Zartonis

Senate Bill S.978 will shut down video games and streams

2011-07-01T16:16:00.002-04:00

The Bill in its full text: here

Techdirt's interpretation of the bill: here

s.978, a bill that is currently being considered by the U.S. Senate, would make it a crime to stream or upload copyrighted works onto sites such as YouTube. The intention of the bill is to prevent works such as TV shows and movies from being uploaded illegally, but with the current broad wording, would cause a tremendous amount of unintended harm.

Minecraft 1.6.4

2011-05-28T01:13:00.002-04:00

Minecraft 1.6.4 is the current version of Minecraft as of now. With Minecraft 1.6 came over 100 bug fixes, the addition of hatches, tall grass, dead shrubs in deserts, the elimination of glitched minecart boosting, and the addition of the playable Nether in multiplayer and many other things. Along with the intentional changes, however, came many unintentional bugs. Notch and Mojang attempted to rectify the situation with multiple patches in one day (1.6.1, 1.6.2, 1.6.3 and 1.6.4). Unfortunately the patches did not solve everything and several bugs such as: spawning in midair, having partially damaged items break after one use if they had previously been dropped, severe lag in multiplayer, and lighting problems persisted.

Due to the enormity of the bugs Notch will be working on them on Saturday, which he definitely does not have to do, and he should be commended for this. As the game is still in Beta, and being improved for the eventual release in November, bugs can still be expected and should be prepared for. I would advise everyone to make routine backups of the .minecraft folder, before updating. By having a backed up copy of .minecraft, you can revert to the previous version if the newest release is overly bugged. By backing up my files, I was able to, for instance, recover my record from my jukebox, which due to a bug in 1.6 was deleted. I simply deleted 1.6.4, returned to 1.5 with the backed up save, and updated to 1.6.4 again with the intact record.

Minecraft is a great game, but it can be jittery, especially around update times. Though Minecraft can lure you into false sense of security with it being stable most of the time, remember it is still in Beta. Be sure to backup frequently, so that your hours of work and fun are not ruined.

Terraria

2011-05-18T02:56:00.001-04:00

I have just begun to check out the game known as Terraria. Though the game has many similarities to Minecraft, the game has its own charm and character. The game is more of an RPG, with a large assortment of monsters, NPCs and loads of craftable items. Though the game is in 2D, as opposed to Minecraft’s 3D, the game is fairly entertaining. I would suggest that anyone who plays the game should go into the game with an open mind, and give the game some time to work it’s magic on you

Minecraft Demo Out

2011-04-20T07:20:00.004-04:00

If you haven't tried the awesomeness that is Minecraft yet, you no longer have a valid excuse. PCGamer.com now has a demo of the game available for download. Minecraft is in my opinion one of the greatest games made up to this point in history, as it offers a totally unique, creative experience.

Here is the download link: Minecraft Demo

If you end up buying the game after playing the demo, send me an email and we can play Survival multiplayer sometime. If you happen to join a server and see zartonis ingame, that is of course me.

Minecraft: My World 1 home base tour

2011-03-24T17:07:00.002-04:00

This is my home base from my first world in minecraft. Though I constantly add on to it, I decided to post this tour which shows my obsidian fortress atop a mountain. In the video I visit my newly installed hydroponic farm, storage room, living room, and incinerator. To end the video I climb up to the top of my base, which features a lava lighthouse and is built to the absolute maximum build height, and ride my minecart track down to a mob trap and look up at my base.

Minecraft

2011-03-02T17:00:00.004-05:00

I have recently discovered a game called Minecraft. This game, with its striking simplicity, yet addicting characteristics has enthralled me for a week. I am just now able to conjure the willpower to pull myself away from the game and write a short review.

Minecraft is, at this point ( the most recent version is Beta 1.3_01) a sandbox game, one begins with nothing and harvests resources such as wood to survive against monsters that spawn when night falls. Wood is a very basic and immediately needed resource in the game, as the player must gather it to form a crafting table, with which the player can construct useful tools such as axes, picks, swords, etc.

Though the player can construct many things with the wood, and cobblestone to be found on the surface, to construct much more interesting items, the player much venture into caves, and create mines to harvest iron, redstone, gold and the like. Though this may seem uninteresting to many, Minecraft must be experienced in order to be understood.

Along with single player survival, you can play online with others, but as of this posting, I have yet to do so.

Minecraft is a great game, and I highly recommend it, and would advise anyone remotely interested to check out the Minecraft Website: http://www.minecraft.net/.

Fantasia

2011-02-21T22:52:00.002-05:00

A beautiful aspect of music is that it has the ability to greatly impact the listener at a deeply emotional level. Animation, if crafted by the right hands, allows a story to be told, unbound by the rules normally governing the real world. In Fantasia (1940), music and animation were intertwined to create a masterpiece of sight and sound.

A fantasia is a musical composition with roots in improvisation, and not always adhering to textbook rules. Fantasia very much lives up to its namesake. It was a costly film at the time of it's release $2.28 million, and was very long, over two hours in length at a time when cartoon shorts were more the norm.

The visual styles presented in the film range from abstract to represent the absolute music of Bach in the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, to Dukas' programmatic The Sorcerer's Apprentice providing a character driven story with a familiar Disney charm. The animation in this movie is some of the best hand-drawn animation ever to be produced. Even tiny details such as rivulets of water slowly edging down a spider web, are precisely portrayed. The artists are just as skilled at crafting the beating wings of a fairy as making Chernabog absolutely terrifying.

I first experienced Fantasia as a young child, and it gave me a deep appreciation of concert music. I did not know the names of the composers: Bach, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Mussorgsky or Schubert, but I did hear the beauty that was presented in Fantasia. This movie increased my interest in music and will always be among my favorites.

The marriage of music and visual art as presented in Fantasia should be experienced by all, old or young. I highly recommend this movie to all.

Fallout 3

2011-01-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

As of late I have been immersed in the World of Fallout 3. Though I got the game back in September when I purchased my Xbox 360, I did not have much time to immerse myself in the Capital Wasteland due to school, Halo Reach and COD: Black Ops. I have finished the campaigns of Reach and Black Ops, and though I am still playing the multiplayer mode if Black Ops heavily, I am investing more time into Fallout 3.

