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“Blue Trane” by Martel Chapman
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J_A_Z_Z
…………..(or Between the Notes)
Between the notes
lies the silenced passion and pain
of a people
too enormous for lyric expression
though the black dots on the page
attempt to decode the encrypted message.
And only those with shared experience
hear the unsaid
understand the un-noted metered measures
hidden in the blank spaces
between carefully crafted rhythms
no musical instrument can ever fully interpret.
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Antoinette F. Winstead is a poet, playwright, director and actor living in San Antonio, Texas, where she’s a professor at Our Lady of the Lake University. Her poetry has appeared in several publications, including Voices de la Luna, Langdon Review, Texas Ballot Poetry, Tejas Covido, and The Poet Magazine. She is currently serving as the 2021-2022 Writer in Residence for the Carver Community Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas. She was nominated for the 2022 Pushcart Prize by Jerry Jazz Musician for her poem “Life Is…“
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Martel Chapman found artistic inspiration in Francis Wolff’s cover photograph of John Coltrane’s Blue Train album, and has been creating art honoring the artistic genius of jazz music ever since.
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Listen to the 1960 recording of John Coltrane playing “Spiral,” with Tommy Flanagan (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); and Art Taylor (drums), from the album Giant Steps [Atlantic/Rhino]
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Click here for information on how to submit your poetry
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This is an excellent poem which touches both heart and mind, and uses sound and metaphor very skillfully. I applaud the poem’s command of technique, and its insight into the musician’s vision.