Author: zingblog

Summer Travel II

Just got back from a trip upstate to visit family and friends. Saw my parents and my brother Martin and his family. Had some BBQ and took in the fireworks show at the local park on the 4th. Saw Denis and Sara, whose pool is broken, and then Larry and Jackie, who are on their way to Vegas and San Francisco to celebrate their anniversary. Nick and Lisa and their kids were in town too, so we all went up to Niagara Falls together. I haven’t done the falls in a few years, although I grew up near there and know the place well. We used to ride our bikes up there before I could drive. Anyway, we did the Maid of the Mist and trekked all the way out to Terrapin point, and ended up at the bar there. Great day for it.

Next day we went on a tour of SUNY at Buffalo. Lizzy is going into 11th grade in the fall, and so is Nick’s oldest son so it’s time to start looking at colleges. Jeannie, Nick and I all attended UB a long time ago, and Jeannie and I met and fell in love there, so the tour brought back alot of memories as well as alot of comments on everything that’s changed with the campus since that time. Lizzy seemed favorably impressed by the whole thing, and is starting to think more about what she wants to do with her life and what it’ll take to get there.

Left Hook Videos, Part II

I created a bunch of videos for the Dudley’s gig, including some new medleys and some whole songs: Domino, Hold On I’m Coming/Soul Man, Knock on Wood/Get Ready, In the Midnight Hour/Mustang Sally, and Them Changes/I Got You. Looks like a heavy concentration on the soul side of the set. Have to balance it out with more rockers next time. Meanwhile here’s the link:

http://zingman.com/music/lefthook/vids/dudleys1505/

There’s a pretty good amount of overlap between these and the FN set, so the next step is decide which ones we want to link on the web site. Coming soon. Also I’ve started making a CD from the show so we can use it as a tool to book more gigs. Onwards and upwards!

Left Hook Videos, Part I

I put a whole bunch of videos from the Left Hook show at Fisherman’s Net back in April. I was using a new camera and new editing software so it took a little while, but now you can go and check it out:

http://zingman.com/music/lefthook/vids/fnet1504

I made six medleys of some high points of the show. Each one is about two minutes long, with about four songs. I also put up four whole songs: I Got You (I Feel Good), Them Changes, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, and Drift Away. For each there’s three renditions: BBH is broadband high, BBL is broadband low, and Cel is for cel phones and mobile devices. Down the line I’m gonna set up a page to serve the right one automatically.

Next up I’m gonna go thru the video for the Dudley’s show and post some footage from that. Meanwhile, here’s some pictures from the Dudley’s gig:

http://zingman.com/music/lefthook/pics/dudleys1505/

This time we even got some shots of our drummer Gus!

Summer Kick-Off

Hi, I’m back. Been busy traveling and other stuff, getting an early start on my summer. I went upstate to visit my brother Martin and then on to the Adirondacks to see my good friend Mark for a few days. Nice just to disconnect from everything and spend a few days on my own. Martin and family are doing well. Abbie is now past two. Out of baby phase and into little kid phase. She’s trying hard to keep up with her big brother, who is trying hard to keep up with *his* big brother. Meanwhile out in the yard they have chickens and ducks and guinea fowl running around and squonking all the time. Great fun.

I haven’t been up to the mountains in a while and it was good to reconnect with nature and to see Mark too. The weather was beautiful and bugs not too bad, so we did a bunch of hiking and canoeing. Very peaceful, just awesome. Mark is doing well too, busy running his own business building web sites for everyone (it seems) in the region. On my last night there I sat in with Mark’s band Crackin’ Foxy. They do old-timey gypsy jazz, and are quite good. Two female singers for an Andrews-sisters-ish sound, two guitarists and a standup bass, with Mark on banjo and ukulele. I played soprano sax and had a great time.

On the drive home coming out of the mountains I wrote a new song.

Lizzy had a concert at her school for her a cappella group and the school band (obviously not performing together). They were really excellent, even surprisingly so. In fact the a cappella group got invited to sing the national anthem at a Yankee game next weekend!

On Memorial Day weekend we had a big ol’ barbecue and had a bunch of friends over. Everyone is so busy all the time so it’s good to see people and hang out. Also went rollerblading for the first time this season, and took the Mustang out for a nice long ride. In between lots of yardwork (today it finally got actually *hot*), working on music, my web site and of course origami for my new book. I now have 16 models designed, including a brand-new Quadrocoptor, and two new models diagrammed and the diagrams for two more well begun. Only a month until convention and lots to do!

Flight of the Concorde

Flight of the Concorde
May 13, 2015

Here’s one more new model for the Air and Space theme: a Supersonic Transport. Perhaps the Concorde’s most famous flight was the one in 1985 that carried drummer and vocalist Phil Collins across the ocean to open the Live Aid concert in Wembley Stadium in London and close it RFK Stadium in North America sitting in with a (temporarily) reunited Led Zeppelin.

The annual OUSA convention is coming up soon, and I’ve committed to teaching a bunch of these new models. This is to help motivate me to do some diagramming; I’d like to get the bulk of my new book done this summer. So far I’ve been concentrating on the simpler models. I’ve done two in the last two days. The next two are low-intermediate, then two solid intermediate, and a high intermediate and a complex one.

Origami Spacecraft Part Two

I got a note from my publisher today saying that the my book, Origami Animal Sculpture, has reached its first year sales target after only 6 months. Thanks to everyone who’s bought the book!

I’ve been experimenting more with origami spacecraft in preparation for book two. I now have a SpaceX Dragon. Of all the hundreds of paper dragons out there, I’m pretty sure this is the only one of these. Also an Apollo CSM. In real life the two vessels have the same diameter. These models will too, if folded out of the same size paper, but I used 10” for one and 8.5” for the other.

I made a few domes as well to have some simpler models in the front of the book and introduce the folding techniques. I call these the Radar Dome and the Moon Base Dome. The chapter will also include an Observatory and a Radiotelescope.

On The Waterfront

Left Hook is playing this Saturday down by the waters of Long Island Sound. The lat show was a smashing success and this one should be even better. We’re getting a banner made!

LEFT HOOK
Classic rock funk and soul

Saturday May 9. 9:00 PM
Dudley’s Bar & Marina
94 Hudson Park Rd. New Rochelle

Hope to see you there!

…

Meanwhile unfortunately, the 7 Jazz West show for the following weekend has been cancelled due to illness of one of our guys.