Spring 2025 Jerry Jazz Musician Newsletter

April 8th, 2025












Jerry Jazz Musician – Spring, 2025 Newsletter

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 a trilogy) written with expertise, passion, and character worthy of the musician many consider to be the most influential popular music artist of the 20th century. 

Ricky Riccardi has become a major biographer whose work on Armstrong is a supreme achievement, one that the Grammy award-winning jazz musician Jon Batiste describes as “an extremely important chronicle of world history.”  The author discusses this volume of his trilogy, “Stomp Off, Let’s Go” which focuses on the most admired stage of Armstrong’s life – his complex childhood and burgeoning musical career – a time critics generally agree when his electrifying music (particularly the “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” recordings of 1926 – 1928) and unique charismatic appeal inalterably changed the direction of popular music.

 

photo courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum
 

Read the Interview



 

A call to action to take on political turmoil through the use of our creativity as a way to help our fellow citizens “pierce the mundane to find the marvelous.”



21 jazz poems on the 21st of March, 2025

 
An ongoing series designed to share the quality of jazz poetry continuously submitted to Jerry Jazz Musician by poets revealing their relationship to the music, and with the musicians who perform it.

art by Samuel Dixon
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An appeal…

 

Dear Readers:

Reader funding helps support the expense of publishing this website, and to keep it free of advertising – which is a rarity in the dot-com world.  Many thanks to those who have recently contributed, and to those who have done so multiple times. Your support is very much appreciated.

If you are able, please consider making a contribution?  Information regarding how to do so is found by clicking here.

For viewing my long range vision for  Jerry Jazz Musician,  please click here.

 

Thank you!

Joe Maita

Editor/Publisher



 

Short Fiction Contest-winning story #68 — “Saharan Blues on the Seine,” by Aishatu Ado

 

Aminata, a displaced Malian living in Paris, is haunted by vivid memories of her homeland. Through a supernatural encounter with her grandmother, she realizes that preserving her musical heritage through performance is an act of resistance that can transform her grief into art rather than running from it.



 

The book publication of Kinds of Cool: An Interactive Collection of Jazz Poetry

 

The first Jerry Jazz Musician poetry anthology published in book form includes 90 poems by 47 poets from all over the world, and features the brilliant artwork of Marsha Hammel and a foreword by Jack Kerouac’s musical collaborator David Amram. The collection is “interactive” (and quite unique) because it invites readers – through the use of QR codes printed on many of the book’s pages – to link to selected readings by the poets themselves, as well as to historic audio and video recordings (via YouTube) relevant to many of the poems, offering a holistic experience with the culture of jazz.
 



Interview with Phillip Freeman, author of In the Brewing Luminous: The Life and Music of Cecil Taylor

The author discusses Cecil Taylor – the most eminent free jazz musician of his era, whose music marked the farthest boundary of avant-garde jazz.

photo of Cecil Taylor by Brian McMillen



The Sunday Poem

A weekly series that includes the poet reading their work.  This edition is “The Sound of Surprise” by Dan Thompson

(photo of Dizzy Gillespie by William P. Gottileb/Library of Congress/)



Calling all Poets…an invitation to submit your work
 

Inviting poets to take note of three opportunities for having your work published on Jerry Jazz Musician



Community Bookshelf #4

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)



Jazz History Quiz #180

Upon leaving Charlie Barnet’s orchestra in 1941, this trumpeter wanted to start his own group, and, with the help of publicist/journalist Leonard Feather, became the first white leader in jazz history to organize an all-black group. Who was he?

photo of Charlie Barnet by William P. Gottlieb/Library of Congress

 



In his ongoing series, this extensive playlist focuses on sextets featuring legends like John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Wayne Shorter, Gigi Gryce, Curtis Fuller, Blue Mitchell and Art Blakey.  
 



Also in this issue…

 

New editions of Trading Fours with Douglas Cole, David Rife’s Jazz Fiction, The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: True Jazz Stories; and new book excerpts, poetry, In Memoriam, short fiction, memorable quotes and playlists

Click here for the previous issue of Jerry Jazz Musician



Coming Soon to Jerry Jazz Musician

 

 

An interview with Sascha Feinstein, author of Writing Jazz: Conversations with Critics and Biographers;, Also, a new Jazz History Quiz, and lots of short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and much more in the works…
 

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Jerry Jazz Musician is a non-commercial website whose mission is to explore the culture of America with jazz music as the centerpiece…For information about how you can submit your work, click here. 

For information about how you can support the mission of Jerry Jazz Musician, click here.

