“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.”

“Beyond the Sun” – a poem by Connie Johnson

Nostalgia
it’s the feeling that brought us here
a bit of joy / sweet glide to a hallowed space
and Fats Navarro is already here

“Gerry Meaghers” – a short story by Mark Donnelly

In the story – a short listed entrant in the recently concluded 66^th Short Fiction Contest – a 60-year-man has lost his job as a newspaper reporter, and is left with few options.

The Sunday Poem: “menage a trois” by debora Ewing

Antonio, steal me away from him
with a mango slice
on the tip of your knife

marimba is a sea-bird cry
and salty window panes
glint in winter sun

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.

“Briscola” – a short story by Emily Xu

The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – is an exaggerated version of the dynamism of domestic/romantic relationships between spouses, and the difficulty to sustain a family.

“One Day Perhaps: On Russell Malone” – a poem by Terrance Underwood

Leaving residence
At the Final Arms Hotel
For a misty boulevard stroll
Could be I see you
(Maybe on your way
To meet up with Wes
To go Bumpin’ On Sunset)

The Sunday Poem: “Straight, No Chaser” by Steve Trenam

When he entered a club ‘round midnight,
all 88 keys would break into a grin
and the stool would slide out from under
to invite him to sit down and play.

“September Song” – a poem by Jerrice J. Baptiste

Sometime before September ends
I will capture your love
among the flaming
fuchsia, paprika, mustard colored
leaves, blowing in wind on a journey
to somewhere close to where you are.

“Trios – Three’s Not a Crowd” – a playlist by Bob Hecht

In the history of jazz there have been many variations of instrumentation within the trio format (think of Benny Goodman’s trio or Jimmy Giuffre’s) but on this playlist, Bob Hecht concentrates on a handful of the classic trio configurations—either piano, bass and drums, or in a few instances, piano, guitar and bass…

“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.

Jazz History Quiz #175

This famed jazz artist played the piano professionally as a seventh grader before switching to drums, learning to play in the styles of Chick Webb and Sid Catlett. Before forming his own band in the early 1950’s, he played with Mary Lou Williams (pictured) in New York, toured the South with Fletcher Henderson’s band, and was the drummer in Billy Eckstine’s group from 1944 – 1947. Who is he?

The Sunday Poem: “Down Jazz” by Holly Peppe

Prisms resound, glow dissonant—
refracted word-dyes salvaged from malaise.
A bleeding swatch of rainbow,
cordless stains on muslin,
stacks of frightened tightropes,
my slippers thin and worn –

“Donald Byrd’s Late Night Lullaby” – a poem by Erren Kelly

The Worker Bee finds a home
In the honeyed tones of a trumpet
As the sun sets earlier, answering
Fall’s call, she stands sometimes

“The Next Right Note” – a short story by Lisa Grunberger

The story – a short-listed entrant in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – centers on the effects of COVID on an interracial, interfaith family…

The Sunday Poem: “Big Phat Jazz Police” by Charles Joseph Albert

When that first rumbling bass line
Tells me I’m listening to Gordon Goodwin’s
Big Phat Band playing “Jazz Police,”
I can’t help it, I always see an LAPD squad car
swinging out of the station

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)

“The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of” – a short story by Vishwas R. Gaitonde

The story – a short-listed entrant in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – explores the notion of where dreams end and reality begins through the lives of three people living in New Orleans

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