Operation 365... Blog 218

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Archives - 224 Charbra "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" - 5-14-2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6LzNyozqxw

Apparently, it's Charbra Appreciation Week. Sounds good to me. Charbra are part club of people I have most footage of, so let's share it with the world, I say. Here they are at my Open Mic on May 14, 2009, my mom's birthday. She wasn't there or anything. I'm just saying. They are dressed in white and so is the stage. I'm not sure how they worked it out to that level of matching, but God bless 'em. Nice job.

Charbra are Charlotte James and Barbara Tolbert, two lovely young ladies with whom I shared a band for awhile, called The Greens of Mind. We have a done Cd, we could release some day and maybeperhaps (new word, means maybe and perhaps) we will. "The General" Justin Mills is the fourth member of our little supergroup.

Here, Charbra busts out, Led Zeppelin's "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp," their Led Zeppelin III album. Charlotte and Barbara have a great taste for and knowledge of all sorts of tunes. Ain't seen 'em as much lately, but who knows, maybe that'll change real soon. Life is unpredictable.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Covers - 224 "Chuck E's in Love"* - Rickie Lee Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGVqKWNUkhg

Hanging with Paul Ruiz today. His birthday was the 4th of July. We are celebrating today. He was kind enough to join me AND sit here while I type this blog. The Yankees are on, at least with Jeter, a few hits away from 3,000.

So, we were thinking of tunes to do. I asked him if he had any ideas. I was thinking "Dream, Dream, Dream" which is actually "All I Want to Do is Dream," by the Everly Brothers. We passed. A little sappy. maybe I'll do it alone some time. He suggested a few artists. We eventually went to the "random" itunes for direction. Out 31,000-something tunes, it picked out Joni Mitchell, a song off her "Taming the Tiger" CD from 1998. The song featured muted trumpet on it right away. Pretty cool. Paul plays trumpet if you didn't know. It made me think I should reach out to Joni Mitchell. She seems like someone who might like what I'm up to.

Paul suggested Rickie Lee Jones, My collection was null and void of her work. Embarrassing. I looked up a couple tunes, I was extremely impressed. Didn't really how awesome she was, specifically, her 1979 tune, "Chuck E's in Love." "Chuck E's in Love" would be way to tough, vocally to just snap and learn and play in a few minutes, like I do here sometimes. I loved the tune. I'd like to listen to it a bunch of times and educate myself musically, by learning how she sings it. It liked it that much. So, when it came time to do a cover, I sang the lyrics, which I liked a whole bunch, over some funky grooves I hatched to play with Paul Ruiz.

So technically, this isn't entirely a cover. That's why I gave it an asterisk. I made up the music. Paul rocks it on the trumpet. But these are Rickie Lee Jones lyrics to her kick-ass tune "Chuck E's in Love," that I hope I learn for real some time. It would help me open up, let loose, and enhance my musical mind. Me and Paul have a fun time.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Originals - 224 "Simple Song"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGkIlqiBds

"Simple Song" is one of my most classic tunes, from back in the day, like 2003-2005. I remember writing the lyrics while bored in some graduate history class at San Diego State. It appears on my first CD, 2004's "Great Story," available here, now http://jeffersonjay.bandcamp.com/album/great-story

My band, which was then called Brainstorm, would close our shows with "Simple Song" often. I might resurrect it at a faster speed, close to double time, maybe. Fun song. Chilling with Paul Ruiz now. He appears here on trumpet. Paul is one hell of a guy.

I leave you today with a joke a came up with just after I woke up this morning. It is an old time joke. She was SOOOOO dumb she got pregnant just to save money on milk. Thank you and good night.

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Outtakes - 224 "Writing A New Song From Scratch Remix"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcUQ1ULRhSU

Here is the remix of my "Outtakes" video from a few days called "Writing A New Song From Scratch." I realized the vid would be enhanced quite a bit if I added some Tchaikovsky, "Waltz of the Flowers" action. And so I did.

Yeah. So here is me writing "A New Song From Scratch," start to finish a few days with some music to listen to while you watch me do my thing. Dig.