A collection of short jazz poems – Vol. 1

January 27th, 2023

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The Artist

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Russell duPont is an artist and author whose artwork is included in a number of public and private collections. He has published two novels, two books of poetry; and two non-fiction chapbooks.

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Poet biographies are listed in alphabetical order

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Jerrice J. Baptiste has authored eight books, and is a poet in residence at the Prattsville Art Center & Residency in New York.

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Byron Beynon‘s poetry has been featured in several publications, including Black Fox Literary Magazine, The London Magazine, Wasafiri, Poetry Ireland Review, Poetry Wales and the human rights anthology In Protest.

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Daniel Brown is a retired special education teacher who began writing as a senior. His first poetry collection, Family Portraits in Verse, will be published in early 2023.

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Patricia Carragon is a widely published poet who hosts Brownstone Poets, and is the editor-in-chief of its annual anthology. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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Molly Larson Cook is an award-winning Oregon writer, writing coach, and artist.

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Brooklyn-born Arlene Corwin is a harpist, pianist, singer and poet who has published 19 poetry books. In the 1950s her mother owned a jazz club in Hempstead, Long Island with Slim Gaillard. She currently lives in Sweden.

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Prior to this recent foray into Haiku, Dayna Genevieve writes prose poetry in the Beat tradition. Her work has been included in various journals and Anthologies. When not writing she curates readings with improvisational jazz accompaniment and hosts concerts of all musical styles on her ranch in Northern California. 
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John Kendall Hawkins is an American freelance writer currently residing in Australia. He is a former winner of the Academy of American Poets prize. 

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George Held’s work has appeared in numerous publications, published 22 books of poetry, and has received eleven Pushcart Prize nominations. 

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Sean Howard is adjunct professor of political science at Cape Breton University, and writes a monthly ‘War & Peace’ column for the Cape Breton Spectator.  He is the author of five books of poetry.

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D. H. Jenkins‘ plays have been staged in California, Arizona, Australia, and Japan. His poems appear in the art films “Call From a Distant Shore” and “Our Autumn,” and in The Tiger Moth Review and Jerry Jazz Musician.

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Michael Keshigian has been published in numerous national and international journals, and has received seven Pushcart Prize and two Best of the Net nominations.

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Michel Steven Krug is a Minneapolis poet, fiction writer, former print journalist from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, and he litigates. His poems have appeared in many journals and online publications. 

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Catherine Lee is a widely published neo-Beat who reads solo and performs with improvising musicians “on poem” when she can. Joint gigs with her mentor, poet/hipster tedjoans in 1986-87 got her started on this journey. 

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Aurora M. Lewis is a retiree, having worked in finance for 40 years.  Her poetry has been published on several online publications, and her first book of poetry, Jazz Poems: Reflections on a Broken Heart, was published in 2021. 

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photo by Alice Mello

Jim Mello is a counselor and clinical supervisor in the substance use disorder field. He has published three books of poetry.

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CJ Muchhala has absolutely no musical ability but a great deal of appreciation for and love of jazz and blues. She does, however, try to make music with words which have found their way into a number of journals, anthologies, and art/poetry exhibits.

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Michael L. Newell’s most recent book is Don’t Fret (Jazz Poems), published by (www.cyberwit.net). Newell lives in Florida.

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Mary K O’Melveny is a retired labor-rights lawyer who has authored three poetry collections, and her award-nominated poetry appears in print and on-line literary journals, anthologies and national blog sites.  She lives with her wife near Woodstock, NY and Washington DC. 

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Martha Patterson‘s work has been published in more than 20 anthologies and journals, and her plays have been produced in 21 states and eight countries. She  lives in Boston, Massachusetts. 

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photo Roger Gordy


Steve Paul, a onetime jazz DJ and longtime journalist, writes cultural commentary, literary biography, and poems in Kansas City, MO. He’s currently at work on a biography of the poet William Stafford.

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Dr. David Rudd is an emeritus professor of literature who wrote academic prose for 40 years before letting his imagination run loose.  His work has appeared in many publications, among them  Altered Reality, Bandit Fiction, Bewildering Stories, and Black Cat Mystery Magazine.

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Bernard Saint is a U.K. poet who has published in U.K. and United States literary magazines since the 1960’s.

