March 4 . Issue #133 - Paul Yanuziello

‘It takes courage to grow up
and become who you really are.’ E. E. Cummings

Hello all and welcome to my weekly journal. This is a place for me to share with you 5 points of interest. Things that caught my eye or my ear and brought me some enjoyment.

1. This week, celebrating World Book Day, March 3 this year, a charity event held annually in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the first Thursday in March.

My route into the celebration was by way of Settle Stories. I enjoyed a story by master storyteller Katrice Horsely. She told The Story of Anansi. The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti people in Ghana.

If you get a chance check the link above, the story is available until March 17, there are other engaging events for you and your children.

2. It was the birthday of tenor great, saxophonist Dexter Gordon on February 27 and I spent time listening to his album Go, a Blue Note release featuring Sonny Clark, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins, recorded on August 27, 1962.

Dexter Gordon has such an amazing tone. I find it soothing and soulful, his phrasing flows like a master vocalist making every note soar.

3. My eye candy, spawned from my ear candy I continued my fascination with Dexter Gordon. Watching Round Midnight the 1986 film by Bertrand Tavernier starring Dexter Gordon.

An Oscar winner for Herbie Hancock winning Original Score for “Round Midnight”.

4. Social media is an amazing thing, in the past if you lost touch with somebody you likely would not find them again. This week I reached out to somebody who really changed my life.

When I was very young, a teenager, I was drumming but not playing in an organized band. Occasionally I would jam with some folks. The drummer for one of the bands I sat in with was leaving Toronto with his family, relocating to Vancouver.

The leader of the group that he played with asked if I would play on a regular basis. I joined the band and it wasn’t long before our trio was playing gigs, including bars and clubs.

That fellow who split to Vancouver is James McRae, currently a professional musician, and I only reconnected with him because he mentioned in his EPK the guitarist that I played with, Ed McDonald, the leader of the band Snowaxe.

It was fantastic reconnecting by e-mail, reminiscing about the past and learning about our shared interests. I hope we can connect in person in the near future.

5. Some friends who publish a quarterly Zine for the SMK martial arts community were looking for content. I volunteered to provide a humorous short story. A story about the adventures of an old martial arts master who travels around the country giving seminars.

I call the story: Man of the Everglades: My Travels with a Master, check the link to read part 1. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, if you think someone you know would like to read my newsletter please share it with them.

If you are looking for a great children’s book check out one of my books, including my new children’s early reader chapter book Scratchy the Squirrel: A Time for Friends. Paperback version, on sale for a limited time.

Or one of my other children’s picture books, Samba on a Snowy Day or the Brazilian/ Portuguese version Samba em um Dia de Neve. Or you may enjoy Samba in Brazil or the Brazilian/Portuguese version Samba no Brasil.

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong and keep going.