“‘Swing” Street’ — A Memory” — a poem by Russell duPont

November 30th, 2021

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress

52nd Street, New York, c. 1948

“Swing” Street — A Memory

In a dream,
I walked by
what once were
rows of brownstones,
along 52nd Street;
past the ghosts
of Jimmy Ryan’s,
Spotlite, The Onyx
and 3 Deuces.

Echos of Clyde Hart’s piano
and Tiny Grimes guitar
slide into The Hawk’s
All the Things You Are.

It was different then —
back in the day —
back when Jazz
was a way of life.

Way back where
the street’s jumpin’,
with Bird on 52nd
and Tatum
at the Famous Door

“A mother,”
Dizzy called the street
that night at the Spotlite.
A “mother” who “nurtured”
Jazz from Dixieland
to bebop and the cool.

But time passes; and with it
the street, the brownstones;
The Onyx, 3 Deuces,
all buried under a blot
of skyscrapers.
Only Jazz lives on.

___

Russell duPont is an artist and an author whose artwork is included in a number of public and private collections. He has published two novels, King & Train and Waiting for the Turk; two books of poetry; and two non-fiction chapbooks. His essay, “The Corner,” is included in the anthology Streets of Echoes. His work has been published in various newspapers and literary magazines. He was the founder & publisher of the literary magazine,.the albatross.

Visit his website by clicking here

Listen to the 1946 recording of Dizzy Gillespie playing “52nd Street Theme,” with Don Byas (tenor sax); Milt Jackson (vibes); Al Haig (piano); Bill DeArango(guitar); Ray Brown (bass); and J.C. Heard (drums)