New York, NY, Shenzhen, China and Hong Kong, HK May 14, 2004

Music/Jazz/Opinion/Comments/Business

greg@cmporg.org for your comments

Objective:  This newsletter came out of my experiences dealing in a new culture (China) and a new history plus my experiences in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The purpose of the newsletter is to provoke serious thought about musical art.  What is it? Where should it be going?  In addition, what is going on in China?  I write about my personal experiences and my thoughts about them. My music is here.  Based on my accomplishments in music over 40 years in five countries.  The proof is here just listening.

http://greghenrywaters.com 63 Songs to listen to!

Ten New Original Songs at My Website

Diago Rivera Jazz Suite by Greg Henry Waters Composed 1999 Recorded May 10 and 11 in Shenzhen, China. Finally after five years, I had some time to record this suite. I still want to work on it some more but it does give a good example of the combination of songs together. It is a good example of jazz and what it stands for. A jazz symphony of song this suite is for me.

Please e-mail me if you do not want to receive this newsletter. My computer crashed so I lost my updated mailing list. Sorry if you get this and do not want it. greg@cmporg.org My hope is that you will think about music as an art form and not just background music, circus band or pop culture group.

A monitor, where is it?

This last year I have been working on performing by myself with cds I have created. So, now I am like a solo piano player who does not need any musician to perform. I can perform solo. This is really great and I am getting better at creating the kind of music I want to create rather then to have accepted other’s people versions of songs.

However, I have learned here in China that the most night clubs and the public can understand is Pilipino bands where they perform top forty songs and even copy the singer’s voice. But when it comes to culture I do not see it in their music. I am sure they have their music in their country but not here in China. It is very confusing for me when the local people think that a band from the Philippines is night club music.

I have had five or six experiences here with good equipment and without good equipment performing my act. Well, it comes down to the same thing, who is controlling the monitoring equipment? Who is setting up the equipment? Does anybody care or have knowledge? In my opinion no one does or really cares it is just about making money.

So where is the culture? Where is the patience to listen to music? Why do I bother with all this is my question? I do not know but I am.

My point is to be a good DJ or sound man a person must know orchestration, musical performance structure, form, which is the lead voice and the supporting voices in proper balance, is the DJ adjusting the volume according to the level of the audience noise level and etc. So you really have to be a professional to be a DJ. The DJ’s we have just turn the volume up because they think a loud bass and a loud drums is the proper sound. Are we creating a society of morons?

CAFÉ MUSIC

I was in three coffee bars, two in HK and one in Shenzhen, yesterday, and all of them were playing jazz music for background music. I was wondering how much money they were paying to the jazz community to have this music playing in their place of business? You see this is what is wrong with the professional musician’s life now a days. Music is everywhere and people do not have to pay for it. This really sucks, I think they should not charge for gasoline if this is the case. Who says gasoline producers have more rights than composers and performers?

And when I ask for a decent salary everybody thinks I am crazy. I say everybody do not listen to music. You do not buy food without paying for it why is music different is my question. Well folks, I am not the crazy the greed and the ignorance is what makes it crazy. I say, do not let people play background music without paying a fee to the government or whoever so musicians can be supported. But I am sure some greedy businessman would steal all this money too.

So where are we? I do not know where we are? When David Lettermen thinks that a group of talented musicians is just another circus band I think we really have a problem. Does anybody care I hardly think so. Sometimes I think I am the only one who cares about this and is trying to do something about it.

Please tell me I am not crazy? Or if I am keep it to yourself. Just a joke really I am trying to point out some faults in our world. I hope you will allow me to do this.

Stop using musicians and start supporting them. Stop making musicians beggars across the world. Create culture not false pop culture. Who cares?

Visit my music site and listen to five hours of my music. http://greghenrywaters.com That is all folks.

If you can help find a licensed booking agent here in China let me know. I am looking for one. It seems you cannot work here in a public performance without a special permit from the Cultural Bureau in Beijing. It is all kind of strange for me and very discriminating, but one can do nothing about it. I have a job but have been trying to get the working permit for nine months now. I am looking for work in other parts of the country and area here in Asia: Performer, Teacher, Composer, Conductor and Arranger.

Greg Henry Waters

La Salle College in Hong Kong, I place where they support young people’s music. They are trying to create civilization rather than destroying it.

Just was listening to some rock videos. I could not relate to them at all. I mean for me it was not music. I do not know what they were trying to do. We live in strange times. It is really different what some people call music I do not call anything except peer pressure music for the mental condition of the times.