jeffjewkes: Blog

What Elk, I Don't See Any Elk?!

jeffjewkes — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:05:49 +0000

A little story of things not captured in the frame. . .

Part of the challenge in photographing wild animals is to know, and sometimes guess, where they’ll be in any given time and place. One is often found fumbling around in the woods trying to find the correct position, trying not to make much noise, trying to get as close to the subject(s) as possible yet maintaining a safe distance, etc. Yes, indeed, photographing wild animals is a lot like hunting, except you shoot a camera instead of a rifle and the animal is still living when you’re done. There are times, however, when you (the photographer) feel like the one who is being sought. Such is the case with my picture, Moon Gold.

I took this shot in Rocky Mountain National Park on an early autumn evening after photographing elk during the start of the rutting season. The moon was rising low over the horizon with one of those golden “harvest” like looks to it. Tired as I was from a day full of shooting I couldn’t just walk away from a scene like that without trying to take a picture. So, with a sigh, I pulled my camera gear back out and, in the afterglow, began to set up the shot.

Now, you can’t see it in the frame but just over the hill and to the left was a sizeable herd of elk about 50 strong or so. They must have thought I looked pretty silly bumbling around trying to find a good spot for my picture because not too much time went by before the whole herd started to march over the hill in my direction. At first I didn’t think much of it, assuming the herd was just side skirting my position on their way to the forests edge. Suspiciously though, they suddenly took a hard left, came up to about 30 feet from me and stopped. Stranger still, they then began to file in like concertgoers finding seats in an auditorium. Needless to say, for the next half hour, I felt like the lead player in a surreal gig for a very unique audience. The whole herd standing there watching me work the camera. . . quiet and intent.

“What, they’re not supposed to do that!”, I slowly thought to myself. “They’re supposed to be weary of me, not interested in me. . . am I blocking their way or. . .” And then came the scary thought, “Crap, it’s rutting season. . . if there are any bull elk around I’m going to become the target of a crazed male’s testosterone filled rage!”. By now I’m starting to get a bit nervous, peering out the corner of my eyes. . . waiting, with some trepidation, to see antlers fly my way any moment. Luckily, none came. . . just the continued casting gaze from my seemingly curious oddly calm audience.

A couple more exposures and. . .done! Pack up the gear, find the Jeep, start the engine, engage the drive and watch, in the rearview mirror as I pull away, my hoofed spectators holding still, in the dark, as if I might return with an encore performance. I assume they eventually made it to their bedding grounds. If elk could talk I wonder what they might say the next morning. . . “What did you and the girls do last night Darla?. . . Oh, we watched a stupid human play with a black metal box. . . what a show. . . How interesting, I see people do that all the time here. . . don’t they have anything else better to do, like eat grass??” So now I tell all I meet who see this picture about the elk in it. And, of course they query, “What elk, I don’t see any elk?!” And I respond, “Oh, yes they’re there. . . just to the left of the frame. . .right beside that bush. . .they were there the whole time”.

Wapiti, you never know what they’re going to watch!

The First Special Editions

jeffjewkes — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:40:07 +0000

New for this year I will be offering a diverse compilation of select images for a series of special edition collectible pieces. The first series out the gate will be the Monogram Special Edition 2008. This series was designed as a cost-effective and efficient way to acquire one of my prints pre-mounted and double matted ready to be put into a 16 x 20 size frame of the buyers choosing.

"Monogram's" feature a beautiful pigmented Giclée fine art print on Ilford professional lustre paper. I hand selected the mat colors for each print in order to facilitate, tonally, the most optimum presentation of the work as a whole. The prints are water and scratch resistant. They are capable of being displayed without glass. They are rated not to color fade, under normal conditions, for a lifetime. All materials used are acid and lignin free.

Each different print in the series will be offered in a limited run of 250. They come with a certificate of authenticity, which is permanently attached to the back of the work. The certificate is signed, numbered and given a serial number that is used to register the print to be archived in the Jeff Jewkes photography registration files for further long term protection of the owners investment.

I have spent many, many long hours of painstaking labor in designing the Monogram Special Edition. My fervent hope is that the buyer will find this series to be absolutely stunning, that these prints will bring inspiration and add a pleasing aesthetic look to ones home or office.

