20 Jan 2009 Of the Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide DIY calendar use recently http://ottawa-blues-jazz.ncf.ca/MonthsCalendar.html there have been about 20 local jazz events unlisted and similarly about one dozen unlisted on the blues side. This DIY service is an entirely free listing service. It is there for use by musicians as well as venues or people acting on their behalf who wish to let people know about what there is for the live-music public to enjoy. I'm keeping the service active for the moment although those who it is intended to serve are not sufficiently taking advantage of it and may be instrumental in its removal from one of the services to promote their music projects. There really is no reason for me to maintain and pay for a service that is not serving its intended purpose that others are willing to provide. There are many more needy projects for my own support that I expect can be more fulfilling of what I can offer. So, in the circumstances, I'm deferring to: Liz Sykes' Ottawa Blues This Week, and to Brett Delmage's Ottawa Jazz Happenings as the primary services to let live music fans know what's available for them to enjoy in blues and jazz assuming their audience cares. You might also consult Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide on Facebook for more. This Facebook group is available for all Facebook members and you're invited to both join and to add input to this fairly new group I've established. You may include music, photos, videos as well as information on your own projects to be appreciated by music fans. If not on the Ottawa Blues, Jazz and Swing Guide calendar, your gigs can still be promoted if you send details to: a.. For blues-roots gigs, to Liz Sykes at ottawablues(a)rogers.com for the Ottawa Blues This Week newsletter. and For jazz gigs to: b.. Ottawa Jazz Happenings editor, Brett Delmage, with relevant details, including the contact for further information to be included in the newsletter at OttawaJazzHappenings at JazzworksCanada.com . My calendar has links to both on-line newsletters at the links on this page: http://ottawa-blues-jazz.ncf.ca:80/thisweek.html for your use and for fans via the ottawabluesandjazz(a)lists.ncf.ca I will still for the foreseeable future maintain the service I have done for more than 16 years. I will, however, be reviewing from time to time the use of this service to see if I should continue to maintain it. As part of this change, I'll be opening both the ottawamusicians(a)lists.ncf.ca and the ottawabluesandjazz(a)lists.ncf.ca as unmoderated lists to members only. Both of these lists are member only allowed to post. This eliminates spam that I have ensured is automatically discarded. The ottawamusicians(a)lists.ncf.ca is intended for general messages from musician to musician; venue to musicians and for musicians to venues involving their general gig availability and offerings. The ottawabluesandjazz(a)lists.ncf.ca is primarily intended for special musical events and any highlighting I may do of events I find of note. The Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide calendar is intended to provide at a glance what the Ottawa Musician Community is offering for fan enjoyment either for the month or the week. It is intended to be inclusive. It only excludes those events that musicians, venues and others who can make a difference do by excluding themselves. The Obama Hope With the great hope Barack Obama has offered not only the U.S. but Canada and the world, I've penned a bit of poetry to celebrate what we all have been gifted with to both challenge us and to surmount what we and the rest of the world must face and overcome in the next many years. In the hope that Obama and all who support his principles can next move on to and beat the next 'Overcome', "Yes we can" here is a link to my poetic offering: http://ottawa-blues-jazz.ncf.ca/BarakObama.html Enjoy! Jim Roy Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide Phone: (613) 829-3725 www.ottawabluesjazz.ca bluesandjazzguy(a)ncf.ca Subscribe, Unsubscribe or change your list options info here: http://lists.ncf.ca/mailman/listinfo/ottawabluesandjazz Subscribe, Unsubscribe or change your list options info here: http://lists.ncf.ca/mailman/listinfo/ottawamusicians