Two new books of poetry by Michael L. Newell

July 9th, 2021

 

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…..Readers of Jerry Jazz Musician know that Michael L. Newell’s jazz poetry consistently reveals the spirit of the music and its most gifted and revered performers.  He writes with great passion about the music’s impact on our lives, and while doing so provides us with a window into his own inner world.

…..Michael has compiled two new books of poetry.  The first, Making My Peace (cyberwit.net), is now available on Amazon.  Its 156 pages cover a wide range of subject matter: experiences in Bolivia and Rwanda, poems set in coastal Oregon, poems that touch on theatre, jazz poems, poems focusing on classical music, music from America’s Southern Mountains, bluegrass, Celtic music, and Dixieland.

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Comments on Making My Peace

…..If delivered in verse, a good poet’s autobiography will be one of moments seized, memories refined, wisdom crystallized.  Making My Peace is such a book.  A prolific and gifted poet, Michael Newell makes his peace with time, age, the stage, friends, lovers, cities, landscapes, animals, even death.  The valedictory tone of this rich collection doesn’t exclude praise or the relishing of joy and beauty.  Newell has been an actor, a teacher, a traveler—always a writer, a jazz aficionado, always a sharp observer of people and landscapes.  In these well-made poems, readers will encounter a man who has led a full life and recorded his responses to it with estimable craft and a keen sensibility.

-Robert Wexelblatt, Author of Hsi-wei Tales, The Thirteenth Studebaker, etc.

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…..From whispered memory inside an empty theater’s dark, to a glimmering moon floating in a teacup, to a tree’s wild complaint moaning through a wind-lashed storm, Michael L. Newell’s poems in this volume carry the reader across the world and reach deeply into experiences of loss and life in its diverse and abundant iterations. As in other previous volumes of Newell’s poetry, the imagery and language in this volume is vivid and precise. Whether describing a violin bow’s cascading notes, or the Andes’ mountains sparkling above the immense darkness, the music of Newell’s lines evoke a world of beauty that abounds despite loss, despair and grief. 

…..Poems in Making My Peace  reach beyond the borders of the experiences of an individual life to touch the way all lives past and present, both human, and other than human—are all a part of each other. In “Self-Portrait,” Newell writes, “I am no one, / I am / everyone I have known: /all those voices coming on the wind.” To read these poems is to become more aware of how life and death are a complex and necessary part of each other, and as Newell states, though those we have known and what we have loved may have disappeared, “nothing is ever completely lost.” We may find ourselves traveling down miles of empty highways as life unspools, nevertheless, Newell’s poems will carry us with him, transforming worries and despair into song, dance, and life’s ongoing music “in all its bawdy raucous chaotic aching beauty.”

-Anna Citrino, author of A Space Between

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…..Michael L Newell’s poems have the dash, clarity and melody of mountain brooks. They teem with life, sometimes spill over their banks. I read him often for serenity and resolve. Crack the spine of Newell’s newest volume Making My Peace. You’ll find it like taking a good walk in bright air.

-Ed Ruzicka. author of My Life with Cars and Engines of Belief.

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Click here to be taken to the Amazon page for more information and ordering details on Making My Peace

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The second book, Diddley-Bop-She-Bop, features 60 pages of Newell’s jazz poetry.

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Comments on the book:

 

…..Michael Newell’s jazz poems reveal the poet’s deep appreciation for this most American of musical forms. The poems display an underlying musicality and a sharp insight into the artists and their myriad backgrounds. Whether he is describing the musicians, a smoky venue, bodies swaying, or a dance of dolphins, the reader can hear the music and feel the motion. Settle down in a comfortable chair, read these poems, and play some cool jazz. Even with the volume turned down low, you won’t be able to resist tapping your feet as you read or jumping up and dancing to Newell’s seductive beat.  

-Michael Minassian, author of Time is Not a River  and  Morning Calm

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…..If you know little about jazz or poetry, this book will be full of profit and delight. It will teach you about the history of the most American of music, its giants, feeling and craft. If you know about jazz and poetry, you’ll see at once how marvelously Michael Newell has matched his knowledge and love for the former with his gift for the latter.   Here are the heroes with their tragedies and talent.   Here are evocations of their sublimity and pain.   Newell does more than celebrate the improvisations, rhythms, and moods of the music; he reproduces them in lively, moving, and inspired verse.   These poems about jazz are jazz poems.

-Robert Wexelblatt, Author of Hsi-wei TalesGirl Asleep and Other Poems, etc.

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…..Whether riffing with rhythms or playing with tone while describing rain’s quiet drizzle or a voice shredded by cigarettes, Michael L. Newell’s jazz poems immerse readers in their expansive quality. Newell is deeply passionate about jazz and like good jazz, Newell’s poems embody a wide spectrum of emotions and moods. Imbued with a deep and humble awareness, these poems are able to carry readers to the boundary of what words can name before music extends their expression. Read them and be touched with a recognition of our common humanity.

