Jazz Haiku – a sampler

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“The Horn,” by Samuel Dixon

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…..In January, in the hopes of providing new inspiration to poets and readers, Jerry Jazz Musician published a poetry collection devoted to short-form jazz poems – defined for that purpose as poems consisting of no more than seven lines.  Over 30 poets had their work published.  (You can visit the collection by clicking here).

…..This led to another idea, that of a collection of “jazz haiku.”  Consequently, earlier this year I invited poets to submit up to ten jazz poems that do not need to strictly follow the 5-7-5 syllabic structure of formal haiku, they just need to be faithful to the spirit of it (i.e., three lines, brief, expressive, emotionally insightful).

…..The response to this call has thus far been inspiring, and a complete collection of jazz haiku will be published sometime in August.  (If you have an interest in submitting your own jazz haiku, click here for details).

…..Meanwhile, as a tease, I thought I’d publish a small sampling of the jazz haiku I have received so far.

…..I hope you find inspiration, and that you enjoy…

Joe Maita

Editor/Publisher

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Individual poet biographies have not been published with this collection.  To view other work by them, click on their name and you will be taken to a page listing all the pages their work has appeared in Jerry Jazz Musician.

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Homer Simpson says:
Those jazz guys, they make it up
As they go along.

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by Mark Fogarty

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Analyzing Jazz —
a worthless waste of one’s time.
Jazz is all feeling.

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by Russell duPont

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A blue note Sunday,
My father in his church suit
Plays some Jimmy Smith

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What’s more free than jazz?
Pinpoints of light surround us
The soul reveals all

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by Connie Johnson

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Lloyd plays standout jazz
Masterpiece Forest Flower
A man and his horns

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Philly guitarist
Pat Martino defied odds
Relearned the music

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by Amy Barone

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Like a dark lake her
black hair pooled on my pillow;
a love supreme.

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by Charlie Brice

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There was only one Billie
Her voice was uniquely divine
Left us before her time
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by Aurora M. Lewis

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Dolphy’s flute
circular trills
join the summer chorus

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by Dan Brown

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Billy Cobham’s fast
like he played ahead of time
I was white and soft

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by John Kendall Hawkins

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Bill Evans Haiku

Bill Evans’ swishing
Notes lift my heart like the red
Wings of cardinals

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by Martha Patterson

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A Farmer Cultivates

one note per measure
……………landscape a garden design
warm tone flugelhorn

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Start

Mourning Dove breast soft
…………..coo a Getz breath scale sweetly
beginning morning

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by Terrance Underwood

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Jazz Noir

City cloaked in fog
Standing on a lonely bridge
Hear the night cry out

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by Lauren Loya

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Listen to the 2019 recording of Abdullah Ibrahim performing “Genesis”  [Kontor New Media GmbH]

 

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Click here to read The Sunday Poem

Click here for information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction

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

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