“Where the Bee Sucks” – a poem by David Rudd

The conductor passed the notes around — birds strung out on wires —
Pieces they all knew well, nothing too inspired.
He checked his troops, baton raised, then marched them down the street.
Was it a groove, or was it a rut, that curbed their marching feet?

“And All That Jazz” – a short story by BV Lawson

In this story – a short listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – a private investigator tries to help a homeless friend after his saxophone is stolen.

The Sunday Poem: “Every Time” by Michel Krug

I cranked the Woody Shaw Jr.
“Every Time I See You”
Marveling at the range
Authentic modal with a hint

“I Thought About Lou” – a poem by Terrance Underwood

notice was received at the Final Arms Hotel
stating simply
expect Lou soon
& the buzz began
Good gracious!
Big John and Grant grinned
each to the other
with Hammond & Gibson harmony

“Melody and Counterpoint” – a short story by Joshua Dyer

In this story – a short-listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – Tucker works as a jazz pianist aboard the deep space luxury cruiser, the Royal Nebula. A flirtatious interlude pushes his new emotional software to its limits and beyond, and he learns the hard way what it means to be human.

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 7: “Women, by Women”

In this edition, Rife writes about jazz novels and short stories that feature stories about women, written by women.

The Sunday Poem: “Jazz Improv” by Michael Keshigian

I am the sound,
the spontaneous voice you hear
beyond the melodic trance,
an array of multi-timbred,
fragmented, impetuous harmonies and rhythms
to carry you into an alternate dimension,
the spine of excitement,
that improvisational layer you crave

The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman

Beginning in 1990, the noted photographer Giovanni Piesco began taking backstage photographs of many of the great musicians who played in Amsterdam’s Bimhuis, that city’s main jazz venue which is considered one of the finest in the world. Jerry Jazz Musician will occasionally publish portraits of jazz musicians that Giovanni has taken over the years. This edition is of saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman, who appeared together at the at Bimhuis on June 25/26, 1999.

“Film Noir” – a poem by Bernard Saint

Flip day for night then lose the glossy crooner
Let the trumpet solo drain the oil from showbiz lake
Cruise a lowdown hungry blues
Along the Great White Way
To citizens’ arrest on Lower Broadway

Memorable Quote: H.L. Mencken…

“I believe it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to…”

“The Pianist (Part One)” – a short story by J. C. Michaels

The story – a finalist in the recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – describes the first lesson at a music conservatory of a freshman piano-performance major who is more accustomed to improvising than reading music. It is an excerpt from a novel-in-progress.

Memorable Quote:…Martin Luther King

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from…”

“Rudy Van Gelder: Jazz Music’s Recording Angel” – an essay by Joel Lewis

For over 60 years, the legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder devoted himself to the language of sound. And although he recorded everything from glee clubs to classical music, he was best known for recording jazz – specifically the musicians associated with Blue Note and Prestige records. Joel Lewis writes about his impact on the sound of jazz, and what has become of his Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio.

The Sunday Poem: “He Jazzed His Way” by Susie Gharib

He jazzed his way into my heart
with pulsing beats that have surpassed
the resounding rhythm of the jungle drums.

He jazzed his way into my soul
with the exquisite eloquence of a saxophone,
initiating rites to infinitude.

“Hip Replacements” – a short story by William Torphy

The story – a short-listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction contest – is a humorous take on a septuagenarian attempt to resurrect a revival band.

“All That Jazz” – a poem by Alan Abrams

Drizzly droplets
Dripping from balcony rails,
Slipping down window panes
As I listen to Stevie Ray
Play Lenny. Man that
Cat could sweat as he
Plucks magic from
Six thin strings.

“‘Different’ Trios” – a playlist by Bob Hecht

A 27-song playlist that focuses on non-traditional trio recordings, featuring trios led by the likes of Carla Bley, Ron Miles, Dave Holland, and Jimmy Giuffre…

The Sunday Poem: “Fats Waller” by Malcolm McCollum

I present you with a disgusting floor,
covered with ocher lumps of puke,
piles of paper refuse, cigarette butts,
all swimming in a sea of black water.

Jazz History Quiz #176

While legendary as a saxophonist, his first instrument was a violin and his second the piano — which he played well enough to work as an accompanist to silent movies. Ultimately it was Lester Young’s father who taught him the saxophone well enough that he switched instruments for good. (It was during this time that he also saved Lester from drowning in a river). Who is he?

