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photo Creative Commons Zero – CC0

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Miscellaneous news and notes to share…

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….I am currently in the process of compiling the Winter collection of poetry, with hopes of a publication date in the Feb. 10-ish range.   Readers will find lots to like in it. Stay tuned…Roger Singer, who was the “original” Jerry Jazz Musician poet ( I began publishing his poetry many years ago) informs me that he has just been named the poet laureate of Town of Old Lyme, Connecticut.  Congratulations are in order to a consistently excellent and often brilliant poet whose passion for jazz comes out in loving warmth and energetic and insightful bursts…The Pittsburgh poet Kristofer Collins has a new collection, The River Is Another Kind of Prayer: New & Selected Poems (Kung Fu Treachery Press)…(click here for details)…John Stupp – also from Pittsburgh – has a new collection as well..When Billy Conn Fought Fritzie Zivic (Red Flag Poetry Press) is now available for presale (click here for details)…I.

….While preparing for an upcoming interview with James Kaplan, author of an entertaining and excellent new biography of Irving Berlin, I have been diving deep into Berlin’s music.  A composer of countless standards (“All By Myself,” “Always,” “Blue Skies,” “Say It Isn’t So,” “White Christmas,” “God Bless America,” well…you get the idea), I was inspired to put together an Irving Berlin Spotify playlist that readers may also enjoy.  Not meant to be comprehensive and not listed chronologically, the list (currently 129 songs) features great music and performances, and is a reminder of the enormity of Berlin’s presence in the world of music – and of those who embraced and interpreted his music.  Click here to access the playlist…In between the music of Berlin and George Gershwin (whose most recent musical biographer Rich Crawford will soon be joining me in an interview), I have been laying my ears on a recording I am  smitten enough with to recommend; Light Blue, by the Belgian saxophonist Julien Hucq.  Now residing in New York, this album features Hucq’s loose, vibrant playing as well as the incomparable George Cables on piano, whose presence alone is enough to make it to the turntable.  Check out Hucq‘s website, or the album on Spotify.

….I recently had the opportunity to interview Gerald Horne, author of Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music, and who Cornel West describes as “one of the great historians of our time.”  His book tells a jazz history not often told – of the exploitation, racism, sexism, and “racial capitalism” jazz musicians faced and had to perform within.  It is a provocative topic and a discussion worth having.  I discovered much in the process of reading this book, and recommend it to those interested in a history that is at times ugly and uncomfortable and doesn’t always get told.  Look for the interview in the coming days…

….The artist Charles Ingham continues to expand his brilliant series of what he describes as “Jazz Narratives,” photo montages and stories that take us to great and long lost jazz landmarks and events.  An updated post featuring this entire series will be coming soon…Meanwhile, you can click here to see the current editions within the series.

Until next time…

Joe

 

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Julien Hucq talks about his album, Light Blue

 

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