As always, thanks for subscribing, and for sharing this email with interested readers.
 

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In This Issue

photo by William Gottlieb/design by Rhonda R. Dorsett
21 jazz poems on the 21st of November, 2025...An ongoing series designed to share the quality of jazz poetry continuously submitted to Jerry Jazz Musician. This edition features poems communicating the emotional appeal of jazz music, as well as nods to the likes of Miles Davis, Regina Carter, Maynard Ferguson, Ornette Coleman, and Max Roach.

The Sunday Poem

photo by Carol Highsmith/Library of Congress

”One Night in New Orleans,” by Rebecca Watkins

The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.... Rebecca Watkins reads her poem at its conclusion


Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Poetry

Wikimedia Commons
“Dorothy Parker, an Icon of the Jazz Age” – a poem by Jane McCarthy

Community

Calling All Poets…Submissions guidelines for the anthology “Black History in Poetry”...We are currently seeking poetry from writers of all backgrounds for Black History in Poetry, an anthology scheduled for publication in the Summer of 2026. The anthology will be a means of celebrating and honoring notable Black Americans by offering poetry that teems with imagery, observation, emotion, memory, testimony, insight, impact, and humanity. Our aim is to give readers a way to visualize Black history from a fresh perspective.

Poetry

Poems on Charlie “Bird” Parker (inspired by a painting by Al Summ) – an ekphrastic poetry collection...A collection of 25 poems inspired by the painting of Charlie Parker by the artist Al Summ.

Community

Letter from the Editor:“A Jerry Jazz Musician Experience”...Sharing a bit of what I’ve been up to of late, and make you aware of a new endeavor of mine…

A Letter from the Publisher

The gate at Buchenwald. Photo by Rhonda R Dorsett
War. Remembrance. Walls.
The High Price of Authoritarianism– by editor/publisher Joe Maita...An essay inspired by my recent experiences witnessing the ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation of several World War II concentration camps in Germany.

Feature

Memorable Quotes: Horace Greeley, on character...“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches..."

Community

Nominations for the Pushcart Prize L (50)...Announcing the six writers nominated for the Pushcart Prize v. L (50), whose work appeared on the web pages of Jerry Jazz Musician or within print anthologies I edited during 2025.

Interview

Interview with Tad Richards, author of Listening to Prestige: Chronicling its Classic Jazz Recordings, 1949 – 1972...Richards discusses his book – a long overdue history of Prestige Records that draws readers into stories involving its visionary founder Bob Weinstock, the classic recording sessions he assembled, and the brilliant jazz musicians whose work on Prestige helped shape the direction of post-war music.

Poetry

"Swing Landscape" by Stuart Davis
“Swing Landscape” – a poem by Kenneth Boyd....Kenneth Boyd writes poetry based on jazz paintings. “Swing Landscape” is written for a Stuart Davis painting of the same name.

Jazz History Quiz

Jazz History Quiz #185...This posthumously-awarded Grammy winning musician/composer was the pianist and arranger for the vocal group The Hi-Lo’s (pictured) in the late 1950’s, and after working with Donald Byrd and Dizzy Gillespie became known for his Latin and bossa nova recordings in the 1960’s. He was also frequently cited by Herbie Hancock as a “major influence.” Who is he?

Short Fiction

Short Fiction Contest-winning story #69 – “My Vertical Landscape,” by Felicia A. Rivers...Touched by the stories of the Philadelphia jazz clubs of the 1960s, a graffiti artist transforms an ugly wall into something beautiful – meaningful, even.

Poetry

photo via Wikimedia Commons
Jimi Hendrix - in four poems

Playlist

A sampling of jazz recordings by artists nominated for 2026 Grammy Awards – a playlist by Martin Mueller...A playlist of 14 songs by the likes of Samara Joy, Brad Mehldau, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Branford Marsalis, the Yellowjackets and other Grammy Award nominees, assembled by Martin Mueller, the former Dean of the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York.

Poetry

Ukberri.net/Uribe Kosta eta Erandioko agerkari digitala, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In Memoriam: “Color Wheels” – a poem (for Jack DeJohnette) by Mary O’Melveny

Short Fiction

“Alas, for My Poor Heart” – a short story by Daryl Rothman...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 69th Short Fiction Contest – concerns art and its truest meanings—where you just might have to look twice at what the shadow and light of a piece says about that within your soul.

