All posts by jjartist

I’m struggling with the effort to update my webpage after letting it sit for several years. The theme has become archaeic, and there isn’t a lot of help out there. In the meantime, I’m also doing some housekeeping work with KDP to get my recently finished novel printed. I’m sure it will just be a few days.

I’m going to be here in Natchez for a while. I have some video projects in mind, associated with making music; but a couple of other projects have suggested themselves. So while I’m getting organized for the music things, I’ve edited up these two shorts about Natchez. The first is one minute and the second is five minutes. The weather was hot both days, just under a hundred as the sun was beginning to set, which of course is what is to be expected in The South. I take it as a point of pride not to be undone by hot weather, but in the middle of the day one does seek out the shade. There is a clip in the Natchez 300 Anniversary video that shows a couple of jets flying by: This was by arrangement with the US Navy. I think everyone expected a bit more of a show but they did “fly by” as promised. Natchez is really a small town in spite of once being the home of more millionaires than any other contemporaneous city. Big money in those days and the houses are mostly still here to prove it.

Last Friday I did three hours, with a ten minute break, in a pretty large room. The Baroak at Loews hotel in Annapolis. That room is about 50 by 80 feet with a long bar on one side and an open kitchen and grill at the far end. I had a great time. The staff was very helpful and welcoming and the audienence reasonably responsive. My friend Dave Brashears came in and got the clapping started. Sometimes the people just need a little hint.  

Just as spring seemed to be just around the corner… Winter came back. I must always remember that snow usually falls on the first spring crocuses. 



I’ve been a little bit fascinated by this video for a little while.  I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about a lot of turning points in my life as a guitar player and singer.  And when I woke up in the morning I decided to recount as much as I could think of for the camera.  I’d been wanting to experiment with some of my new equipment, including the wireless lavalier microphone and a new camera, any way and this was a perfect opportunity to get all of that into service.  I had no idea of how long it would take and I was a bit surprised when an hour had gone by since I started recording.  Can’t say “roll tape” or “roll film” these days. I had to stop, in spite of having more to say because I had some appointments to rush off to.  Just as well…fifty minutes is pretty long to sit and listen to me rambling on and on.

I’ve been shooting 24p pretty much since I heard there was such a thing. I read all the discussions about the advantages and disadvantages, made a choice and never looked back. Until now. I’m about to undertake a few new projects and I’m wondering if maybe I should go to 30p. So I made a couple of tests of my own. Give them a look if you have a few minutes to spare and see if you can see any difference. I think there is slightly more blurring of the birds during the panning, but not much. I’m going to do some other tests soon. Perhaps in low light and see if that brings out any clear advantage to the 24p.
The First one is 23.976 frames per second which passes as 24 fps for some reason It can be played at 1080p for best viewing.

The second one is 29.97 frames per second which passes as 30 fps for some reason It can also be played at 1080p for best viewing.

The Annapolis Ward One Residents Association asked me to play at their silent auction which was held in lobby of the Francis Scott Key Auditorium at St. John’s College.  They’ve invited me to play at other events and I’ve always been happy to do it. This night was no exception.  A lot of local movers and shakers were there and the food seemed really nice, though I only had time to toss back a couple of raw oysters on the shell.  I enjoyed the convivial atmosphere as well as the interesting acoustics.  Thanks Ward One.