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“Soft Sounds” – a poem (for Ahmad Jamal) by Joe Potts

April 17th, 2023

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photo by Brian McMillen/Wikimedia Commons

Ahmad Jamal, 1980

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Soft Sounds
……(for Ahmad Jamal)

Soft sounds move the gentle air
As hands glide
Over the ebony and ivory
Extending beyond the moment.

Its Poinciana,
The song of the trees
As other hands briefly
Join and caress.

It is almost a response and
Reflection of the loveliness
Of the coming future
When our memories become more.

The first of many times
That the soft sounds of that
Special place
That completed us as lovers,

The glide of the player’s hands
Will always
Be ours together
The Poinciana.

And the song continues on as softly.

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Ahmad Jamal died yesterday, April 16, 2023, at the age of 92

Click here to read Eric Grode’s New York Times obituary of Mr. Jamal

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Joe Potts is a native of Boston, educated at Northeastern University (BA/MBA), where he also taught for 33 years. He was also an executive in the finance industry for many years.

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Listen to the 1958 live recording of the Ahmad Jamal Trio playing “Poinciana” (with Israel Crosby, bass; and Vernel Fournier, drums) [Universal Music Group]

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Click here to read The Sunday Poem

Click here for information about how to submit your poetry

Click here to subscribe to the (free) Jerry Jazz Musician quarterly newsletter

Click here to help support the ongoing publication of Jerry Jazz Musician (thank you!)

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Tags: ahmad jamal, jazz poetry, joe potts, poetry

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