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On the web since 1999
. . . . Dear Readers: I have been very busy of late planning for tonight’s production of “The Weary Blues: Celebrating Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance,” a show featuring the local (Portland) poet Emmett Wheatfall and a great local jazz band who will perform poetry from Hughes’ first collection. I am proud … Continue reading “A brief update about “The Weary Blues””
...February 7th, 2026
Sharing a bit of what I’ve been up to of late, and make you aware of a new endeavor of mine…
...December 10th, 2025
Connecting an old photograph owned since the 1970’s to gratitude for friends, family, artists, creators, website readers and contributors – (a redux)
...November 26th, 2025
Peaceful protest is nothing new to America. It is happening every day in Portland, where I live. It is what makes our country great. And those of us who grew up in the 1960’s probably have a history of protest – some turning violent – ourselves. The poet Russell Dupont shares text and photos from his experience while photographing the October, 1969 March against the war in Boston, when plainclothes Federal officers attempted to confiscate his camera.
...October 16th, 2025
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.
...July 17th, 2025
. . Mr. Albrecht Weinberg, a survivor of Nazi atrocities, and a portion of those assembled to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Mittlebau/Dora concentration camp. Nordhausen, Germany, April 7, 2025. . ___ . Where I’ve Been…In late March, my companion Rhonda and I embarked on a glorious two-month journey of Germany … Continue reading “Where I’ve Been…and a brief three-dot-update”
...May 28th, 2025
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.”
...March 7th, 2025
Philip Freeman discusses Cecil Taylor – the most eminent free jazz musician of his era, whose music marked the farthest boundary of avant-garde jazz.
...February 27th, 2025
How to help musicians (and others) affected by the LA fires…
...January 15th, 2025
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.
...January 10th, 2025
What are your hopes, anxieties, expectations for 2025? How do you see it playing out? 50 readers respond to the question, What one song best represents your expectations for 2025?
...January 2nd, 2025
“I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time…”
...December 23rd, 2024
Thoughts about the impact Willie Mays had on baseball, and on my life.
...June 19th, 2024
Embracing a new stage in life, and where I hope to go next with Jerry Jazz Musician
...June 18th, 2024
An excerpt from the author’s debut MONARCH: Stories, which has been described by Kirkus as “a gutsy, grungy collection centering troubled souls,” and “more than a collection of stories, Tobias’ debut is a selection of gritty, emotional character studies…brimming with pure Americana.”
...June 3rd, 2024
News about a Jerry Jazz Musician printed jazz poetry anthology, and information about submitting your poetry for consideration
...May 24th, 2024
While small group swing was shunned by the jazz critical establishment for being too flamboyant and too close a cousin to the emerging (and despised) rock and roll, Richards makes the case that small group swing players like Illinois Jacquet, Louis Jordan, Big Jay McNeely, Joe Liggins, Red Prysock, T-Bone Walker and Ray Charles played a legitimate jazz that was a more pleasing listening experience to the Black community than the bebop of Parker, Dizzy, Bud Powell and Monk. It is a fascinating era, filled with major figures and events, and centered on a rigorous debate that continues to this day – is small group swing “real jazz?”
...April 29th, 2024
Where I’ve been, and an update on what is coming up on Jerry Jazz Musician
...April 8th, 2024
A personal memory, and a time for loving all others this season…
...December 22nd, 2023
News about upcoming publishing dates, collections, and recent posts…
...December 1st, 2023
. . Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Tony Bennett, 1966 . ___ . …..We’ve lost a ton of iconic celebrities lately – stars of all ages and from many creative worlds. Among them: Tina Turner, David Crosby, Cormac McCarthy, Alan Arkin, David Bowie, Ahmad Jamal, Wayne Shorter, Sidney Poitier, Gordon Lightfoot, … Continue reading “A thought or two about Tony Bennett”
...July 25th, 2023
News about recent and upcoming features to be published on Jerry Jazz Musician
...July 21st, 2023
. . My dad…Joseph Maita, Sr. 1917-2000 This photo would have likely been taken in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s . .. . ___ . . “Good fathers not only tell us how to live, they show us.” -Mark Twain . As we get older, memories become more precious, and we hold them closer to … Continue reading “Remembering and honoring my father”
...June 18th, 2023
A visit to the Normandy American Cemetery at the conclusion of a European vacation leads to a feeling of abundant gratitude
...June 6th, 2023
The experience of meeting the poet Barbara Gaiardoni and her life partner Andrea Vanacore during my trip to Verona, Italy is shared…
...May 19th, 2023
Two completely different experiences in Vienna jazz clubs demonstrates how impresarios of the music, like the musicians themselves, see the music as being “beyond category.”
...May 7th, 2023
An account of two jazz club experiences during a recent trip to Prague
...May 3rd, 2023
. . The chalkboard in my kitchen . . ___ . . …..I live a mostly interior life. The work of editing and publishing Jerry Jazz Musician is done within my interior because it involves lots of reading, researching, listening, observing and communicating. (All stuff I love, by the way). This work is physically … Continue reading “A Letter From the Publisher…My pursuit of the exterior“
...April 22nd, 2023
A tale of two Michael Cohens — one is Trump’s former “fixer,” the other is an important voice in LGBTQ history
...March 29th, 2023
An hour-long playlist of recordings by legendary jazz musicians, inspired by the outset of spring
...March 20th, 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.
...March 3rd, 2023
An appeal for contributions to support the ongoing publishing efforts of Jerry Jazz Musician
...December 29th, 2022
Information concerning a new way contributing writers can access work published on Jerry Jazz Musician
...December 8th, 2022
Announcing the six writers nominated for the Pushcart Prize v. XLVIII, whose work was published in Jerry Jazz Musician during 2022.
...November 29th, 2022
Connecting an old photograph owned since the 1970’s to gratitude for friends, family, artists, creators, website readers and contributors
...November 23rd, 2022
Joe Maita, publisher of the website Jerry Jazz Musician, is interviewed on “The Buzz,” the podcast of the Jazz Journalists Association
...November 1st, 2022
The editor/publisher of Jerry Jazz Musician reflects on a major life change, and what lies ahead
...July 25th, 2022
Greetings, and Happy New Year, Folks:
…..Two things happen today. We bring in a new year, and with it a new decade.
…..There is great hope for the decade. We have to hold that long-term hope, right?
...January 1st, 2020
February and early March have been consumed by my work as Board Chair of PDX Jazz (Portland, Oregon), the presenting organization of the PDX Jazz Festival, which this year took place Feb. 15 – 25. Immediately following the Festival, I spent some time out on the road with a dear friend, exploring the clubs and museums of Kansas City and the surrounding prairie. Some highlights of the Festival events and
...March 12th, 2018
Click here to read about plans for the future of Jerry Jazz Musician.
"Second Set" by Patricia Joslin
The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work...
Patricia Joslin reads her poem at its conclusion
Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem
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Joe Maita
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