The first two Monogram Special Edition prints: Saint Vrain Creek 1 and Saint Vrain Creek 2 are available now with more in the series to shortly follow. For those who live outside Colorado and can not visit my gallery, other exhibits or stores in the area I have now opened an online shop via the well respected Etsy.com in which anyone, anywhere can easily acquire prints from this edition as well as others works in the future.

I wish to give my heartfelt appreciation toward all who have purchased or considered a purchase of my fine art photography and I hope to continue to bring you great art. Thank you friends. . .

Annabel In The Moonlight

jeffjewkes — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:14:07 +0000

Many years ago I watched a documentary on the Skeleton Coast of Africa’s Namib Desert. I can’t remember what the title of the documentary was but it included a small excerpt about the infamous Dunedin Star shipwreck that occurred there during WWII. The strangeness of the event along with its exotic locale captured my imagination. I’ve since tried to find the documentary I watched that long time ago but have not been able to re-discover it. I did find, in my searching, a recently written historical novel on the subject titled, Dead Reckoning, The Dunedin Star Disaster by Jeff Dawson. Of course, I purchased the book immediately and had it read within days. It follows the story of this tragic, heroic and sometimes funny incident through the eyes of one Annabel Taylor, a diplomat’s daughter on her way to the Middle East to escape the Blitz of London aboard the Dunedin Star, a British ship of the Blue Star Line. Dawson’s book completely re-kindled my fascination with those events in November 1942. So much so that I ended up writing a song about it. And so, Annabel In The Moonlight came into being.

I would highly recommend Jeff Dawson’s novel as I felt it was a good read. Perhaps I will someday stumble again upon the documentary that first sparked my imagination. If so, I will definitely purchase a DVD of it as well for my records. I think also, this would make a great movie but in the shadow of the Titanic film(s) will probably never be considered by any of the big American studios. My hope is some independent film producer will become captivated with the story and make a feature film out of it. MIRAMAX perhaps?? I think they’re part of the Walt Disney Company now. I guess that means they’re not “independent” any more so who knows?

Jeff's live performance of Annabel In The Moonlight. This video was filmed 3.17.08 as part of a one-on-one series featuring some of Jeff's new music in an unplugged and up-close setting. For more information please visit: www.jeffjewkes.com All content ©2008 Jeff Jewkes / ASCAP

THE LOUDNESS WAR, A Quiet Battle

jeffjewkes — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:48:01 +0000

***PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU READ***

1. This blog is specifically about things currently happening during the audio mastering proccess in professional studios. It is not ment to address or be critical of the manipulation of audio in any fashion within the music itself.

2. I do not intent to sound "elitist" or imply that only certain people have the right to make music. Please know that music is a subjective art and should include anyone and everyone who wants to express themselves in this medium.

As both a musician and audio engineer I find myself in the unique position of being caught in the “no-mans-land” of a battle within the music industry. This silent, “behind the scenes”, battle pitting artists and producers against audio engineers and audiophiles, ironically, is fought over things not subtle or silent at all. Rather, it is a war of “apparent loudness” . . . the “LOUDNESS WAR!!!”. Sadly, there is a very specific casualty of this conflict, the music itself or more specifically the audio quality of the music.

It should come as no surprise that, along with the first integrations of digital computer based recording technologies from the mid-eighties to the virtual wholesale migration to current digital technologies, it has become much more feasible (financially at least) for an ever increasing multitude of bands / artists to try their hand at record production. In my opinion, presently, I do not recall a time in the history of modern music where there are so many acts promoting themselves to a world audience. One only has to look at statistical numbers to confirm this belief. For instance, if you look at the MySpace.com statistics for acts listed under my genre (Alternative) you will see that there are, as of this writing, 607,218 registered music artists in the genre. That’s just for MySpace alone. So, one might imagine what it’s like for an artist to try and find a way to become noticed and heard when that artist or band is one of 600,000+ acts dukeing it out for the attention of potential new listeners and fans over the network.