Fallout 3 is set in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. The player is from the safe sterilized world of a Vault, a device which sheltered the occupants from the harsh realities of the outside world. When the player emerges from the vault to look for his father he enters a world of mutants, and various factious groups vying for control in the chaos that the world has turned into.

The game has an interested combat system called VATS (Vault-Tec assisted targeting). This system allows the player to essentially pause the game when entering a combat situation and target certain areas of an enemy's body, the head, arms etc. The player can also play the game much like a first person shooter, simply aiming and shooting the weapons.

Though the combat is integral to the game, the player's interactions with NPCs is crucial. Much like classics such as Knights of the Old Republic, the player talks to characters and garners information, experience and Quest info.

I highly recommend this game, and I will be playing Fallout: New Vegas as soon as I finish this game, which will likely be a very long time from now.

Graduation Approaches

2010-11-21T22:39:00.000-05:00

I am almost through with my college experience. I have attended UTC for 4.5 years and will soon embrace my post-college life and the world of work.

Though many people question the value of a degree in History in this endeavor, I know the value.
My degree shows the world that I have the critical thinking skills to address a problem, the persistence to see the solution through to the end, and an open mind that only comes with a balanced education that includes knowledge and a deeper understanding of people and cultures from around the world.

To Kill A Mockingbird

2010-10-07T23:22:00.001-04:00

Bernstein's music coupled with the touching and deep story of To Kill A Mockingbird, deeply affected me. The theme, according to Bernstein, was composed as though a child were humming it, or playing it on a piano. The music, which opens the movie, puts the audience into a wondrous state of mind, that of a child. The story is told through the perspective of Scout (Mary Badham), child of Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) a lawyer in the town of Macon, Alabama. Finch is entrusted with defending Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man charged with raping a white woman. During the story we also meet Jem (Philip Alford), Scout's brother, and Dill ( John Megna). The movie has a very stirring courtroom scene, which must have played a large role in Gregory Peck's later winning of an Oscar for the movie. The ending of the movie is very well done, with a great message that all that watch the movie should heed.

The Scale of the Universe

2010-08-30T20:15:00.003-04:00

The universe is sometimes hard to understand. One aspect that is especially perplexing at times is the vast scale of the whole thing. Humans perceive only a small chunk of the universe, and the website linked to below has helped me, and I am sure it will help you, to better understand the universe in which we reside.

Here is the link: The Scale of the Universe

The Foundation Series

2010-08-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

I have just finished a large part of Asimov's Foundation series

( Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation), as well as Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth. These books, especially the original trilogy are outstanding. The best thing about Asimov's stories is that they are character driven. Though the series is set in a highly advanced future, with wondrous technologies, the characters are always well grounded and relatable. Another aspect of Asimov's books that makes them stand out is the way his books, as all good science-fiction seems to, turn an eye towards our society. Though all of the books I have read so far in the series were written before I was born, they are very much relevant today, as can bee easily observed by the sheer numbers of Asimov fans.

I will in time read the prequels ( Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation. I have long hesitated to begin the Foundation series due to the number of books involved if you count the expanded Foundation series books, this number is 29 according to Wikipedia. In the past I read I, Robot, which was an outstanding book, but at that time I did not even know of the Foundation series. When I encountered it later I was pretty sure I would love it, but I knew I would simply have to read every single book of the 29, though I will start with the books listed on this page. I will undoubtedly read every single one of these books now, as I have been drawn into the Foundation universe, and I will not leave it without thoroughly exploring every nook and cranny.

Apple's iOS 4

2010-06-22T17:12:00.003-04:00

Last night I upgraded my iPhone 3G to iOS 4 (formerly know as iPhone OS 4). Though the OS will be best on the new iPhone 4, it is a great improvement from the 3.0 OS I had before.

The best feature in the new OS would to me be hands down the folders. I am now able to better organize my apps, and know where all of my favorite apps are. An added bonus to the folders is that I am able to fit many more apps on my phone, as I have had my phone full from a few weeks after I got it until last night. I now actually have empty spaces on my home screen.

Another great feature is the new inbox setup. I am now able to check all inboxes at once, as well as independently, saving a lot of time.

There are many other minor tweaks, such as the option of choosing different search providers in Safari, and minor graphical redesign among them.

iBooks does not come preloaded with iOS 4, but it is available for download from the App Store for those who have upgraded to iOS 4. The app is a great eBook reader, with plenty of free books available among the paid books.

The biggest surprise I encountered from iOS 4, is that it does not slow down my device. I expected my device to perform slower, as it is a few generations back, but it performs nicely on the new iOS.

I would recommend that all iPhone users (3G and up), at least try the new iOS, I don't believe you will be disappointed.

E3 Nintendo Presentation

2010-06-15T17:12:00.012-04:00

I am highly looking forward to a lot of the offerings that E3 has shown today. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, looked very cool.

The game uses the Wii MotionPlus attachment to enable the player to experience a near 1:1 interface with the sword, shield in the game. The advanced control allows you to feel as if you are truly integrated into the game, and the game makers have taken advantage of this, as some puzzles and enemies require you to slash your sword in certain direction. Shield use becomes much more prominent in this game as well, as the nunchuk becomes your shield, enabling you to block instinctively while also slashing your enemy. The game also uses this enhanced control for other items. The bow uses a similar control scheme to that of Wii Sports Resort Archery. The game has some familiar items such as the slingshot and bombs and some added functionality to such items as the bomb, as you can now toss it much as you would grenades in many shooters, and you can even roll the bomb like a bowling ball. There is a cool beetle item which you control remotely, and allows you to collect items from afar.

Nintendo also showcased many other games such as Donkey Kong, Mario Sports Mix, Kirby Epic Yarn and others. A huge announcement for Nintendo was the 3DS.

This is a successor the the DS handeld, that actually allows you to play games in 3D sans 3D glasses. This is a very interesting development in the world of gaming, and 3D entertainment in general, and though I often loath 3D movies, and the impending headache that often follows, I am excited about this development, and hope it works much better than Nintendo's "portable" 3D system, the VirtualBoy. I am sure they have gotten it right this time.

My Wii Console Number and Friend Codes

2010-06-15T01:34:00.007-04:00

I have enjoyed playing the Wii since Christmas, and now want to play online a bit more. Feel free to add me, and I will in turn add you back as a friend to any of these games. Though I play them all, I have listed them from most frequently played by me, to least frequently played.

