Jordan E. Spivack: News Updates

"ECHO, THE GECKO" will be released as a single download, and will be available on iTunes and CD Baby in the next few weeks. "Echo" has never been available for sale worldwide before, so I'm very excited about this development. The single will cost just 99 cents, so I'm hoping everyone will buy/download a copy! I'll update you as soon as the song shows up in the iTunes store.

My 32nd Annual June Student Piano Recital, held yesterday June 6th at the Rockland Conservatory of Music in Spring Valley, NY, was a resounding success! 24  very talented students, from ages 6 to 17, played their hearts out for an audience of admiring families and friends, who were entertained with a wide range of selections featuring standards, pop and classical music. In addition, 3 students played their own very special original compositions.

All the students received Certificates of Participation. Awards of encouragement were presented to Lauren Aprahamian, Kathryn Belkin, Joey Coopersmith, and Noah Jaynes. The Piano Pin Award was received by Joseph Chindemi, Victor Chindemi and Alex Fetterman. The Student Achievement Award went to Lindsey Aprahamian, Lauren Brown and Adam Millman. 12 students received the New Plateau Award: Keren Appelbaum, Allie Denburg, Jamie Etkind, Josh Etkind, Adam Gloc, Jenna Grossbarth, Ethan Jaynes, Matthew Jaynes, Andrew Liebergall, Rachel Liebergall, David Rubin, and Sophie Solomon-O'Connell. The Quantum Leap Award went to Josheph Chindemi and Victor Chindemi. Most Improved Female was Julia Liebergall, and Most Improved Male was Michael Grossbarth. The coveted Student Of The Year Award was won by Adam Millman.

In addition, I honored my 3 graduating seniors: Allie Denburg, David Rubin and Jamie Etkind.

After the Recital and Awards Ceremony, everyone was treated to refreshments, including the yummy cake and scrumptious cookies.

Congratulations to all who participated. I am very proud of you. It was one of the very best Recitals ever!

I have just been informed that "Shimmer", the title track from my upcoming "Shimmer" CD, has been named a Semi-Finalist in the Instrumental Category of the UK Songwriting Contest 2010! This is a great honor, and the 3rd award for "Shimmer" (see 3-22-10 and 1-9-10 News entries) in 2010. I greatly appreciate the recognition.

I've just added some magical new (old) photos of myself, my Mom and my Dad, from my very early years (ages 2 to 9) to the Photo Gallery. I think you'll find these very interesting.

Also, I've added a new instrumental to the Music page, "Eternally", dedicated to my Grandma Tillie. Please make sure to read the story behind the composition (just click on the title).

You can do me a big favor, and go to http://www.musictogousa.com/Requests.html

First, click "J", then on the next page scroll down to "Jordan E. Spivack" and request my "Commercial Street" once each day for the next week or two, and let Neon Productions Radio know that I have dedicated fans like you. Plus, you get to help expose my music to thousands of new fans! There's nothing to join, no sign-up, you don't reveal your name - just click the "Request" box next to "Commercial Street", and the station will play the song during the next hour. If you'd like to listen, click this link: http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/mini.cgi?station_name=musictogousa&site=pro&tm=5779

It's easy!

Thanks for all your help!

Happy Spring! I've added 20 delightful new pics of the spring sights around our yard to the Photo Gallery - check them out now!

I'm wishing all my family, friends and fans a very Happy Easter! May this be a very special, meaningful and lovely time of the year for you.

This year we are blessed with warm and sunny weather for the holidays - Spring has sprung!

Warm wishes for Passover to all my family, friends and fans around the world! I'm wishing you the blessings of peace, love and happiness.

 I have just received word that my "Shimmer" has been named a Finalist in the Instrumental category of the 11th Annual Great American Song Contest!

Over 1500 songwriters from 46 countries around the world entered the event in 2009. In addition to the top 5 winners, GASC judges selected 100 Finalists. So "Shimmer" is one of the Top 21 entries in the Instrumental category. 

Always an honor and a thrill to be recognized by a major songwriting contest! 

Since two of my piano students recently celebrated their Bar Mitzvahs, I got to thinking about my own. So I dragged out the photo album commemorating that special day, and the memories (and tears) started flowing. All those family members and close friends, brought together to share that momentous occasion. So many have now passed (I miss them all dearly), and the rest of us are 45 years older.

Here are 14 black and white pics capturing the post-Bar Mitzvah party at The San Rocco Lodge in Cortland, NY. I was 13, and so young and innocent. If you were there, feel free to share any memories you have of the event on the Guestbook page!

If you haven't yet had the opportunity, please take advantage of the new FREE DOWNLOAD of my instrumental "Loose", on the Listen to My Music page.  

I've just added a brand new FREE Download: "Loose", from my "Symmetry" CD. Just click on the Listen to My Music bar on your left. If you've never heard this track before, I think you're gonna like it!

I have some sad news to report: last Monday, February 22nd, my partner Joseph's Dad, Joseph, Sr. passed away at the age of 87. He had not been in good health, but his sudden death was still quite a shock. We spent the past week with his family in Perry, NY. The funeral was Friday, and we returned home exhausted this past Sunday night. The weather was horrible, which just added to the overall feeling of sadness and loss. We'll miss him dearly. We were so blessed to have spent this last Christmas with him and Carol, who were married for 61 years (see pics in Photo Gallery).

