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The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.
Tim Maloney reads his poem at its conclusion.
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Paul Desmond, 1954/photo by Carl Van Vechten/Library of Congress
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Paul Desmond
working on projects at home
I pass the hours listening to jazz
blown away all over again
by an artist I could actually emulate
as a budding musician years ago
when the virtuosity of Cannonball and Bird
scared the hell out of me
the nonchalance of Desmond
perennial laureate of Playboy
and DownBeat awards
offered a more attainable model
for my early efforts
marveling anew how his light sound
and breezy explorations
of the sax altissimo register
complemented Brubeck’s two-fisted
piano textures so well
how the counter-melodies he tossed off
and his melodic deconstructions
sprinkled with references from
Tin Pan Alley to Bizet and Stravinsky
epitomized the sophistication of west-coast cool
capturing the zeitgeist in music
as perfectly as Hepburn and Hefner did
in fashion and manners
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Listen to Tim Maloney read his poem
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Tim Maloney, a retired musician, author, and arts administrator, has played in everything from Dixieland and polka bands to Basie-style big bands and yuppie bar bands, has directed high-school and college jazz ensembles, and greatly enjoys listening to younger talents, such as Patrick Bartley, Emmet Cohen, Samara Joy, and Esperanza Spalding.
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Listen to the 1959 recording of the Dave Brubeck Quartet (Brubeck, piano; Paul Desmond, alto saxophone; Eugene Wright, bass; and Joe Morello, drums) playing the Hoagy Carmichael/Stuart Gorrell composition “Georgia on My Mind.” [Columbia/Legacy]
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Click for:
Information about Kinds of Cool: An Interactive Collection of Jazz Poetry
More poetry on Jerry Jazz Musician
“Saharan Blues on the Seine,” Aishatu Ado’s winning story in the 68th Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest
More short fiction on Jerry Jazz Musician
Information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction
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Jerry Jazz Musician…human produced since 1999
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