Send your friend codes to: zartonis@gmail.com

My Wii console Number: 7525-6936-8547-8104

Wii Friend codes:

Mario Kart Wii: 0861-4152-9563

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: 1162-3029-2637

Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Ultimate All Stars: 1634-7481-1650

Animal Crossing City Folks: 2236-1015-7185

The Conduit: 1892-5213-9931

Summer Nears

2010-04-13T17:49:00.003-04:00

The last few weeks have went by very quickly. I have helped move my brother into his new house, had my very last jazz concert (sadly), written two papers and have organized (with the help of my teacher) a group to assist me in performing the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto, which I will perform for my jury, and to close the Clarinet Studio Recital. So, as you see, the end of the semester has been hectic, and I still have a listening exam this week, and Concert Band Concert followed by Finals Week.

Luckily however, I will have an adequate amount of time to study, and no back-to-back exams like I had last Spring semester (those are definitely not fun).

I hope to update my blog more regularly in the future. Unfortunately it always seems to be one of the first things I cut, when other things arise.

Oh, by the way, I would recommend Opera Mini (just recently released) to anyone who owns an iPhone/iPod Touch, as it is very fast and effecient. I would not however recommend it as a complete replacement, but only as a compliment to the Safari browser.

formspring.me

2010-04-12T20:55:00.001-04:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/zartonis

3D

2010-03-11T12:18:00.003-05:00

Lately 3D movies have regained popularity. Greatly propelled by the massive popularity of Avatar, the movie industry has a slew of movies set to be released in the format, and will even be re-releasing older movies in 3D. Though I enjoy 3D, I have yet to find a movie that does not cause great nausea and a throbbing headache. This may be because I wear glasses and must wear the 3D glasses over them, but because of my problems watching 3D, I am wary about watching movies in 3D. To be fair, I have yet to see Avatar in either 2D or 3D, and Cameron may have found a way of using 3D that does not cause me nausea.
Another reason, according to many, that 3D movies cause nausea etc. is that the movies force the audience to focus on a particular portion of the screen. Objects other than the focus of the shot often seem blurry. It seems as if everything in a shot cannot be in focus at once, as is possible in 2D. Although these two issues may have been corrected in newer 3D movies such as Avatar, I am not sure, and am hesitant to waste money to attend a movie and find out. I would not possibly be able to stay through more than forty-five minutes of a 3D movie if I experienced the same problems I experienced in prior short IMAX 3D movies.

I know the movie industry needs 3D in order to insure that people continue to attend movies, as without some element that people with cannot experience at home, movie theatre attendance will falter, as people continue to have better and better home theatre systems. Soon, however even 3D will be available in high quality in the home with the release of 3D televisions. I believe that 3D could be to the first half of the 21^st century, what color TV was to the mid 20^th century. This could happen if the 3D is unobtrusive and allows users to do other things while watching 3D TV, and of course, if the technology is improved to be less painful on the eyes.

I would love to be able to experience 3D without pain, and in high quality in movie theatres, but I am not sure if even then I would want to watch it each day on TV. The future is hard to predict, and I am sure some detractors bashed sound and color when they were introduced. The 3D format's future will ultimately be in the hands of the consumer.

Snow Day

2010-03-02T14:51:00.002-05:00

Today is yet another snow day as earlier this morning the snow began piling up on the ground. The local weathermen predicted that the snow would quickly turn to rain, but that did not happen, as the temperature stayed at around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. As usual, however, UTC was late to predict that the snow would prove troublesome to many until most students were already in their classes. I ended up going to one class, and even patiently stayed to finish the class after school had officially closed for the day, as I was already there, and the professor was adamant about delivering all the information he had prepared for the day. The snow has mostly vanished, leaving only a few remnants behind, but I will gladly take the snow day!

Spring Semester Begins

2010-01-19T21:21:00.008-05:00

Since my last post pertaining to the jazz concert at Rock City Gardens many things have occurred among them: Christmas, New Years, and the beginning of Spring semester in college. During Christmas break I obtained a Wii and an iPhone 3G, so future posts will most likely include these two great devices which by now I have explored thoroughly.
Though the Wii does not have the same graphical power of the XBox 360 or Playstation 3, it makes up for this in its intuitive control of games via its motion sensing controller: the wii remote. The ease of using the controller also has an added benifit, people who would usually avoid video games, such as older people or those who lament the many buttons on most system controllers, find the wii great fun. I have seen this first-hand as my grandmother loves to bowl, and even play Mario Kart, though she would never play most XBox 360 games.
The iPhone 3G has been a great phone so far. I have never had a phone that provided such eas of navigation. The app store has hundreds of thousands of apps, many free, that enhance the phone ten fold in my opinion.
With both the iPhone and Wii I have been tempted to use homebrew and jailbreak each respectively, but have not. Though the added functionality would greatly expand the value of both devices to me, the risk is something I am unwilling to take.
In the field of music, I have now begun working on Artie Shaw's Clarinet Concerto. This piece is a great work, and I have wanteed to perform it since I was in High School. I have now reached a point where I am confident, that with enough practice I will be able to give this piece justice.
This semester I have continued my study of Japan, by taking a class dealing with Premodern Japan. I will be finishing up the duo of History of Music classes this semester, thankfully, but not before delving into many, many scores. To attempt to partially fill my gap in knowledge of the Latin American world, I am taking a class pertaining to the post-colonial era of these states. Another interesting class I am taking this semester is Musics of the World. In this class we learn of many different music cultures, and even get to play their instruments at times, in workshops.
The semester is getting off to a decent start.

Jazz Performance at Rock City

2009-11-22T11:42:00.007-05:00

The Jazz performance at Rock City went wonderfully last night. Though there were a few technical problems, the performance seemed great. At times, jazz band has been a drag, as the first months are usually devoid of any performances. After performing the music for the audience however, the reason I enjoy playing jazz, and other types of music became clear again. Entertaining an audience is the reason I play music, and is a thing I get to do often, but for few people (besides in Marching Band) . During this performance, I did two improvisatory solos, both were much better live than in rehearsal, ( or on the jazz concert two days before, as I was preoccupied with microphone placement). The rush of performing for so many people pushed me to try to deliver a great musical experience. Though I knew the chordal structure that my solos were to follow, when the time to actually improvise began, I chose to follow my instincts and attempted to play what I felt the need to play, which led to improvisations that I am very happy to have played.
The band actually seemed to do a bit better on some of the pieces during this performance than it did during the previous concert. I believe, that we were less nervous, as we had performed the entire thing for many people two nights before. Having performed the entire set prior to the Rock City performance enabled us to relax more, and to have more fun. The final jazz performance of the semester was a great success, and I look forward to what the jazz band can accomplish next semester.