The good news: D.A.M. Magazine has just published a new interview with me in their Issue #13. It is interesting and informative, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Go to http://www.dammagazine.com/dammagazine/DAM_Issue_13.pdf to read the entire interview.

I just received word that my instrumental piano track "Commercial Street" has been added to the playlist of online radio station Neon Productions/Live365 Radio! The tune will debut on Saturday, February 20, between 6 PM and 11 PM eastern time. Here's the link, if you want to be a part of the listening audience: http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/mini.cgi?station_name=musictogousa&site=pro&tm=5779

This marks the 10th online radio station currently playing my music - I'm excited!

Wow, another 6 inches of snow yesterday, on top of the 12+ we got last week! Here are 5 beautiful pics (see Photo Gallery) capturing the captivating blanket, as snow coated the landscape in Nanuet. Enjoy!

I'm wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day and a very Happy Chinese New Year! The year of the tiger intersects with the day of hearts: it's a terrific combination!

The online website and radio station KANAL JAZZ has just put their SPOTLIGHT on JORDAN E. SPIVACK - go to http://kanal-jazz.blogspot.com/2010/02/spotlight-on-jordan-espivack.html to see the results! This is my 2nd online interview in 2 months - quite an honor.

I just got a new profile page at NOISY PLANET - this is part of my award for winning Best International Instrumental Song in the 2009 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards! There you can download my 3 winning songs from the last 3 years of competition - "Shimmer", "Commercial Street" and "Groove 2 U". Just click on this widget: 

So go check it out!

I just added 30 new pics to the Photo Gallery - the first 4 were taken last Saturday night (1-16) at the Adam Millman "Believe" fund-raising party for The Dysautonomia Foundation (so far Adam has already raised and unbelievable $12,000, in just two weeks!). The other pictures were taken at Christmas-time during our annual visit to Rochester, to spend quality time with Joe's family - as you can see, we had a lovely time!

CD Baby has announced that starting on Monday, January 25th and continuing for two weeks, they will donate $1 of their cut from every CD sale through their website, and $1 from every download sale over $8.99 on the site, to the American Red Cross and to Mercy Corps, a Portland-based relief organization with a large presence in Haiti. With your help, they hope to raise tens of thousands of dollars. So, if you haven't already bought or downloaded a copy of my CDs "Think Lovely Thoughts" and "My Provincetown", please consider doing that now - they make great Valentine's Day gifts! Go to: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jordanespivack  or  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jordanespivack2

My song "Lucky Day" is in the running for the monthly prizes and the judging for the 2009 National Musicoz Awards, Australia's biggest music prize and recognition program. Just click on the widget below to vote for me in the Musicoz National People's Choice Award. 

Also, I will be featured in a revealing interview in an upcoming Issue of D.A.M. Magazine (Dynamically Active Movements), an online Arts publication out of New York City. I'll let you know more soon. If you'd like to explore the site in the meantime, go to: http://www.dammagazine.com/

There's more great news coming up in the next few months, so make sure you visit my site regularly at http://jordanesp.com/

Thanks for making last month the most successful ever on this website!

Jordan's arrangement of Adam Millman's original composition "Snow Day" appears on Adam's new CD "Believe", now available at http://www.familialdysautonomia.org/believe/
All proceeds are for the benefit of the Dysautonomia Foundation (F.D.). Please buy a copy of the CD, and donate to this important cause!

Just in: my "Shimmer" has won Best International Instrumental Song in the 2009 TORONTO AWARDS! This is the 3rd year in a row I have won an award in this competition (2008 Best International Instrumental Song for "Commercial Street", and 2007 Top 5 nominee Best International Jazz Song for "Groove 2 U"). It is a great honor, and I am very pleased and thankful!

My instrumental composition "Toccata", Silver winner in the 25th Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, is included in the just-released "It's All About The Song" MASC compilation CD. The track is #7 on Disc 2, and features me performing the solo piano composition live. Another feather in my cap!

HAPPY, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS,

AND PEACEFUL 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

LOVE,

JORDAN

I am very proud to announce that my piano composition "The Poet" has won Finalist in the Instrumental category of the 2009 (26th Annual) Mid-Atlantic Song Contest! This is the 2nd year in-a-row that MASC has honored me: last year my "Toccata" won Silver (2nd Prize) in the Instrumental category.  

Jango Radio has just begun playing my tracks "Commercial Street" and "Jordan ESP" this week (and soon "Groove 2 U"). Jango is a service where listeners create their own radio stations according to their own tastes, and listeners can become my fans. The service has requested that I promote myself to my friends: "By promoting yourself/your band, you can end up in general rotation.
All it takes is that 50 people tell us they like your music.
The easiest way to promote your music is to send this link to your friends."

http://www.jango.com/music/Jordan+E+Spivack

So, at their suggestion, I am giving this link to YOU in the hopes that you will go to Jango.com now and tell them that you like my music. Then my music will go into general rotation, which is the very best thing that could happen for me at Jango.

When you click on the link, you'll be taken to a page that says: "You just created a radio station! It will play Jordan E. Spivack and similar artists." Then click I'm a Fan! It's that simple, and will only take you a few seconds.

What you do after that is your decision. You ARE NOT required to become a member of Jango or partake of its services (although it is a pretty cool thing to create your own personal radio station). 

As always, I greatly appreciate all the help and support you give me. I'll let you know how it all turns out soon.

Thanks again!

Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2010 !

Jordan