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photo by Mya Smbg

Moe Seager has published six poetry collections, and is a jazz & blues vocalist who sings his poems on stages in Paris, New York and elsewhere.  He founded and hosts “Angora Poets World Café,” in Paris, and also hosts “100 Thousand Poets for Change,” Paris.   

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M. G. Stephens is author of 27 books, most recently the novels King Ezra and Kid Coole (both published by Spuyten Duyvil in 2022), and History of Theatre or the Glass of Fashion, prose poems and poetry (MadHat Press, 2021). 

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Laura Trigg is a retired physician, jazz and blues fan of many years, and amateur poet. Her poems are influenced by the music and culture of the American South.

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photo by Jack Underwood

Terrance Underwood has been listening to recorded jazz music since he was 5-6 yrs old. One of his first memories is listening to a 78 version of “Cherokee” by Charlie Barnett.

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Judith Vaughn lives in Sonoma, California. She attended New York City College, John F. Kennedy University, and Dominican University. She is a member of Poetic License Sonoma.  Her poetry has been published in several online journals. 

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Anthony Ward derives most of his inspiration from listening to classical music and jazz since it is often the mood which inspires him. He has recently been published in Jerry Jazz Musician, Synchronized Chaos, Literary Yard, Mad Swirl, Shot Glass Journal and Ariel Chart.

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Rodney Wood has published two books of poetry and is widely published.  He also co-hosts a monthly open mic in Farnborough in the UK. 

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Click here  to read the fall/winter 2022/23 collection of jazz poetry

Click here  to read the summer 2022 poetry collection

Click here  to read the spring 2022 collection of jazz poetry

 

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Click here  for information about how to submit your poetry

Click here  to subscribe to the quarterly  Jerry Jazz Musician newsletter

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

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4 comments on “A collection of short jazz poems – Vol. 1”

  1. Sir Joseph,

    Thanks for a fine collection of short poems. Many of these poets are new to me, and are most welcome discoveries.

  2. Joe, I’m so impressed by the poems, the poets and of course your idea to feature short verse. By all means burn away those peripherals.

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A Letter From the Publisher

An appeal for contributions to support the ongoing publishing efforts of Jerry Jazz Musician

In This Issue

The Modern Jazz Quintet by Everett Spruill
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Summer, 2023 Edition

A wide range of topics are found in this collection. Tributes are paid to Tony Bennett and Ahmad Jamal and to the abstract worlds of musicians like Ornette Coleman and Pharoah Sanders; the complex lives of Chet Baker and Nina Simone are considered; devotions to Ellington and Basie are revealed; and personal solace is found in the music of Tommy Flanagan and Quartet West. These are poems of peace, reflection, time, venue and humor – all with jazz at their core. (Featuring the art of Everett Spruill)

The Sunday Poem

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
“Fledging” by John L. Stanizzi

Interview

photo courtesy of Henry Threadgill
Interview with Brent Hayes Edwards, co-author (with Henry Threadgill) of Easily Slip Into Another World: A Life in Music...The author discusses his work co-written with Threadgill, the composer and multi-instrumentalist widely recognized as one of the most original and innovative voices in contemporary music, and the winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Poetry

painting by Henry Denander
A collection of jazz haiku...This collection, featuring 22 poets, is an example of how much love, humor, sentimentality, reverence, joy and sorrow poets can fit into their haiku devoted to jazz.

In Memoriam

Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
A thought or two about Tony Bennett

Podcast

"BG Boogie’s musical tour of indictment season"...The podcaster “BG Boogie” has weaponized the most recent drama facing The Former Guy, creating a 30 minute playlist “with all the latest up-to-date-est musical indictments of political ineptitude.”

Interview

Chick Webb/photographer unknown
Interview with Stephanie Stein Crease, author of Rhythm Man: Chick Webb and the Beat That Changed America...The author talks about her book and Chick Webb, once at the center of America’s popular music, and among the most influential musicians in jazz history.

Community

FOTO:FORTEPAN / Kölcsey Ferenc Dunakeszi Városi Könyvtár / Petanovics fényképek, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
.“Community Bookshelf, #1"...a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so…

Short Fiction

photo vi Wallpaper Flare
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #63 — “Company” by Anastasia Jill...Twenty-year-old Priscilla Habel lives with her wannabe flapper mother who remains stuck in the jazz age 40 years later. Life is monotonous and sad until Cil meets Willie Flasterstain, a beatnik lesbian who offers an escape from her mother's ever-imposing shadow.

