Twisty, Curvy Roads

When I was a young man, I would often walk for days in the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. At each fork in the trail, I would stop and debate which direction to follow, and sincerely wish that I could follow both. Even today, when I close my eyes, I still see the entire world spread before me just as it was from the top of the trail high in the Weminuche Wilderness! The inevitable choices between this path or that, seem to have always led to a new and even more thrilling vista of possibilities! This morning, this poem came unbidden to my tongue. I hope that you and each of my children and grandchildren will find paths as free and memorable as those which lay before me! +++++++++++++++++++++ High On A Mountain     High on a mountain Free as the wind A path lies before me Shall I follow it then? Through meadows of Springtime, To the valley below, Heedless I tarried Where sweet waters flow. I found a cabin ‘Tween the high mountains arms. I thought myself sheltered...

 

  The Pfunky Pflutist Pfrom Pflugerville by Jim Ivy

Here is a little patriotic piece for chamber orchestra with narration.    

  I detest yard work! I figure that God knows better than I how to deal with growing things, so accordingly, I leave Him to do as He wishes with the patch of earth between the street curb and my front door.  Of course, my home, with its six inch stand of straggler daisy punctuated by stalks of johnson grass, does stand out a bit from the well manicured lawns in the neighborhood.  I had noticed some of my tonier neighbors looking askance when they strolled past my place, and I swear that their noses grew an inch whenever I nodded a greeting in their direction. Being the sensitive and perceptive galoot that I am, I soon realized that they were not particularly pleased with my lawn maintenance practices. After considerable reflection I stumbled upon a perfect solution. I went to the local sign shop and had them make up a sign that I promply installed in front of my house. The sign, with a suitable "green" graphic background proudly proclaims "URBAN NATURE PRESERVE AND WILDL...

 I found this recording while I was cleaning up the drive on a computer I was planning on taking to the GoodWill Store. It was evidently recorded at a gig sometime around 2010. Probably in a restaurant or bar in Austin, Texas. I'm not certain who the musicians are except for Tom Griffith on keyboard. I think the drummer may be Dave Bedrick.  The tune is a 1933 hit called Stompin' At The Savoy .

Another lost recording. 2010 at the SPJST Hall in Taylor, TX playing with Dave Bedrich's "Czech Melody Masters"! It was supposed to be a polka band but we got in one swing tune. I am on tenor and vocal but I can't remember who else was in the band.

    On Easter Sunday, I attended services at the Round Rock Baptist Church. It is a beautiful little church that reminds me very much of the church that was an important part of my early childhood.    Round Rock Baptist Church When I was just a tad, Wednesday night was reserved for Choir Practice and Prayer Meeting. It was an unbreakable ritual. Grandmother would hold my hand as we walked the few blocks past the rail depot to the little Baptist church in the center of the village. If I could go back and visit that village today, I'm sure that I would see that the walk was only a few blocks, but to someone who was not even old enough for kindergarten, it seemed to be an epic journey. I was grateful to have my Grandmother's hand to hold!   One of the songs that I remember from those church meetings was George Bennard's wonderful old hymn, The Old Rugged Cross. Even though that hymn was not in the program on Easter Sunday, the melody and words kept coming back to...

    Score and parts are available here Scored for Chamber Orchestra, Fanfare of Freedom is appropriate for junior or senior high-school musicians, yet sophisticated enough for professional orchestras. After the introduction, the dynamic volume drops and begins a slow build toward a powerful climax. This makes Fanfare of Freedom perfect for a voice-over presentation of patriotic or other material of your choice.  There is much discussion of "freedom" these days. But the word "freedom" has more than one meaning. Perhaps the most common meaning in everyday conversation is "freedom from coercion". However, in another sense, the word "freedom" implies that one possesses the means to pursue that which is worth pursuing.    This second meaning of the word encompasses and expands the common meaning of the word. If I wish to compose music, no one is stopping me from doing so - but I cannot compose music until I have submitted to the discipline ...

    (See the score to this composition here .) The song " Daisy Bell " was composed British composer Harry Dacre in 1892. It is famously the first song that was ever sung by a computer! In 1961 an IBM 7094 became the first singing computer when it performed " Daisy Bell ". In Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, 2001:A Space Odyssey , The rogue HAL 9000 computer sings " Daisy Bell " as "Dave" works feverishly to disconnect HAL's circuits. Of course, everyone is familiar with the piano. The piano is a common instrument in musical styles from classical to jazz. The musical bicycle is not as common. In fact, I found it necessary to design the bicycle for this project from scratch. My musical bicycle has most of the features of standard bicycles but one uncommon feature is that it has three handlebars arranged in tiers much like the keyboards of a large pipe organ.  Sound generating devices are mounted on each tier of the handlebar set. The sound ge...