Essay

“Escalator Over the Hill – Then and Now” – by Joel Lewis...Remembering the essential 1971 album by Carla Bley/Paul Haines, inspired by the writer’s experience attending the New School’s recent performance of it

Poetry

“Still Wild” – a collection of poems by Connie Johnson...Connie Johnson’s unique and warm vernacular is the framework in which she reminds readers of the foremost contributors of jazz music, while peeling back the layers on the lesser known and of those who find themselves engaged by it, and affected by it. I have proudly published Connie’s poems for over two years and felt the consistency and excellence of her work deserved this 15 poem showcase.

Feature

photo of Barry Harris by Mirko Caserta
“With Barry Harris at the 11th Street Bar” – a true jazz story by Henry Blanke...The writer - a lifelong admirer of the pianist Barry Harris - recalls a special experience he had with him in 2015

Short Fiction

publicdomainpictures.net
“Corkscrew” – a short story by Mike Wilson...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 69th Short Fiction Contest – is about a night when everything goes wrong and everyone is annoying, an unexpected turn of events teaches a sarcastic lawyer that the old adage is true – a cynic is just a disappointed romantic.

Interview

Interview with Sascha Feinstein, author of Writing Jazz: Conversations with Critics and Biographers...The collection of 14 interviews is an impressive and determined effort, one that contributes mightily to the deepening of our understanding for the music’s past impact, and fans optimism for more.

Feature

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 27: “California Suite”...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.

Short Fiction

photo by Simon Webster
“Smoke Rings and Minor Things” – a short story by Jane McCarthy...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 69th Short Fiction Contest – is a meditation on missed chances, minor keys, and the music that outlives the room it was played in.

Essay

“J.A. Rogers’ ‘Jazz at Home’: A Centennial Reflection on Jazz Representation Through the Lens of Stormy Weather and Everyday Life – an essay by Jasmine M. Taylor...The writer opines that jazz continues to survive – 100 years after J.A. Rogers’ own essay that highlighted the artistic freedom of jazz – and has “become a fundamental core in American culture and modern Americanism; not solely because of its artistic craftsmanship, but because of the spirit that jazz music embodies.”

Community

photo of Dwike Mitchell/Willie Ruff via Bandcamp
“Tell a Story: Mitchell and Ruff’s Army Service” – an essay by Dale Davis....The author writes about how Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff’s U.S. Army service helped them learn to understand the fusion of different musical influences that tell the story of jazz.

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two– Vol. 16: Halloween on Mars? Or…speculative jazz fiction...A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this 16th edition featuring excerpts from his outstanding literary resource, Rife writes about azz-inflected speculative fiction stories (sci-fi, fantasy and horror)

Poetry

“With Ease in Mind” – poems by Terrance Underwood...It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Terrance Underwood’s poetry. I am also quite jealous of his ease with words, and of his graceful way of living, which shows up in this collection of 12 poems.

Poetry

What is This Path – a collection of poems by Michael L. Newell...A contributor of significance to Jerry Jazz Musician, the poet Michael L. Newell shares poems he has written since being diagnosed with a concerning illness.

Playlist

“Look Ma, No Net!” – a playlist of nonets, by Bob Hecht...In this episode of our progressive instrumentation playlists, we add a ninth instrument to the mix to form a Nonet!

Art

photo by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Art Farmer and Benny Golson...Beginning in 1990, the noted photographer Giovanni Piesco began taking backstage photographs of many of the great musicians who played in Amsterdam’s Bimhuis, that city’s main jazz venue which is considered one of the finest in the world. Jerry Jazz Musician will occasionally publish portraits of jazz musicians that Giovanni has taken over the years. This edition features the May 10, 1996 photos of the tenor saxophonist, composer and arranger Benny Golson, and the February 13, 1997 photos of trumpet and flugelhorn player Art Farmer.

Community

Community Bookshelf #5...“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 (March, 2025 – September, 2025)

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

Coming Soon

Interview with John Gennari, author of The Jazz Barn:  Music Inn, the Berkshires, and the Place of Jazz in American Life; Also, a new Jazz History Quiz, and lots of short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and much more in the works......  Also, a new Jazz History Quiz, and lots of short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and much more in the works...

Interview Archive

Ella Fitzgerald/IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Click to view the complete 25-year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Judith Tick on Ella Fitzgerald (pictured),; Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz on the Girl Groups of the 60's; Tad Richards on Small Group Swing; Stephanie Stein Crease on Chick Webb; Brent Hayes Edwards on Henry Threadgill; Richard Koloda on Albert Ayler; Glenn Mott on Stanley Crouch; Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake; 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.