One of the strategies record producers and artists alike
have used increasingly to “stand out” over the last two decades is to “maximize” the apparent loudness on their song(s) during the mastering session. This means mastering at higher and higher levels in order to “out-blast” the next guys record. The philosophy is as old as time . . . the one that squawks the loudest gets heard. Unfortunately, the technique of “pumping up” the volume during the audio mastering process is more complicated than just turning a knob or sliding a fader. Digital audio files and equipment, like all things in life, have limits. When those limits are exceeded, like all things, a breakdown occurs. This is different from the intentional overdriving or distorting of an audio signal. This breakdown is what’s known as the clipping of a signal, when a piece of audio is gained up past the ability of a preamp or digital converter to process the audio. I could post a file of pure digital clipping here but I won’t. Believe me, it’s the most horrible sound you’ve ever heard in your life. In fact, under the right conditions, it can actually break things like your hearing or your speakers voice coils.

Various electronics and software have been developed in order to “maximize” an audio signal’s “apparent loudness”. But the side effects of extreme “maximizing”, in my opinion (and in the opinion of many other audio professionals), totally destroys the ability for the music to be dynamic . . . and having dynamics in music is one of the major ways (along with harmony, phrasing, etc.) that people sense the depth and power of a song. Think about what it would be like if every time you had a conversation with someone the person you were talking to answered back by screaming at the top of their lungs. Even if they expressed common emotions, you would never know if that person was happy, sad, angry or mellow . . . it would all come at you as loud as possible. The person’s intonations, including the softest, normally used to express these different emotions are now over “maximized” to the breaking point. The fact is, even the most heavy of heavy metal bands still use and need the benefit of dynamics in order to make their song(s) seem powerful.

Below is a fine audio/video demonstration by audio engineer Matt Mayfield that shows, in ways better than I can explain, the destructive effects on the quality of audio in music the loudness war has caused.

So here is the challenge I find myself in. As an artist, I of course, want to be noticed and heard. It’s tempting to keep mastering my songs louder and louder to “rise above the din” as it were. But, as an audio engineer, I can completely hear the breakdown of the audio signal as things get louder, more compressed, more “maximized” and I feel the music suffers greatly for it. In truth, all anyone has to do (myself included) to hear a song louder or feel the music more is simply turn the iPod, car stereo or boom-box volume knob up. There is no need for artists or producers to feel the pressure to over maximize their audio files during mastering. If you are an artist or producer concerned with the idea that if things aren’t “cranked” during mastering it won’t play well on radio, don’t be. The fact, again, is (unless you’ve mastered something at a ridiculously low level like –20db or something) having the most “apparent loudness” does not matter. All radio stations use leveling equipment to average the program material to be broadcast at about the same volume. Adversely, if you’ve “cranked” your audio up to or beyond the absolute limit in mastering, the radio stations processors will just re-compress an already over compressed or “maximized” signal and you will find your song(s) sounding lifeless and noisy over the air.

I realize this is a slightly complicated and somewhat esoteric subject but it’s time for you, the reader, to let me know how you feel. So come on, all artists, producers, engineers and music fans . . . what are your opinions? Let me know your thoughts and feelings on the subject.

STANDARD CANDLES, A Small Explanation

jeffjewkes — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:43:33 +0000

STANDARD CANDLES, A Small Explanation

I thought I’d try to shed a little light on some facts surrounding my up-coming album STANDARD CANDLES for those who are interested. The best way I could think to do this without rambling on an on is to put this blog in the from of a question and answer session, even though I’m the one who is doing both the questioning and answering (do I need to see someone about that?. . .J). I’ll try to frame the following in a similar manner to what people I meet often ask about my work. So, here it goes. . .

Q: How many songs are going to be on the album?

A: I’m not sure yet. . .I have about 14 or so currently to choose from and I could end up writing more as I go along. Not every song will make it to this album. . .some might be held back for other purposes / releases.

Q: Are you going to be releasing the whole album at once?

A; No, I’m planning on releasing three to four songs at a time in what I call a “phased release”. You will be able to purchase these phased releases through iTunes and other outlets as an EP(i.e. STANDARD CANDLES extended play 1, 2, 3, etc. . .) or individually as singles.

Q: Why are you releasing your songs in phases?