The Semester's Apex Approaches/Japan

2009-11-16T23:04:00.009-05:00

This Fall semester has gone by very quickly, it seems that just yesterday I was learning the "All Blues" drill in marching band, and learning about Tokugawa Era Japan and learning that unfortunately Music History involves music theory, and the writing of a theory driven paper. In reality the marching season is over (most likely my last) and I have written my Music History and Modern Japan papers, and will be working on my History of Tennessee papers and begin studying for finals. I will also be performing my Jazz concerts, and clarinet semester end jury and studio recital.
On less scholastic events: though I have been studying Japan intensively this semester in my History of Modern Japan class, my interest in the country and its culture has not waned. I have recently acquired Essential Kanji by P.G O'Neill. This book is very interesting, as it presents the kanji in an orderly way, giving masterfully drawn representations of the characters, ( I would consider the characters works of art), readings and more information on each kanji. I may attempt to learn some of the kanji, but even if I do not, the book is still a great reference. I also acquired an Anime Encyclopedia during the weekend so I can easily look up anime series and movies.
This may be one of the last posts of the semester, as I will have little time do anything but study for the next few weeks. Hopefully when I post again, it will be with an unburdened mind, knowing that I have done great in all of my finals.

Final Fantasy VII

2009-10-13T22:44:00.013-04:00

I began playing Final Fantasy VII a few weeks ago. Though I had been hesitant to play this game because of the lack of flashy graphics, it was a foolish decision that I now regret. This game has great character interaction with the interaction of their personalities at times making you burst out in laughter, and other times clearly broadcasting to the player (audience), very convincing, and moving emotional scenes.

The characters' looks are less realistic than in the later FFVIII, as they have exaggerated character design, e.g. (spiky-haired Cloud, and muscular Barret), a design style which was returned to in FFIX. I think this is desirable however, as it makes the characters much more likeable, and gives them a certain charm.

The game contains a wonderful soundtrack. The music is great; from the enchanting FFVII Theme, to the festive Golden Saucer. Playing Final Fantasy VII has also allowed me to further appreciate the music from the game that I was already familiar with. I now know the origins and context of many memorable tunes like Rufus's Welcoming Ceremony, and Aeris's Theme.

I also now realize the awesome precedent this game set for later Final Fantasy titles. It surely must have pushed later Final Fantasy contributors to strive for the excellence achieved in this title. Though I can see the greatness of this game from such an early point in my playthrough, I still have a long journey ahead of me. I know, however, that playing through the rest of the game will be a great experience.

Final Fantasy Overview and FF VIII

2009-09-22T16:21:00.021-04:00

The Final Fantasy series is comprised of, at present, 12 main titles with numerous sequels and spinoffs which can be seen here. The first Final Fantasy game I played was probably different from many people's first. I began with Final Fantasy VIII. This game opened my eyes to a new universe. The characters were interesting, yet peculiar, and projected great depth. This really allowed me to connect with them, and to want them to succeed in their journey, which is always a good aspiration for a novel, movie, play or game. The storyline was awesome, and truly swept me into the strange and surreal world that the game was based in.
The battle system of this game was interesting as you chose your attacks, used potions etc, and summoned monsters called "guardian forces" in this game. When you walked about the landscape while outside cities, battles would occur randomly, and if you defeated the creature, person, or whatever attacked you, you would gain experience, and sometimes collect gil or items that they dropped.

Though I really loved the gameplay, and storyline of this game, the music is what kept me playing in all Final Fantasy titles. My favorite pieces from this game are "Fisherman's Horizon", and "Eyes On Me". These two pieces, though great in helping to advance the story, stand on there own as great works. Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of the music for this game, and most of the music for the other Final Fantasy titles, is able to project the emotions of the characters, and help the player to experience the journey that the characters endure. When the characters feel joy, the players feel it, and when there is great loss the player also understands. This kind of empathy would not be possible without Nobuo Uematsu's compositions.

Unlike most people who have played Final Fantasy, I have never actually completed the games. I get to the final bosses, and I am unable to beat them, or I am too lazy, and want to play the newest version when it is released. So I have begun: Final Fantasy: VIII, IX, X, XII in the main series, and Final Fantasy: Tactics, and Tactics Advanced, spinoffs.

One day I hope to go back and complete all of these games, as this "partial completion" of the games has always hovered over me, beckoning me to finish, and absorb the entire experience of these games.

The Final Fantasy series is one of the greatest series of stories I have ever experienced. From characters such as the loner, Squall of Final Fantasy VIII to the child-like,black mage, Vivi in FF IX, to the passionate Yuna of FF X, to the exile Fran of XII the characters are varied and very easy to connect with.

The locations in Final Fantasy usually have a touch of the exotic, yet most have a slight base in reality. Some of my favorite locations are: Balamb Garden in FF VIII, the city of Treno in FF IX, the blitzball court in FF X, and the Leviathan in FF XII (I have not gotten as far in this game as the others so this favorite location could easily change if I played the game more.)

Final Fantasy is a great series, and I am happy that Final Fantasy XIII is coming to Xbox 360, so that I do not have to purchase a PS3, as this is one series, that could actually warrant a system purchase, almost.

A large chunk of my game playing history is comprised of Final Fantasy games. The series has been one of the most memorable of my gaming experience, and each game has always lived up to my expectations. The series is a great one, that will never cease to amaze me with its excellence.

Grooveshark

2009-09-08T20:17:00.004-04:00

Grooveshark, a site I recently discovered, has quickly won me over, and I believe it to best legal music streaming site on the internet. The selection of music is astounding, with music ranging from Hey Jude to Rhythm Emotion from Gundam Wing. Anything I have currently searched for has been available on the site. The Millions of available songs are easily searched via a website with a user friendly format. The website of course also allows you to easily share the songs you listen to with Facebook, Twitter or Dig. You can also upload your own songs, if by a slight chance they are not already on the site. I would strongly suggest that any music lovers at least check out the site.

