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Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. This edition is based largely on a documentary – They Shot the Piano Player – about Tenório Junior, a Latin jazz musician who only produced one album (1964) before he “disappeared” in 1976.
...Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. This edition is dedicated to saxophone players and the mood scenes that instrument creates.
...Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. In this edition, his inspiration comes from the guitarist John Scofield’s 2013 EmArcy album Uberjam Deux, and specifically the track titled “Scotown.”
...In this edition, due to a current and ongoing obsession with drummer Matt Wilson’s 2006 album The Scenic Route, Douglas Cole writes another poem in response to his experience listening to the track “Feel the Sway.”
...I had an old car
with a fender rusted out
on the back left side
and it was just another spot
of decay and breakdown
on that old machine
In this edition, Douglas’ poem is written partly as a reference to the Antonio Carlos Jobin song “Wave,” but mostly to get in the famed Japanese artist Hokusai’s idea of the wave as being a huge, threatening thing. (The poem initially sprang from listening to Cal Tjader’s “Along Came Mary”).
...Art Tatum plays fast
fast as Sundays
fast as sunset in November
fast as a hurry up offense
fast as a 20 dollar bill flying down the street
This edition of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film is written in response to Oliver Nelson’s 1961 recording The Blues and the Abstract Truth
...Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. This edition is written in response to the music of Wayne Shorter.
...Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. This edition is influenced by Stillpoint, the 2021 album by Zen practitioner Barrett Martin
...Hammers in a construction site
sound like a band warming up,
weird solos by a bunch of drummers.
Jimmy Smith comes down draped in groove,
sermonizing your stride,
clouds chest-out like they know something.
A man standing in front of a house,
shouting, I got nothing from you!
I don’t know where it starts, he said, but can you imagine
watching They Cloned Tyrone and the music playing,
almost the whole dance club version of Love Hangover,
I can’t even watch anything, my mind looks through the settings,
the dialogue is like a crowd talking in a club and I want to listen in,
go into that Diana Ross whisper singing love voice
Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. In this edition, the poet connects the recordings of Jessica Williams’ “Little Waltz” and Gene Harris’ “Summertime.”
...Vivaldi, especially “The Four Seasons,”
keeps showing up in forms of jazz:
a hint, a structure—but try unraveling
any musical DNA you go straight back
to singing and to drum, voice and poetry—
Two poems devoted to Steely Dan’s 1977 recording of “Aja”
...The poet writes about the significance of Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue”, and why it is the “it” jazz recording…
...In this edition, the poet writes about attending a McCoy Tyner performance (or “ceremony”), and hearing the musician’s one word philosophy of music.
...“Blow by Blow” is a portrait of Berkeley, California in the 1970’s, and the fusion jazz that was finding its way onto the scene at that time.
...“The Weeping Tree” arises from the poet listening to (and watching) Sinne Eeg & Thomas Fonnesbæk perform “Willow Weep For Me”
...“Fire From Heaven” arises from the poet Douglas Cole listening to John Coltrane’s 1964 album A Love Supreme
...“The Ghost Note” arises from the poet listening to “From Paris With Love” from Melody Gardot’s 2020 album Sunset in the Blue
...He’s a-stagger the patrilineous
hillside grove wonder tunnels
street black ribbons going bower-deep
with sunlight glitter punctuations
feeling the great payoff on the way
The poem “Convergence” rises from listening to the 1960 album, “Stan Getz Quartet at Large”
...Mr. Cole’s suite consists of eight poems, all interpretations from songs on pianist Tommy Flanagan’s album Sunset and the Mockingbird Suite
...Set forth beautiful one
open sea and open sky
as far as your eye can see
full wind filling the sails
pushing those hesitant steps
three at a time before
the cymbal crash of wave
Horace Silver’s got a grove. Just listen to that left hand,
like a heart skipping a beat or jumping up to a double-beat,
like beholding something so beautiful you can hardly believe it.
Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. This poem is written to the 1957 Coleman Hawkins recording of “Juicy Fruit.”
...I had a little radio up on top of the refrigerator, and I turned it on as the sunlight went and the world filled up with darkness. I listened to a jazz station and smoked a cigarette and blew the smoke out the window.
