“Jazz in June” – a poem (for June) by Russell Dupont

June 1st, 2026

12 individual poets contribute a jazz-themed poem dedicated to a particular month, resulting in a 2026 calendar of jazz poetry that winds through the year with a variety of poetic styles and voices who share their journeys with the music, tying it into the month they were tasked to interpret. Along the way you will encounter the likes of Sonny Stitt, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, Wynton Kelly, John Coltrane, and Nina Simone.

This edition, June, features Russell Dupont’s poem “Jazz in June.”

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June, 2026

“Jazz in June”

by Russell Dupont

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Linnaea Mallette/publicdomainpictures.net

Jazz in June

Josephine Baker’s smooth and sweet tones,
Aretha Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate[s] the Positive, as
Zoot’s rhythm exhilarates at the Half Note.
Zutty Singleton swings with Louis and his Hot Five,

Ike Quebec gets Blue & Sentimental and
Nina Simone pleads, ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’.

Joe Pass plays Django while
Una Mae Carlisle jams with Fats.
Nat King Cole is Unforgettable. Then, there’s
Ella, Etta, Eartha and Ellington . . .

and June, like a Slide Hampton solo,
reverberates into July.

Listen to Russell Dupont read his poem

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Russell Dupont, poet, artist, novelist, has published in the albatross, Spectrum, The I, For Poets Only, The Anthology of South Shore Poets, Re-Side, Oddball, Jerry Jazz Musician, Adelaide Literary Magazine, Rye Whiskey Review, Last Stanza Poetry Journal, the new post-literate, DADAKU, One Sentence, Verse-Virtual, Lothlorien Journal, Pick-Me-Up Poetry, Poetry Porch, Concrete Formalist Poetry and the Northern New England Review. He is the author of three novels: King & Train, Waiting for the Turk, Movin’ On; a collection of short stories, Norman Mailer Walks Into a Bar; three collections of poetry: Winter, 1948, Establishing Home Plate, and Jazz at the Point.

He is also the author of two non-fiction chapbooks — Up in Wisconsin: Travels with Kinsley, and There is No Dam Now at Richford. Examples of his work have been collected in the Archives of UMass Boston. His journalism has appeared in The Dorchester Community News, The Melrose Free Press and The Patriot Ledger.

Listen to the 1959 recording of pianist Wynton Kelly performing the Abel Baer, Cliff Friend composition “June Night,” with Lee Morgan (trumpet); Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Paul Chambers (bass); and Philly Joe Jones (drums). [Universal Music Group]