Miles Davis- Kind of Blue

2009-08-31T16:58:00.012-04:00

Miles Davis is one of my favorite musicians. In his career he always progressed, from his work in the bebop era with the likes of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, to cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, electric and more detailed periods in between. Miles never looked back, but in each of these periods, he strived to make great music.

Personally my favorite period in Miles's musical life was his modal jazz period, and the album produced in this period, Kind Of Blue. (Below is a piece, All Blues from that album.)

Miles chose great players such as Julian "Cannonball Adderley on alto saxophone, Paul Chambers on double bass, Jimmy Cobb on drums, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, and Bill Evans on piano for Kind of Blue. Miles Davis chose great players, with individual, developed sounds, put them together and made one of the greatest albums of all time.

The Big Bang Theory

2009-08-23T21:28:00.006-04:00

This past weekend I revisited some episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" by viewing most of the Season One DVDs. This sitcom, currently ranked number 7 in the Nielson ratings, number 3 on CBS. (ranking from 8/3/09 to 8/9/09. http://tinyurl.com/kwgz2r). The series is perfect, and viewing the episodes from the first season has allowed me to see that the cast, writing, everything just clicked from the very beginning. The premise for the series, a group of very intelligent people engaging in both geeky situations quite easily, and social situations in a sometimes quite befuddling, yet hilarious manner, is what makes this series special. As the director says however, the episodes are always Big Bang Theory stories. In other words, the writers do not simply input into the Big Bang Theory sitcom formula into any common story, and use it. The story is always very much crafted to the characters in the series. This show is the best show I have seen on TV since Seinfeld, I recommend this series to everyone. If you want to know more about the series head here.

Beginning of Classes

2009-08-17T00:46:00.005-04:00

Band camp ended last Thursday, leaving me pain in my feet, but a great sense of accomplishment for the week, as we were able to get a good chunk of the show onto the field.
This week begins a new task as I begin my Fall classes for the year. My first class on Monday is thankfully not until 10:00am, as Mondays are bad for waking up early. On Tuesdays and Thursdays however, I have a 9:25am class. This is really not so bad, considering I had an 8:00am class my Freshman year, a time at which I will never again take a class.
I will be using the Mocs Express, a shuttle bus serviece around campus, after my 1:00pm class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as I must quickly get to the marching field for band at 2:00pm. Hopefully I will be able to get there on time each day.
The academic year has begun.

Band Camp Halfway Mark

2009-08-09T23:41:00.005-04:00

Band camp has reached its halfway mark, and things are developing nicely. The band is progressing in not only its sound, but also in visual display. The improvement in the band's sound from the beginning of camp to now is vast. Although there is still much work to do, at no other band camp have I heard the band sound this good so early on. The Freshman class, which is a large percentage of the band, is comprised of very mature musicians. The atmosphere of the band seems a lot better at this point than in previous years also. There is more of a festive, yet get the job done mentality, instead of putting the job last and the fun first.
With the addition of visuals provided by an alto sax player, and one drum major, the entertainment value of the band will increase exponentially. Not only will the band sound good, but the visuals will compliment the great sound that comes from the band.

First Day of Band Camp

2009-08-07T21:16:00.003-04:00

The first day of band camp was fairly productive and promising. I visited the new field and watched the Freshman learn the UTC marching style. The new field is very nice, and is a great improvement, as it is for the band, meaning others have to work around our schedule, instead of vice-versa as it has been for the last couple of years, (ever since our original band field was replaced with a building). The year looks promising, with music by Miles Davis, Michael Jackson and others in the show. I am looking forward to a great year.

New Marching Band Season

2009-08-06T20:40:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow starts a new, and my last, marching band season at UTC. I begin band camp tomorrow after signing in for the camp today, and moving into my dorm early. The music this year seems like it will be good ( Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, most notably), and we have a new, and better field on which to march. This will be my eighth straight year of marching band, and I will miss it, but I will try to soak in the experience it provides. Though being in marching band is sometimes stressful, and time-consuming, the reward comes when you walk onto a field and the applause is deafening. It comes when the audience catapults to its feet when you have finished performing, and expresses the joy you have brought to them with seemingly endless applause. It comes when you are waiting on a parade to start, and one person begins playing a piece from the marching season, and the whole band joins in, and so many other things. I will forever remember the great experiences I have gained from marching band.

Mobile Suit Gundam

2009-07-30T21:50:00.004-04:00

I recently watched the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam. This is the first and best in a long line of Gundam series. Re-watching the episode made me remember why I became enamored with anime. The series seemed to awaken me to the possibilities of this medium of entertainment. It showed me the great depths of emotion and story that can be portrayed in an animated show.

Mobile Suit Gundam though about entertainment was much more than that, the series showed the terrible way in which human beings can treat each other, and the utter turmoil, and deep sadness that human conflict can create.

Mobile suit gundam will forever in my opinion be one of the greatest anime series.

Blog Updates

2009-07-29T17:46:00.004-04:00

Throughout the last month I have constantly been evolving my blog to be more appealing, and to have material worth viewing. I have added a navigation bar, a games link, a more detailed 'about me' section, and I have added another link to the navigation bar called 'ustream'. This page allows visitors to my blog to view any live streams I may have. I have had few of these but when I have them viewers of my blog will be able to easily see the stream, and to chat with each other or to me.

I hope to continually improve upon the blog, if anyone has any suggestions do not hesitate to contact me via my 'contact me' link in the navigation bar.

Thanks for you viewership, and have a great day.

eRepublik

2009-07-23T11:26:00.002-04:00

Join eRepublik: http://www.erepublik.com/en/referrer/Zartonis

eRepublik is an online experience with companies you can found and work for, countries, wars, political offices, and all sorts of other things. Follow the link above, and when you reach level 6, you will get 5 gold, which is a lot of money in country currency. If you join via my link I will be sure to interact with you and help you as much as possible ( as I have just started playing myself). I hope you follow the link and try out this great game.

Text Google

2009-07-17T19:17:00.005-04:00

Have you ever wanted directions to a location or the weather when you were away from a computer, and google access? For those who have a cell-phone, text google with your inquiries. You can, for example, find definitions, weather for a specific zip code, sports scores, and even snippets of a web site, all through texting google. The best part, is that there is no charge, except for standard text messaging rates. Even for those of us with the ability to go on the internet, texting google is a lot faster, and easier than opening a web browser on your phone, and navigating to google. To text google, you simply store Google in your contacts, the number is (466453). You then simply text google as you would any other contact with your inquiry.

