“Ode to Enchantment” – a poem by Marianne Peel
I refuse to paint
anesthetized still lifes
that reek of decaying fish,
onions gone sour,
and beer falling flat.
August 19th, 2026
Marianne Peel
21 jazz poems on the 21st of July, 2026
An ongoing series designed to share the quality of jazz poetry continuously submitted to Jerry Jazz Musician.
...July 20th, 2026
“Stranger on the Bus to Sacramonte” – a poem by Marianne Peel
Come, you have a hungry look
and I will feed you.
Let us gather cross-legged,
a winter picnic on the parlor floor.
I will spread quilts I have stitched,
a higgledy-piggledy patchwork.
July 16th, 2026
21 jazz poems on the 21st of May, 2026
An ongoing series designed to share the quality of jazz poetry continuously submitted to Jerry Jazz Musician. In this edition…An array of poetic styles communicate personal reverence for and experiences with jazz music, and its cherished musicians.
...May 21st, 2026
21 jazz poems on the 21st of March, 2026
An ongoing series designed to share the quality of jazz poetry continuously submitted to Jerry Jazz Musician. This edition features poets – several new to readers of this website – writing about their appreciation for the music, and the diversity and aesthetics of its sound. Along the way, readers will encounter poems that include the great musicians Horace Parlan, Shelly Manne, Keith Jarrett, Zoot Sims, Sun Ra, and Garland Wilson.
...March 20th, 2026
The Sunday Poem: “Tango in Malaga, Spain: A Walking Embrace” by Marianne Peel
Perhaps it was the way
their bodies wanted to touch
the way their hands glided
from shoulder to wrist
the tilt of his fedora
the way her leg caught the sea air
February 14th, 2026
“Improvisation 101” – a poem by Marianne Peel
We begin to study Uncle George
in a cavern of disintegration.
A hospital bed wrenched through
a narrow doorway. Shag carpeting
cauterized and peeled from the concrete floor.
A hoyer lift wheeled in. A pully installed
so George can shift from horizontal to vertical.
January 3rd, 2024
The Sunday Poem “Po’ Monkey’s Juke Joint: Merigold, Mississippi” by Marianne Peel
Shrouded in smoke and cigarette spheres
Jazzy speakeasy on a summer slog of a night
Where hips ramble in tandem,
Slide and slip in an out of rhythm
Juke Joint shifting with an uneven floor
Naked feet shuffling and colliding
August 13th, 2023
“Bennie” – a short story by Marianne Peel
Bennie and his mother live alone together, and know each other through simple but profound rituals they have created…
...June 20th, 2023
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Fall/Winter, 2022-23 Edition
.This collection of jazz poetry – the largest yet assembled on Jerry Jazz Musician – demonstrates how poets who are also listeners of jazz music experience and interact with the spontaneous art that arises from jazz improvisation, which often shows up in the soul and rhythm of their poetic language.
...December 16th, 2022
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Summer, 2022 Edition
A broad collection of jazz poetry authored by an impressive assemblage of regular contributors and established poets new to this publication – all of whom open their imagination and hearts to the abundant creative experience they derive from this art.
...August 14th, 2022
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Spring, 2022 Edition
Over 60 poets from all over the world celebrate their love of jazz…in poetry.
...April 7th, 2022
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Fall/Winter, 2021-22 Edition
Molly Larson Cook’s abstract-expressionist paintings accompany the 50 poets contributing to this collection. Her art has much in common with the poetry and music found within it; all three art forms can be described as “landscapes of the imagination,” created by artists from all over the world who are inspired in a meaningful way by jazz music, and whose work can be uniquely interpreted and appreciated (or not!) by those who consume it.
...December 10th, 2021
A Letter From the Publisher — Nominations for the Pushcart Prize
Announcing the six writers nominated for the 2022 Pushcart Prize…
...December 1st, 2021
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Summer, 2021 Edition
“It’s not exclusive, but inclusive, which is the whole spirit of jazz.”
-Herbie Hancock
.
And…this spirit is not limited to the musicians, because celebrating jazz is rich in creative opportunity for writers and visual artists as well. The 54 poets who contribute to this poetry collection are living proof of that.
As always, thanks to the poets, and I hope you enjoy…
Joe
...August 19th, 2021
Three poets inspired by jazz divas
My mouth hungry
ravenous lips slathered
with Radiant Ruby gloss
I dine on the very edges
of the celestial universe.
Ingest illumination
until my voice box
awakens antiquities,
beguiling even the moon.
July 15th, 2021
Two poems by Marianne Peel
I believed you were still
in that orange plaid upholstered rocker
in the sunroom.
We danced our mutually agreed upon waltz.
You pretended you knew who I was. And I pretended
you hadn’t forgotten me.
April 23rd, 2021
“Pentatonic Fusion” — a poem by Marianne Peel
Are you singing on balconies these days?
Do you still sing only in your car, radio tuned
to hot, blistering jazz?
March 15th, 2021
Poetry in the era of COVID, Black Lives Matter, and a heated political season, Vol. 5
In this fifth collection of poetry reflecting these times, 33 poets offer their perspectives…
...January 20th, 2021
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Autumn, 2020 Edition
Jazz and poetry have always had a symbiotic relationship. Their creative languages share the common soil of imagination and improvisation, from which their audiences discover inspiration and spirit, and perhaps even a renewed faith in life itself.
This collection features 50 gifted poets from places as disparate as Ohio and Nepal, Estonia and Boston, Guyana and Pittsburgh, each publicly sharing their inner world reverence for the culture of jazz music.
...December 3rd, 2020
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In this Issue
Editor’s Notes
Poetry
The Sunday Poem
The Sunday Poem: “That Southern Sound,” by Anthony Ward
The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work...
Jerry Jazz Musician editor Joe Maita reads Anthony Ward’s poem at its conclusion.
Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem
Performance
Short Fiction
Poetry
Community
Poetry
Interview
Feature
Poetry
Feature
Poetry
Interview
Short Fiction
Feature
Community
Poetry
Short Fiction
Poetry
Feature
Short Fiction
Jazz History Quiz
Poetry
Contributing Writers
Coming Soon
Interview Archive