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Summer, 2025 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue Monk, as seen by Gottlieb, Dorsett and 16 poets – an ekphrastic poetry collection Dear Readers: …..I recently invited interested poets to take part in an ekphrastic poem exercise that involved … Continue reading “Summer 2025 Jerry Jazz Musician newsletter”
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Spring, 2025 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue Interview with Ricky Riccardi, author of Stomp Off, Let’s Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong It’s safe to assume we can agree that Louis Armstrong deserved this – a comprehensive biography (now … Continue reading “Spring 2025 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (September, 2024 – March, 2025)
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Winter, 2025 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue Announcing the book publication of Kinds of Cool: An Interactive Collection of Jazz Poetry Dear Readers: For several years I have published major jazz poetry collections that were solely available on the Jerry Jazz … Continue reading “Winter 2025 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Fall, 2024 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue Jazz Poetry…Collected! With a major collection of jazz poetry soon to be published in book form, this edition of Jerry Jazz Musician features poets from all over the world whose work … Continue reading “Fall 2024 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Spring/Summer, 2024 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Spring/Summer 2024 Edition In this, the 17th major collection of jazz poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician, 50 poets from all over the world again demonstrate the ongoing influence … Continue reading “Spring/Summer 2024 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
.... . This space on Sunday is generally reserved for a single poet to read one of their works, but this week’s issue -Father’s Day – features 23 poets who weigh in on the complexity of their relationship with their father, revealing love, warmth, regret, sorrow – and in many cases a strong connection … Continue reading “The Sunday Poem(s): 23 Poets remember their father…”
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Winter, 2024 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Winter, 2024 Edition While earlier editions of jazz poetry collections have included many voices previously unknown to readers of these anthologies, what is striking about … Continue reading “Fall/Winter 2024 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Summer, 2023 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Summer, 2023 Edition This edition features poetry chosen from hundreds of recent submissions, and from a wide range of voices known – and unknown … Continue reading “Summer 2023 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Spring, 2023 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Spring, 2023 Edition This is the 14th extensive collection of jazz poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician since the fall of 2019, when the concept was initiated. … Continue reading “Spring 2023 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...This is the 14th extensive collection of jazz poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician since the fall of 2019, when the concept was initiated. Like all previous volumes, the beauty of this edition is not solely evident in the general excellence of the published works; it also rests in the hearts of the individuals from diverse backgrounds who possess a mutual desire to reveal their life experiences and interactions with the music, its character, and its culture.
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Winter 2022/23 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Fall/Winter, 2022-23 Edition While poetry may never again be a major part of popular American culture, it can still effectively impact a subset of … Continue reading “Winter 2022/2023 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...Jerry Jazz Musician – Summer 2022 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry – Summer, 2022 Edition “Reading poetry is a way of connecting – through the medium of language – more deeply with yourself even as you connect more … Continue reading “Summer 2022 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...A broad collection of jazz poetry authored by an impressive assemblage of regular contributors and established poets new to this publication – all of whom open their imagination and hearts to the abundant creative experience they derive from this art.
...Jerry Jazz Musician — Spring 2022 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry – Spring, 2022 Edition This broad collection is comprised of work by a fascinating assemblage of writers from all over the world – many of whom are regular contributors, … Continue reading “Spring 2022 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
...Molly Larson Cook’s abstract-expressionist paintings accompany the 50 poets contributing to this collection. Her art has much in common with the poetry and music found within it; all three art forms can be described as “landscapes of the imagination,” created by artists from all over the world who are inspired in a meaningful way by jazz music, and whose work can be uniquely interpreted and appreciated (or not!) by those who consume it.
...Announcing the six writers nominated for the Pushcart Prize v. XLIX, whose work was published in Jerry Jazz Musician during 2024.
...Announcing the six writers nominated for the Pushcart Prize v. XLVIII, whose work was published in Jerry Jazz Musician during 2023.
...Writers talk about influential life experiences with writing, literary figures who inspired their work, overcoming creative and economic challenges, and where they fit in today’s publishing model.
...Jerry Jazz Musician — Fall/Winter 2021-22 Newsletter Information about new content published on the website Jerry Jazz Musician In This Issue A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Fall/Winter, 2021-22 Edition “Night and Day” is a painting by Molly Larson Cook, whose abstract-expressionist paintings accompany the work of the 50 poets contributing to the Fall/Winter … Continue reading “Fall/Winter 2021 – 2022 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter”
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The Sunday Poem: “Seasonal Rain Reveries,” by Mary K O’Melveny
The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work...
Mary K O’Melveny reads her poem at its conclusion.
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