You can find more information on Google SMS here.

Karaoke

2009-07-10T01:26:00.013-04:00

Though I have found little use for MySpace lately, with Facebook proving what MySpace used to for me (social networking), I have found a new use for MySpace, Karaoke. Above is a karaoke attempt by myself. The selection of Karaoke songs is plentiful with many Jazz/Standards,Pop, Rock, R&B, Wacky, etc. If you have a MySpace account and were planning on deleting it, hold off until you've tried MySpace Karaoke.
To use Myspace Karaoke, sign in to your account, on the Myspace navigation bar, click More, (next to video), and click karaoke. You will have to download a karaoke upload manager. After this you will be able to record your karaoke attempts and allow others to view them.
Although Myspace Karaoke is free there is also a paid version with extra features, such as the ability to change the key of the song you are singing, add effects and save an unlimited amount of recordings (with the free version you can only save 10 recordings).
MySpace Karaoke provides great fun, and is worth checking out though, with the free version you are limited to I believe 100 plays (or recordings) per month. Another free karaoke site I would recommend is here.
Although this site is harder to navigate, and is a lower quality option, you are able to change keys of songs for free, as opposed to the requirement of having a paid account on Myspace Karaoke in order to be able to change keys. The lower quality of redkaraoke.com lies in its use of midi quality .kar files which users are able to upload to their favorite songs, as opposed to Myspace Karaoke's use of the original tracks with the solo track removed. Both of these sites will provide enjoyment, and I hope my review has been unbiased.

Michael Jackson Memorial

2009-07-07T16:32:00.036-04:00

I just finished watching the Michael Jackson memorial. The memorial brought to light the amazing talent that in recent years has been overshadowed by controversy. The music of Michael Jackson is ageless, and will live on forever. Such hits as Billie Jean (1983),

and of course Thriller (1982),

and in such hits as I Want You Back (1969), and The Love You Save (1970), with the Jackson 5 and one of my favorites Ben (1972).

Jackson's influence on the world goes much further than in his ability to entertain, however. He has also influenced the world through his charity, while having set numerous world records, including first black artist to record a video on MTV, Biggest selling video and more he also has a record for the most charities supported by a pop star.
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie's We Are The World (1985),

is an example of one of Jackson's charitable efforts. This song, which included the voices of 45 popular musicians of the time helped famine relief efforts in Ethiopia at the time.
Michael Jackson was a great entertainer and generous man who wished to have a positive influence on his world. His efforts were not in vain as his music is a unifying element all over the world. Michael Jackson will be sorely missed by many people, and will live on forever in the hearts of his countless fans.

Fanboys

2009-07-06T11:32:00.007-04:00

I have recently watched the movie Fanboys on DVD. This movie is set in 1998, and is about the meeting of a group of Star Wars fans who's lives have diverged slightly as they have grown up. In the movie the group plans a raid on Skywalker ranch to steal a copy of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). The movie contains a plethora of Star Wars references and many big-name guest stars. This movie is wonderful, and I would highly encourage anyone who enjoys Star Trek, or just a great movie to watch this film.

Anime

2009-06-24T13:04:00.032-04:00

Anime has been a favorite form of entertainment of mine since I was a child. At first, I did not know what I was watching was anime, with such shows as Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z. After awhile though I learned of anime, and branched out to such shows as Mobile Suit Gundam, Ghost In The Shell Gundam Wing, and of course Cowboy Bebop my favorite anime series.

I also began watching anime movies such as Vampire Hunter D and others. My favorite anime
movies of late however, are the movies of Miyazaki. Miyazaki masterfully crafts interesting stories, with fantastic journeys made believable by his incredibly grounded and realistic characters.

The artwork in Miyazaki's films is also beautifully crafted, showing the dedication of him and his studio, Studio Ghibli.
Many people believe anime is solely for children, this is not true. Anime originated in Japan, and the best anime is still produced there. Japanese movie makers do not have the resources of Hollywood, so many turn to the anime format to better display their vision to the audience.

Some productions which would clearly have been produced as live action movies in the U.S are Akira and Metropolis. Both of these are clearly not for small children and the characters in both display realistic emotions and desires.
Anime is an important and wonderful art form with many great stories to tell.

The Dusk of Summer Break

2009-06-23T20:16:00.020-04:00

My summer vacation is about two-thirds of the way over, and I am unfortunately beginning to feel the coming pressure of the beginning of a new academic semester. I will have to move in early, on August 6th, in order to begin band camp the next day, which will last until August 14th. This is a relatively short time compared to other colleges, who must rehearse much longer during the summer and during the school year. This band camp will undoubtedly be my last one, as even if I go an extra semester or year, my scholarship will no longer be in effect, and I will be focusing on my major, History.
I have practiced very little throughout the summer, as it is very hard to do so with my brother always playing the guitar, and dogs that seemingly squeal in pain from my playing, though I have discovered that it is not because my playing is bad, because they squeal equally at Coltrane, Getz, and Charlie Parker. I will soon begin to practice once more in order to assure that I have adequate skill to get through next semester's music classes, because at this point, ironically, a good bit of the classes I must take are for my music minor. I also have a piece on the clarinet, Wilson Osborne's Rhapsody for Bb Clarinet that I must have ready by the time school starts.
As my summer break time diminishes however, I will attempt to savor every last minute of it.

Star Wars

2009-06-17T19:06:00.014-04:00

Last weekend I watched the original Star Wars Trilogy, (episodes IV through VI). This set of movies brought to mind how I originally became entwined in the Star Wars galaxy.

Long ago, when I was a child, I began my fascination with Star Wars. I watched the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS tape, and then the special edition in theaters when they were released. The original trilogy opened a vast new universe to me. The universe allowed me to dream and enjoy the movies along with the later expanded universe including various books and games. Although I love the characters of the movies, the universe created by George Lucas is to me much more important.

Lucas's creation allows talented authors such as Kevin J. Anderson, Alan Dean Foster, Timothy Zahn, Roger Macbride Allen and many others to express themselves in the universe of Star Wars, and to share their vision with the audience. For instance, Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy was to me riveting and peaked my interest for months and endeared me that much more to Star Wars. Anderson edited many Star Wars novels including Tales From Jabba's Palace and Tales of the Bounty Hunters, he also authored many other Star Wars novels. There are many other wonderful authors in the Star Wars universe as well as these.

