can.

The Christmas Holidays are quickly approaching us too, so we all need to keep our hearts and our minds on our family and friends and all of those in need.  If you remember to start and end each day with a short prayer for all of those in need, you’ll be surprised what miracles can occur.

As always, please remember to hug your children and tell them that you love them.  Even if they don’t tell you, it means the world to them.

Until next time, keep jammin!

Musician By Night . . .

My Birthday Trip to St. Petersburg, Florida:

Last Saturday, September 10th was a special day for me, it was my 54th birthday. To celebrate it, I took a plane trip to St. Petersburg, FL to see my family.  Unfortunately, my better half (Anita) couldn’t join me on this trip so I was on my own.  It was my first trip to Florida, by myself in quite a while, so I planned on relaxing and enjoying the pool and hot-tub at my brothers house.

Of course I couldn’t leave home without bringing one of my guitars so I can keep up on my chops.  I brought my Godin Multiac ASC-SA Nylon Spectrum Acoustic in Natural Finish.  That guitar happens to have a beautiful travel bag that is heavily padded and comes with plenty of pockets for accessories and magazines.  It worked perfectly for me !  I played between 30 and 60 minutes each day; just enough to keep my fingers limber and my memory intact with scale patterns I’ve been working on.

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My brother Tony and I along with his son Anthony and his girlfriend Caitlin went to the Tampa Bay RAYS game on Saturday night; they played the Boston Red Sox.

                   

WOW ! what a nail-biter of a game it was.  The RAYS finally pulled out the WIN 6-5 in the bottom of the 11th inning.  Here are some photos of the game at Tropicana Field Stadium.

              

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The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and just enjoying the warm Florida sun.  I spent a few hours on Sunday and Monday swimming in their pool, which is was rather relaxing, and then afterwards my Dad and I went in their Hot Tub and soaked for about 30 minutes.  Boy, talk about relaxation to the max !

     

     

     

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Sunday evening they all took me to dinner at Carraba’s Italian Restaurant for my birthday; it was a great time and the food was wonderful.

            

                 Tony & Sue                                           Anthony & Caitlin

 

               Bob, Dad and Mom                                     Family Photo

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Well all-in-all, I had a great birthday this year.  The only thing that would have made it any better would have been if Anita and my boys could have been there with me and of course my wonderful grandson Eli and son in law Dave.

                               My Grandson Elias-Jude Janicki-Howe

 

 

My oldest son, Dave

 

 

 My son Christopher, with his husband Dave and their son Eli (my grandson)

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So I hope you can see why I was out of touch for those few days earlier this week;  it was a long over due trip and it definitely recharged my battery. 

Well, we are quickly heading into another weekend and this one will be spent working outdoors, cleaning up after Hurricane Irene and the heavy rain storms that we have been experiencing the past week and a half.  We’ll also need to continue with the clean-up of our basement after the two floods we were hit with through this past two weeks of nasty weather.

We’ll be very busy I’m sure but I’ll find time to practice my guitar and write my posts for Saturday and Sunday.  I miss writing them daily so I’ll do my best to get back on track, should time permit.

 

I hope you have a great evening; remember it’s T.G.I.F., but don’t overdue it.  Have fun with whatever you have planned and remember to give your kids a kiss. 

Until next time;

Musician By Night