A brief remembrance of Abdullah Ibrahim
On the loss of the brilliant South African pianist and composer…
...June 17th, 2026
Joe Maita
A Letter from the Editor…On “The Weary Blues: Celebrating Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance”
A brief recap and photos of the February 7, 2026 Jerry Jazz Musician-produced performance of “The Weary Blues: Celebrating Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance”
...June 15th, 2026
A brief update about “The Weary Blues”
. . . . 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
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…
...December 10th, 2025
Letter from the Editor/Happy Thanksgiving (a redux)
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
A dispatch from Portland, 2025 – and Boston, 1969
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
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.
...July 17th, 2025
Where I’ve Been…and a brief three-dot-update
. . 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
Creatives – “This is our time!“…A Letter from the Publisher
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
Interview with Phillip Freeman, author of In the Brewing Luminous: The Life and Music of Cecil Taylor
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 who have been impacted by the LA fires
How to help musicians (and others) affected by the LA fires…
...January 15th, 2025
Announcing 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.
...January 10th, 2025
“What one song best represents your expectations for 2025?” Readers respond…
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
A very brief holiday greeting…
“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
In Memoriam: A few words about Willie Mays
Thoughts about the impact Willie Mays had on baseball, and on my life.
...June 19th, 2024
On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician
Embracing a new stage in life, and where I hope to go next with Jerry Jazz Musician
...June 18th, 2024
An excerpt from Emily Jon Tobias’ MONARCH: Stories, and a reflection on our friendship
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
Calling all poets!
News about a Jerry Jazz Musician printed jazz poetry anthology, and information about submitting your poetry for consideration
...May 24th, 2024
Interview with Tad Richards, author of Jazz With a Beat: Small Group Swing, 1940 – 1960
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
A very brief three-dot update…
Where I’ve been, and an update on what is coming up on Jerry Jazz Musician
...April 8th, 2024
A brief holiday greeting…
A personal memory, and a time for loving all others this season…
...December 22nd, 2023
Publisher’s Notes…a 3-dot update
News about upcoming publishing dates, collections, and recent posts…
...December 1st, 2023
A thought or two about Tony Bennett
. . 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
What’s going on at Jerry Jazz Musician? A brief three dot update…
News about recent and upcoming features to be published on Jerry Jazz Musician
...July 21st, 2023
Remembering and honoring my father
. . 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
“C’est Si Bon” – at trip’s end, a D-Day experience, and an abundance of gratitude
A visit to the Normandy American Cemetery at the conclusion of a European vacation leads to a feeling of abundant gratitude
...June 6th, 2023
A friendship made in Verona
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
Beyond Category…Two Vienna jazz clubs
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
In Prague, things just sort of worked out
An account of two jazz club experiences during a recent trip to Prague
...May 3rd, 2023
A Letter From the Publisher…My pursuit of the exterior
. . 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 record shop, and a tale of two Michael Cohens,” by editor/publisher Joe Maita
A tale of two Michael Cohens — one is Trump’s former “fixer,” the other is an important voice in LGBTQ history
...March 29th, 2023
Playlist – “The Promise of Spring”
An hour-long playlist of recordings by legendary jazz musicians, inspired by the outset of spring
...March 20th, 2023
“Why We Write” – a conversation with three Jerry Jazz Musician contributing writers
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
A message…and an appeal
An appeal for contributions to support the ongoing publishing efforts of Jerry Jazz Musician
...December 29th, 2022
New contributing writers page
Information concerning a new way contributing writers can access work published on Jerry Jazz Musician
...December 8th, 2022
Nominations for the Pushcart Prize XLVII
Announcing the six writers nominated for the Pushcart Prize v. XLVIII, whose work was published in Jerry Jazz Musician during 2022.
...November 29th, 2022
A Letter From the Publisher — “Thanksgiving, 2022”
Connecting an old photograph owned since the 1970’s to gratitude for friends, family, artists, creators, website readers and contributors
...November 23rd, 2022
Jerry Jazz Musician featured on “The Buzz,” the podcast of the Jazz Journalists Association
Joe Maita, publisher of the website Jerry Jazz Musician, is interviewed on “The Buzz,” the podcast of the Jazz Journalists Association
...November 1st, 2022
“A personal loss, and a self-restoration” – by editor/publisher Joe Maita
The editor/publisher of Jerry Jazz Musician reflects on a major life change, and what lies ahead
...July 25th, 2022
A New Year’s message, and an invitation
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
Where I’ve Been
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
Your Support is Appreciated
Click here to read about plans for the future of Jerry Jazz Musician.
In this Issue
Poetry
The Sunday Poem
The Sunday Poem: “Lennie Tristano” by Erren Kelly
The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work...
Erren Kelly reads his poem at its conclusion.
Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem
Performance
Poetry
Interview
Feature
Poetry
Short Fiction
Interview
Short Fiction
Feature
Community
Poetry
Short Fiction
Poetry
Feature
Short Fiction
Jazz History Quiz
Poetry
Contributing Writers
Coming Soon
Interview Archive