Along with the books video games have also been made set in the Star Wars universe. Some of my favorite of these are: for the Nintendo 64: Shadows of the Empire, Rogue Squadron, and Episode I Racer. Some of my favorite Star Wars games for the Xbox (and PC) are Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel.

1 vs. 100

2009-06-11T12:27:00.003-04:00

Recently I have been playing the 1 vs 100 beta extended play on xbox live, a multiple choice trivia based game. This game is a fun game, and a great way to exercise your knowledge of trivia. In the extended play beta version of the game there is no 1, which the 100 would be competing against in the original version and I assume the beta live version. In the extended version, again, you can have up to four people in your party whom you can talk to and see their score as you play. You are also however playing with thousands of people at the same time, and when they get an answer wrong and you get it right it increases your score, so the greater number of people who get a question wrong, the higher the score of those who got the question right. I would highly recommend this as a great game for anyone.

Ko Ko (orignally written by me on August 19, 2006 with edits)

2009-06-09T23:01:00.017-04:00

Ko Ko.

A scaldingly fast work derived from the chords of Cherokee, this piece is entrancing. The head begins with a complex phrase played by Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and Parker on Alto Sax, that is later understood when Cherokee's chord changes come in. When Cherokee's chords are reached Dizzy switches to playing the chord changes on the piano behind Parker. Bird then begins his astounding 128 bar solo. It is astonishing in its phrasing and perfection. During his solo Parker manages to throw in the clarinet solo from "High Society". Ko Ko ends with Dizzy and Parker finally converging after a Max Roach drum solo.

Stan Getz- It Never Entered My Mind

2009-06-09T14:32:00.011-04:00

Stan Getz was a saxophonist with a beautiful sound, and a great musical imagination. His sound was silky smooth, and the perfect compliment to such genres as Bossa Nova. Below is a video I made, and was unable to publish on Youtube. The video contains various clips of Getz coupled with the piece It Never Entered My Mind, with Getz playing the tenor saxophone. This piece is one of my favorite by Getz, and really captures his wonderful style very nicely. I have also recently uploaded this video to my Revver account here.

Music (written by me on March 2nd 2007 with some new edits)

2009-06-09T13:10:00.004-04:00

-The invisible hand that shapes our thoughts and emotions, that leads us to acts of pure romance and aids our hands in unmired violence. It pushes our soldiers to the front with courage, and lays them to rest with honor. It celebrates the joining of two people and leads them to create new life. Music inspires new thought, pushing the greatest of minds to new heights. Music encourages exploration to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, and human soul. Music is the fabric that interweaves our lives, and provides the audible expression of emotions too deep for a human to communicate through words. Music is the translation of the experience of life into sound.

Barbershop

2009-06-02T23:01:00.017-04:00

I have been interested in barbershop harmony for quite awhile. I have long enjoyed the harmonies produced by the Buffalo Bills in "The Music Man", and the music of the Dapper Dans of Disneyland, (as seen from YouTube videos. When I found murry537s multitrack barbershop tag tutorials (here is a link to his page, you can type "classic tags into google and find a pdf file of all tags with music, or visit a nice website which has many tags including classic tags, and downloads of individual sound files for each part, e.g. "lead, baritone, tenor, bass" here is the link.), I found them very interesting.
Today I made my first multitrack barbershop tag, Happy Trails, and put it on Youtube here, as well as posting it to my blog.

I know it is not of very great quality, but it was fun to make, and a good musical exercise. I may do more multitrack barbershop tags in the future, but I will try to make them with betterquality.

My Brother's Wedding and dogsitting

2009-05-26T12:17:00.007-04:00

For the last couple of days I have been involved in activities involving my brother's wedding. The first of the activities involved readying my gift to my brother and his bride, music to them from me.
I performed on my clarinet and saxophone. Originally I was going to perform three pieces, but I trimmed it down to two pieces which worked out wonderfully. The pieces I performed solo, with backing tracks were, Endless Love on the clarinet, and Misty on Alto Saxophone. Gathering the backing tracks for these pieces was an interesting and strung out process, but I finally accomplished it, and ended up purchasing the backing track for Misty to find one that was just right, and it proved to be the right decision, as out of the two it was most liked.
For the actual wedding, I was an usher. Being an usher involved going the day before, and practicing with others in the wedding party, learning how to carry out my part, after many changes we came to a final plan and were ready for the next day.
On the wedding day everything went very smoothly, and proved that the great amount of practice, and planning were essential, and paid off. The groom and bride looked great, and the wedding was great, and the reception was good, with very nice food, especially the vanilla and chocolate-covered, fresh strawberries. During the reception, I was even coaxed into dancing with the bride, and dancing is something I rarely if ever partake in.
After the wedding I promised to dog/cat sit for my brother and his bride. From Saturday (the wedding day), until Monday afternoon I watched their two dogs, and one kitten. The dogs behaved pretty well and the kitty also, except for one instance, the first night when it woke me at 3 a.m. In that instance I gave it a late night (morning) snack, and it went back to sleep. The Wedding week is now over, after the flurry of activity during that week, most weeks will now seem dull.

Star Trek

2009-05-18T23:15:00.004-04:00

Since I have been a small child I have always enjoyed Science Fiction, which of course includes the Star Trek franchise. I was born around the time that Star Trek: The Next Generation began, which became my favoire Star Trek tv series.
I have seen every Star Trek movie, though not exactly in order, as I saw most of the movies with the TNG crew before I saw all of the movies with the TOS crew. This weekend I went to see Star Trek in theaters, which I believe is the first time I have gone to see a Star Trek movie in theaters.
I was frightened that the movie would be ruined by Abrams, and that he would suck the spirit from the franchise, this did not occur however. [spoilers ahead] Abrams effectively used alternate realities and time travel to make sure he had suffiecient artistic license to tell a story that was bothh interesting and loyal to the franchise. You should not attend this movie expecting a typical Star Trek movie, it is very different. If you see the movie with an open mind, however, y0u will greatly enjoy it, as I did.