Poetry

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 16: “Little Waltz” and “Summertime”...Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. In this edition, he connects the recordings of Jessica Williams' "Little Waltz" and Gene Harris' "Summertime."

Playlist

photo by Bob Hecht
This 28-song Spotify playlist, curated by Jerry Jazz Musician contributing writer Bob Hecht, features great tunes performed by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Lester Young, Stan Getz, and…well, you get the idea.

Poetry

photo of Wolfman Jack via Wikimedia Commons
“Wolfman and The Righteous Brothers” – a poem by John Briscoe

Jazz History Quiz #167

GuardianH, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Before becoming one of television’s biggest stars, he was a competent ragtime and jazz piano player greatly influenced by Scott Joplin (pictured), and employed a band of New Orleans musicians similar to the Original Dixieland Jazz Band to play during his vaudeville revue. Who was he?

Short Fiction

photo via PIXNIO/CC0
“The Sound Barrier” – a short story by Bex Hansen

Short Fiction

back cover of Diana Krall's album "The Girl in the Other Room" [Verve]
“Improvised: A life in 7ths, 9ths and Suspended 4ths” – a short story by Vikki C.

Interview

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
Long regarded as jazz music’s most eminent baritone saxophonist, Gerry Mulligan was a central figure in “cool” jazz whose contributions to it also included his important work as a composer and arranger. Noted jazz scholar Alyn Shipton, author of The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets, and Jerry Jazz Musician contributing writer Bob Hecht discuss Mulligan’s unique contributions to modern jazz.

Photography

photo by Giovanni Piesco
Giovanni Piesco’s photographs of Tristan Honsinger

Poetry

Maurice Mickle considers jazz venues, in two poems

In Memoriam

David Becker, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“Tony Bennett, In Memoriam” – a poem by Erren Kelly

Poetry

IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ella Fitzgerald, in poems by Claire Andreani and Michael L. Newell

Book Excerpt

“Chick” Webb was one of the first virtuoso drummers in jazz and an innovative bandleader dubbed the “Savoy King,” who reigned at Harlem’s world-famous Savoy Ballroom. Stephanie Stein Crease is the first to fully tell Webb’s story in her biography, Rhythm Man: Chick Webb and the Beat that Changed America…The book’s entire introduction is excerpted here.

Feature

Hans Christian Hagedorn, professor for German and Comparative Literature at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Ciudad Real (Spain) reveals the remarkable presence of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic Don Quixote in the history of jazz.

Short Fiction

Dmitry Rozhkov, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“A Skull on the Moscow Leningrad Sleeper” – a short story by Robert Kibble...A story revolving around a jazz record which means so much to a couple that they risk being discovered while attempting to escape the Soviet Union

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Easily Slip Into Another World: A Life in Music, by Henry Threadgill and Brent Hayes Edwards

Short Fiction

photo via Appletreeauction.com
“Streamline Moderne” – a short story by Amadea Tanner

Publisher’s Notes

“C’est Si Bon” – at trip's end, a D-Day experience, and an abundance of gratitude

Poetry

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
A Charlie Parker Poetry Collection...Nine poets, nine poems on the leading figure in the development of bebop…

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Interview

Photo of Stanley Crouch by Michael Jackson
Interview with Glenn Mott, editor of Victory is Assured: The Uncollected Writings of Stanley Crouch (photo of Stanley Crouch by Michael Jackson)

Interview

photo of Sonny Rollins by Brian McMillen
Interview with Aidan Levy, author of Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins...The author discusses his book about the iconic tenor saxophonist who is one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time – a lasting link to the golden age of jazz

Art

Designed for Dancing: How Midcentury Records Taught America to Dance: “Outtakes” — Vol. 2...In this edition, the authors Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder share examples of Cha Cha Cha record album covers that didn't make the final cut in their book

Pressed for All Time

“Pressed For All Time,” Vol. 17 — producer Joel Dorn on Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s 1967 album, The Inflated Tear

Photography

© Veryl Oakland
John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana are featured in this edition of photographs and stories from Veryl Oakland’s book, Jazz in Available Light

Coming Soon

An interview with Judith Tick, author of Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song; A new collection of jazz poetry; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Eubie Blake
Click to view the complete 22 year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake (pictured); Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.

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