A: Mainly because I’m a singer / songwriter and most the time a “one-man-band” so I’m doing a lot of the production work myself which takes a lot of time. Also, I am a nature / wildlife photographer so I’m taking care of things on that end as well. I’m only one guy doing all this so if I don’t pace myself I’ll break. . .

Q: Where do you produce your work?

A: Right now I’m mostly working out of my private studio. In the past I’ve owned two commercial recording studios. . .one in Oregon and one in Washington.

Q: Are you a recording engineer?

A: Yes, but that doesn’t make things any easier. In fact, I find it harder to record my own stuff than to work / record for other people. You walk a fine line producing your own stuff. . .it becomes easy, over time, to loose perspective. Plus you do all the “busy” work yourself i.e. setting up/routing mics, getting sounds, tuning instruments etc. and all that is before you have to sit down and make a coherent recording. . .a good performance. . .

Q: Why do you do all this yourself?

A: Because I’m out of my mind! J

Q: What is the time frame for STANDARD CANDLES?

A: I will be producing and releasing material for STANDARD CANDLES throughout 2008.

Q: Will you be touring?

A: Eventually.

Q: Do you have anything to say to the people who listen to / buy your music?

A: Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone! Without your support and the support of cool websites like TRIG, none of this would be possible. I love you all!

Franklin's Instrument Of Madness!

jeffjewkes — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:06:44 +0000

Ok, here's a post from my official blog site THE ETHOS OF SEKWEJ
I hope you like it. . .Let me know what you think!

FRANKLIN'S INSTRUMENT OF MADNESS!

History seems to show us again and again inventions, born purely of good intent, can become victims of ignorance and superstition. Such is the case of Benjamin Franklin's armonica; otherwise known as the glass harmonica.

Already famous as a scientist, in 1757, Franklin traveled to London with the design to lobby parliament for the Pennsylvania Colonial Legislature. He was an accomplished musician, able to play several instruments and compose as well. By 1760 he had become quite popular among British political and social circles. An avid concert go-er, he was inspired one night after hearing a colleague from the Royal Society perform on the musical glasses. The basic principle of this instrument was to collect a set of fine glasses, tune them by adding or subtracting water and play them by applying one's clean wet fingers in a circular motion around the rims producing a soft sweet tone. Franklin set out to refine this idea and design an instrument that would allow greater functionality and playability. In an article from Early American Homes, Mary R. Miley revealed that the musical glasses were too limited an instrument for Franklin's taste. Franklin himself, in a letter to Giambatista Beccania of Italy, explained, "I wish only to see the glasses disposed in a more convenient form, and brought together in a narrower compass, so as to admit of a greater number of tunes, and all within the reach of hand to a person sitting before the instrument."

Franklin enlisted the help of a London glass blower named Charles James. Glass was blown in a hemispherical shape in varying sizes from small to large. Thirty-seven bowls were made in total, enough to facilitate a three octave range. Each bowl had an open neck. This allowed them to be stacked, one partially inside the other, supported by an iron rod running through the center like a spindle. The bowls were fine tuned by grinding them around the neck from the brim to diminish the pitch of those too sharp. The spindle was then placed horizontally in a wooden case and one end attached to a disk, shank and floor pedal, to cause the bowls to turn like a spinning wheel. Franklin painted the inside rim of each bowl a different color to identify the notes: dark blue for A, purple for B, C was red, D orange, E yellow, F green and G blue. He then painted the bowls designated for sharps and flats white: synonymous with the black keys of a piano. The instrument was played by the performer placing his/her clean, slightly wet, finders across the rims of the bowls which were caused, by the pedal and wheel mechanism, to spin away from the hands thus producing sound. Candace Fleming, writing an article for Highlights for Children, reported Franklin refining or "tinkering" with his new invention for the space of five years. Finally, the armonica was perfected and, to Franklin's delight, he would soon find his efforts not in vain, for the time being at least.

Initial reaction among his contemporaries was ecstatic. Comments were continually made about the armonica being a celestial, angelic, or heavenly sounding instrument. Franklin remarked in his letter that it's tones were, "incomparably sweet beyond those of any other."