My First Road Trip of the Summer

2009-05-18T21:26:00.001-04:00

Last week from Sunday to Friday afternoon I went with my stepfather on semi truck. I have done this during previous summers, but did not journey last summer. We started off going to Memphis.
Memphis brings back memories of my school's jazz band, and our trip to the city to perform at the area schools. During that trip I had a great time, and got a small taste (a very very small taste) of what it was like to travel and perform in a jazz ensemble). Since then I have not traveled anywhere but the Roland Hayes Conert Hall in any ensemble except Marching Band, which is a completely different experience. (That was a lengthy tangent, and now I wll return to my summer road trip)
After Memphis, and marveling at the effeciency of the Fedex hub, which is where all Fedex packages are sent and sorted, and effeciently shipped out, We journeyed on. After this we had various stops in Tennessee, followed by stops in Ohio.
Before going to Ohio though, in my home state of Tennessee I suprisingly saw one of the highlights of the trip. The highlight was a monument at a rest area. The monument was in the shape of an arc, and shaped like a leaning sun dial. on the "dial" were individual stones with the names of all the counties of Tennessee on them.

The stones seemed to be of proportional size to the area of the counties, a very interesting monument indeed.
In Ohio we had an extended stop in a repair shop, as the truck had trouble supplying compressed air. Compressed air is used for many things, most important though is to supply air to the pulled trailers, this is why a semi driver must connect and disconnect airlines to a each trailer his connects and disconnects from his tractor.
The stay in the repair shop was about five hours, which when looking back was not so terrible, but at the time seemed like an eternity. There was a Driver's lounge, which had a television and magazines, but the TV had only about three channels, one of which had The Ellen Show and Soaps and the others what seemed like enless news broadcasts. The magazines were of course all trucker magazines, and were not very interesting to me, although I still looked through them pretty thoroughly. This time would seem to be the best time to read my book 'Ringworld', which I did some, but being in a Driver's Lounge, next to a worker's mess area and the workshop distracted me, especially at their intermiitent break times, of which they had two while I was there.

I was only able to read about a chapter of 'Ringworld while at the shop.
After getting out of the shop and what seemed like an eternity we left, and traveled through Cincinatti that night. The truck functioned pretty good for the rest of the trip, filling trailer's with air in record time. In my trip through Cincinnatti, I was able to see multiple buildings and the bridge from the old TV show 'WKRP In Cincinnatti'. Seeing the landmarks from that show proved to be a pretty interesting experience, and it was also pretty cool seeing the Cincinnatti Red's baseball stadium.

The rest of the trip involved going to North Carolina, and then to South Carolina and then back to Tennessee. We listened to an audiobook during this leg of the trip. The audiobook was very intersting, and almost as good as reading a book. On the final leg of the journey, we encountered a monstrous flash flood near Knoxville, which meant very slow moving traffic.
As this has been a long entry, and the last section of the trip was not particularly exciting, I have abridged this section. The trip was interesting, and for the most part it was enjoyable.

Beginning of Summer Break

2009-05-13T16:02:00.002-04:00

I have long since moved out of my dorm, and have been adjusting to
life away from school again.
Last week I stayed with dad and helped him go through his VHS tapes. We took these tapes to McKay's, a book store.
At McKay's I found some interesting books including Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time', and Larry Niven's 'Ringworld among others.
Ringworld, which helped inspire the Halos in the Halo series seems to be an interesting book so far. I believe I will surely enjoy this book.

Finals 2009 Week Two

2009-04-27T17:22:00.000-04:00

Today I took my final in my Spanish class, which is a huge relief, as it was the last Spanish test I will ever have to endure. I have now taken all of the Spanish classes that I must take in order to graduate. Tomorrow I will take my last Final and finally be free of college for a few months..., for the most part, for I still have a few things to do concerning my academic and professional futures.

The main things I will have to do during the summer that are school related are:

1) Work on improving my clarinet skills. Though in my mind I seem to have reached a plateau on the clarinet, there is much room for improvement especially in the tenseness of my left hand.

2) Decide what I would like to do after college, which is a chore. This will probably consume my thoughts for many days and nights during the long summer days, and like most of my problems, will not be resolved until after summer is long gone and I have used much of my time worrying instead of enjoying the time.

I hope that after Finals, when my summer break begins that I am able to enjoy the summer, and hopefully make the summer enjoyable. Though I must think about the future, the present is very important as well

Youtube's new commercial content ( Movies and TV shows)

2009-04-22T23:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I discovered Youtube's new idea of having TV shows and movies as well as its standard content. Though I did not have time to examine it then, I did today. I have found the selection pretty good, especially since the content is free. The only price you must pay is the time it takes to watch a small commercial. I watched "Supersize Me", and it played flawlessly, with no problems throughout its hour twenty something minute runtime.

Many people believe that Youtube's introduction of this commercial content is a bad thing, and that it will ruin Youtube. I believe it makes the website much better and more fulfilling.

When I first discovered Youtube a long time ago, I was searching for content such as movies and TV shows. I instead discovered the very interesting user content that was greatly above my expectations, and I will never stop watching this content, but I want the commercial content as well.

I believe Youtube has taken a step in guaranteeing its continued existence with its implementation of commercial content, and I am glad I will not have to visit Hulu as much now to get the commercial content. I can instead get all of this content in one location.

Finals Spring 2009 Week One

2009-04-21T22:04:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I take the plunge into my first two finals of finals week. I have prepared for this endeavor by studying feverishly yesterday and from 7:30 am till around 9pm today. For my first test I will explain the change in Social Darwinism in the 2oth century through Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal Legislation. In the second part of the same exam I will compare the Joads from "The Grapes of Wrath" (which I just finished reading today, and read in about 3 days), to Jurgis in the "The Jungle", and why the Joads did not achieve the American Dream.

An hour after my first exam I will then proceed to take an exam in my History of China class.

After these exams I will practice my clarinet piece with my pianist for my jury, and probably go home and pass out.

Polka Dot Stomp, Sidney Bechet

2009-04-02T23:08:00.001-04:00

Today I was searching on Youtube for Polka Dot Stomp. This is a great masterpiece by former jazz master Sidney Bechet. I was unable to find a recording of Polka Dot Stomp by Bechet in all of Youtube. I was then determined to present the mastery of Bechet in this piece to Youtube, so I made a video featuring the piece and uploaded it here.
Sidney Bechet was a master of both the clarinet and soprano sax. He had a vibrant and unconstrained style in which he played with a great heaping helping of vibrato that allows you to identify his sound instantly. I hope my video introduces the mastery of Bechet to more people.