“A River Full” — a poem by Roger Singer
This ground is mine.
I sweat it into growing.
My eyes water the sound
while my hands grasp
the dirt,
holding its generations
of dust and stone
with a blending of
June 21st, 2018
Poetry
“Sitting on Top of My Dad’s Tombstone” — a poem by Alan Yount
sitting on the top of my dad’s tombstone
… in sedalia, missouri,
I was thinking
of how much
we practiced
our horns together.
you played
...June 17th, 2018
“Back Then” — a poem by John Stupp
Oh Lord
I was thinking is there anything better
than chorus girls dancing in unison to Thelonius Monk
I beseech thee Lord on my deathbed kick my
June 15th, 2018
“Beautitude” — a poem by Anggo Genorga
When the needle touches
the wax that will sing
the collected prayers
of A Love Supreme, it’s
like the
June 11th, 2018
“Miles of Highways and Open Roads” — a poem by Michael L. Newell
The carpenter (whose hands have grown
too large for the twenty house town
he was born in) sticks out his thumb
and catches a jet to Los Angeles where
he drowns off the Santa Monica beach trying
to ride a wave to beautiful downtown Burbank.
II.
His sister stays home and marries
the county’s star high school running back
who turns into the
June 2nd, 2018
Yusef Lateef’s poetic description of music
As his website reminds us, the late Yusef Lateef was “universally acknowledged as one of the greatest masters and innovators in the African American tradition of autophysiopsychic music – that which comes from one’s spiritual, physical and emotional self.” He defined music as “a medium through which we express our feelings of love, sorrow, and joy.”
Lateef, who died in 2013, was a virtuoso musician on a multitude of international instruments
...May 30th, 2018
A nod to free jazz — two poems
Here in this place
forces are in motion.
Truth is in the notation.
Beauty in improvisation.
Forward, forward, forward
speak the drums
to our spirituality.
The ritual function of
May 26th, 2018
Three poems in the spirit of love and jazz
You are amused
by my passion
for taxicabs.
Their drivers know
where we are
going.
We don’t need a
...May 19th, 2018
A poetic appreciation of Chris Connor — by Lawrence J. Klumas
“Who,” you ask.
“Chris Connor,” I repeat.
“Oh, sure, right,” you say
(with little enthusiasm.)
“You have to listen, really listen,” I say.
“O.K.” (an acquiescence).
I carefully place the vinyl record
on the Rek-O-Kut turntable.
May 15th, 2018
“Jacko and Jim” — a poem by Robert Nisbet
Jacko the Jazzman, office hack,
computer screen by day. At nights
he roams the pubs and village halls,
blowing his sax’s rise and fall.
May 10th, 2018
“Rainy Afternoon in Kigali (with the Blues)” — a poem by Michael L. Newell
The wind blew all afternoon,
blue my mood, moody the blues
on the box, bleak and blue when
Robert Johnson took over the airwaves;
the wind blew louder and then
May 3rd, 2018
An Albert Ayler (poetic) interlude
Albert Ayler, the Cleveland-born saxophonist whose unorthodox style was inspirational to a generation of free jazz-era and contemporary musicians, is noted in four poems, by four poets
...May 1st, 2018
In This Issue
Poetry
Short Fiction
Poetry
Interviews
The Joys of Jazz
Poetry
Black History Month Profile
On the Turntable
Great Encounters #54
“What are 3 or 4 of your favorite recordings of the 1940s?”
Cover Stories with Paul Morris
Coming Soon
In the previous issue
Contributing writers
-
Luke Bergvist
-
Ed Coletti
-
Arlene Corwin
-
Steven Dalachinsky
-
Frank De Canio
-
Hannah Draper
-
Victor Enns
-
Freddington
-
Anggo Genorga
-
Bob Hecht
-
Lawrence J. Klumas
-
Arya Jenkins
-
Anisha Johnson
-
Erren Kelly
-
Mark Kerstetter
-
Michael Keshigian
-
John L. Stanizzi
-
Michael L. Newell
-
Aurora Lewis
-
paul morris
-
Robert Nisbet
-
Shan Richardson
-
Justin Short
-
Roger Singer
-
dan smith
-
John Stupp
-
Susandale
-
Phyllis Wax
-
Alan Yount