Franklin took his instrument around where ever he went and for the next two decades its popularity flourished, especially throughout Europe. Classical composers began publishing works written specifically for the armonica. Among the most famous were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig Van Beethoven. Indeed Franklin's creation seemed destined to become the next great instrument of music history, once again boosting his already genius status as a statesman and scientist, but it was not to be.

Over the course of time strange events began to take shape surrounding armonica performances. Many known players and enthusiasts began complaining of unexplained maladies such as dizziness, nervousness, spasms, swelling of the joints, etc. Superstitions started to abound that listening to the armonica invoked spirits from the dead, drove people mad and possessed magical or otherwise supernatural powers. It's interesting to note that Viennese psychiatrist Franz Mesmer, known for his theory of "Animal Magnetism" and now considered one of the pioneers of hypnotism, used the armonica as a key element in his hypno-magnetic séances. A Belgian physicist named Ftienne-Gaspard Robertson later incorporated the sounds of the armonica in a series of frightening demonstrations exhibiting a devise called the "Magic Lantern" from which modern slide and movie projectors where derived. This spectacle appeared equivalent to an elaborate side show act meant to scare the hell out of it's audience. There is at least one documented instance, in Germany, where a child died during an armonica concert. Franklin himself never experienced any adverse symptoms and generally ignored the controversies respecting his beloved instrument.

Franklin passed away in 1790. By the late 18th century the popularity of his invention was in serious decline. J.C. Muller, in an instructional manual written in 1788, commented, "If you have been upset by harmful novels, false friends, or perhaps a deceiving girl, then abstain from playing the armonica. It will only upset you even more. There are people of this kind of both sexes who must be advised not to study the instrument, in order that their state of mind should not be aggravated." In the Allgemeine Muzikalische Zeitung of 1798 Friedrich Rochlitz further maintained that the reason for the "scarcity" of armonica players was due to the opinion the instrument caused melancholy moods, nagging depression and slow self-annihilation. He further sited comments from physicians explaining that, "the sharp penetrating tone runs like a spark through the entire nervous system, forcibly shaking it up and causing nervous disorders." Due to the immense paranoia established around the amonica and including the fact that new instruments such as the celesta, piano forte' and modern piano were being developed, Franklin's instrument had become virtually extinct by the mid 1820's.

Toward the end of the 20th century, in 1982, a glass maker from Boston named Gerhard Finkenbeiner began the revival of this once loved and then feared instrument. He established, independently, his own research and experimentation, beginning production on the new, modernized, version of Franklin's glass armonica shortly thereafter. The instrument retained many of the original design characteristics. The most notable improvement might have been the electric motor that spun the bowls instead of a foot pedal. Finkenbeiner had expressed, "The glass armonica has always intrigued me. . .so eerie, floating, coming out of nowhere. And the look of it, the stories about its magic effects, have always interested me." Tragically, in 1999 Mr. Finkenbeiner unexpectedly left work, boarded his two engine Piper Cherokee and took off into a cloudy sky never to be seen again. No evidence of a crash has ever been found.

Presently, according to Miley, there are about a dozen professional armonica players around the world. Most of Garhard Finkenbeiner's remaining armonicas have been sold to holistic healers and new age spiritualists. There have been different theories describing the strange occurrences and illnesses surrounding the armonica. One prominent opinion was the glass and paint, used during Franklin's period, contained lead, somehow poisoning the musicians over time from constant contact with the instrument. The theory, Miley asserts, "has been thoroughly debunked by the medical community." There are no current reports about modern day armonica players complaining of sickness. So, for now, the mysteries pertaining to the armonica might never be known.

Claude-Ann Lopez, editor of Yale Universities Papers of Benjamin Franklin Project and an established expert on his life, claims the glass armonica was Franklin's favorite invention. "He was terribly proud of that. He delighted in it. . .It was something that gave him great joy."

Now, as we stand at the dawn of the 21st century, Frankin's glass armonica is again with us. It has received, thanks to Gerhard Finkenbeiner, a ressurection; a feat that most musical instruments of antiquity never accomplish. And it seems sadly ironic that what was probably Franklin's most loved invention became, along side his many great accomplishments, the one least known, particularly among the descendants of his own countryman.