The Poet
(for Jon Hendricks)

The wordsmith paints a picture,
A kind of bebop exchange,
Rambling around the neighbourhood,
Conversing apropos,
Curbside to parkside,
Phrasing with style,
All the way uptown,
To the forest of words,
Dense and eloquent,
Connected to the sky,
A canvas on which to portray,
The presence, the humour,
the hustle and the warmth,
The wide open window,
That Jazz blows through.

c.Freddington, 2017.

The Elegant Hostess
(for Carmen McRae)

As a matter of fact, she sings,
It’s a casual sort of excellence,
Like a breezy sunshower,
Light prismed and colourful,
On occasion, scatting wise,
With a smile that knows the blues,
Her Jazz is an evening in summer,
Warm and quiet under the porchlight,
The night sky brings the stars in close,
It’s dark, but you can see for miles.

c.Freddington, 2017.

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Freddington works as a shipper/receiver in Toronto, Canada, and has been a lifelong jazz fan ever since he was “corrupted” as a teenager by Charles Mingus’ “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting.”

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