“Nostalgia” – a short story by John-Paul Cote

This story – a short-listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – features Harlan, who has an addiction. A most illegal addiction. It drives him from morning until night. He dreams of it. How can he escape it before it brings him into the arms of the law? Down a dark alley he will find out just how far he is willing to go…

The Sunday Poem: “Mr. Bojangles” by Patricia Carragon

A raggedy man lived for music and Nina Simone,
called himself “Mr. Bojangles,”
played jazz on his secondhand sax,
tap-danced for tips and smiles.

From the Interview Archive: Barry Lee Pearson, author of Robert Johnson: Lost and Found

The myths surrounding the life and career of blues legend Robert Johnson are discussed in a November, 2003 interview with the blues historian Barry Lee Pearson.

“Ego” – a poem by Martha Patterson

“Big egos,” they now say –
Basie, Armstrong, Ellington

Did Louis Armstrong
Possess an outsized ego

“Moondance” – a short story by Ruth Setton

The story – a finalist in the recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – focuses on two people whose passion for music infuses their lives, and their chance at love.

The Sunday Poem: “Jazz Is A Journey” by Christopher D. Sims

Jazz is a journey. The
listening keeps us
envisioning how creativity
is transformative. Jazz is a
journey, a sound, a tune, a note,
a syllable, is beneficial to the ear,

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 6: “Mystery, Mayhem, Music”

A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this sixth edition of excerpts from his book, Rife writes about jazz novels and short stories that feature a theme of “mystery.”

From the Interview Archive: David Amram, Jack Kerouac’s musical collaborator

In this 2002 interview, Amram talks about his work with Kerouac blended poetry, jazz, blues, theatre and what is now considered performance art into an unforgettably intoxicating stew that became a life-changing experience for the many people who witnessed it.

“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki

An essay remembering the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s “New Star Award” in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.

Interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America

The author talks about his book, an intensely researched, spirited, and beautifully told story – and an important reminder that Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie all defied and overcame racial boundaries “by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music.”

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 21: “The Blue Truth”

In this edition, the poet riffs on Oliver Nelson’s classic 1961 album The Blues and the Abstract Truth as if a conversation between conductor and players were caught on tape along with the inner monologue of some mystery player/speaker of the poem.

Community Bookshelf #3

“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (March – September, 2024)

Jazz advocate Dan Morgenstern, 1929 – 2024

The esteemed jazz advocate Dan Morgenstern, whose many years in the world of jazz criticism and scholarship included a stint as editor of  DownBeat  and as the director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers, will be remembered for his advocacy of Louis Armstrong’s late career work, and for his amazing life story, which began as a young boy having to flee Vienna with his family in 1938, in the wake of Hitler’s arrival.

Four poets, four poems…on John Coltrane

John Coltrane was the absolute
the decorated, the preternatural
and acknowledged master of what fury
can pour out of the body of a saxophone.

“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum

The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” What was it about this musician that captivated and astonished so many for so long – and still does?

Interview with James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool

The esteemed writer tells a story about the jazz world before, during, and after the 1959 recording of Kind of Blue, and how the album’s three genius musicians came together, played together, and grew together (and often apart) throughout the experience.

Short Fiction Contest-winning story #66 — “Not From Around Here” by Jeff Dingler

The author’s award-winning story is about a Jewish kid coming of age in Alabama and discovering his identity through music, in particular the interstellar sound of Sun Ra.

A book excerpt from Designed for Success: Better Living and Self-Improvement with Midcentury Instructional Records, by Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder

In this excerpt, the authors write extensively about music instruction and appreciation records dealing with the subject of jazz.

Pianists and Poets – 13 poems devoted to the keys

From “Fatha” Hines to Brad Mehldau, poets open themselves up to their experiences with and reverence for great jazz pianists…

If You Want to Go to Heaven, Follow a Songbird – Mary K O’Melveny’s album of poetry and music

While consuming Mary K O’Melveny’s remarkable work in this digital album of poetry, readings and music, readers will discover that she is moved by the mastery of legendary musicians, the wings of a monarch butterfly, the climate and political crisis, the mysteries of space exploration, and by the freedom of jazz music that can lead to what she calls “the magic of the unknown.”

On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician

Thoughts on embracing a new stage in life, and where I hope to go next with Jerry Jazz Musician