-Anna Citrino, author of A Space Between

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…..Michael L. Newell’s jazz poems add to one’s appreciation for jazz.  He writes about both famous and less well-known jazz musicians, interacts with the music in a deeply personal way, and challenges a reader to embrace the music.   He invites readers to join him in a love of jazz in its many forms.   His poetry, like jazz, covers decades.   In recent years, his poems have frequently appeared in the pages of my magazine.

– Joe Maita, Editor/Publisher/Founder of Jerry Jazz Musician.

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…..Presently the book can be purchased via money order or check for fifteen dollars (plus three dollars for mailing costs).     Send payments along with your mailing address to:

Bellowing Ark
9521-45th Ave NE
Seattle WA 98115

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Two poems by Michael L. Newell

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Elegance Of Simplicity

the ripple of a midnight breeze
beneath warmth of a golden moon
the whisper of keys softly stroked
by Bill Evans or Duke Ellington
a kind mother comforting her child
life explored sotto voce
every gesture or hint of sound
a kind of prayer

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Redemption Comes In Many Forms

in my head I carry
a lifetime of images

Andean rock faces
dotted with occasional shrubbery

late afternoon sun spreading
a golden carpet across rippling Pacific

fishermen quietly at work in the middle
of a mountain lake as sun slowly rises

rolling green hills of Kigali beneath
evening lightning and rumbling thunder

a surfer poised seemingly forever on a wave
about to break upon a Santa Monica beach

deer floating through a Washington forest
before vanishing in dawn mist

an owl majestically lit by late afternoon
sun spilling through dappled branches and leaves

and the face of every woman man or child
who has been kind in my times of need

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Site Archive

In This Issue

painting of Clifford Brown by Paul Lovering
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Spring/Summer, 2024 Edition...In this, the 17th major collection of jazz poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician, 50 poets from all over the world again demonstrate the ongoing influence the music and its associated culture has on their creative lives.

(featuring the art of Paul Lovering)

Interview

Interview with James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool...The esteemed writer tells a vibrant story about the jazz world before, during, and after the 1959 recording of Kind of Blue, and how the album’s three genius musicians came together, played together, and grew together (and often apart) throughout the experience.

Publisher’s Notes

photo by Rhonda Dorsett
On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician...

The Sunday Poem

“menage a trois ” by debora Ewing...

Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Essay

“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki...The writer remembers the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s New Star Award in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 5: “Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime”...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 fifth edition of excerpts from his book, Rife writes of three novels that include stories about Scott Joplin, the primary forerunner and significant influencer of jazz.

Interview

Interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America...The author talks about his book, an intensely researched, spirited, and beautifully told story – and an important reminder that Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie all defied and overcame racial boundaries “by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music.”

Short Fiction

Impulse! Records and ABC/Dunhill Records. Photographer uncredited/via Wikimedia Commons
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #66 — “Not From Around Here” by Jeff Dingler...The author’s award-winning story is about a Jewish kid coming of age in Alabama and discovering his identity through music, in particular the interstellar sound of Sun Ra..

Click here to read more short fiction published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Poetry

John Coltrane, by Martel Chapman
Four poets, four poems…on John Coltrane

Feature

What we discover about Kamala Harris from an armful of record albums...Like her or not, readers of this site will enjoy learning that Vice President Kamala Harris is a fan of jazz music. Witness this recent clip (via Youtube) of her emerging from a record shop…

Playlist

photo of Teddy Wilson by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
“Trios – Three’s Not a Crowd” – a playlist by Bob Hecht...In the history of jazz there have been many variations of instrumentation within the trio format (think of Benny Goodman’s trio or Jimmy Giuffre’s) but on this playlist, Bob Hecht concentrates on a handful of the classic trio configurations—either piano, bass and drums, or in a few instances, piano, guitar and bass...

Poetry

“Revival” © Kent Ambler.
If You Want to Go to Heaven, Follow a Songbird – Mary K O’Melveny’s album of poetry and music...While consuming Mary K O’Melveny’s remarkable work in this digital album of poetry, readings and music, readers will discover that she is moved by the mastery of legendary musicians, the wings of a monarch butterfly, the climate and political crisis, the mysteries of space exploration, and by the freedom of jazz music that can lead to what she calls “the magic of the unknown.” (with art by Kent Ambler)

Book Excerpt

A book excerpt from Designed for Success: Better Living and Self-Improvement with Midcentury Instructional Records, by Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder...In this excerpt, the authors write extensively about music instruction and appreciation records dealing with the subject of jazz.

Interview

The Marvelettes/via Wikimedia Commons
Interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the 60’s Girl Groups...Little is known of the lives and challenges many of the young Black women who made up the Girl Groups of the ‘60’s faced while performing during an era rife with racism, sexism, and music industry corruption. The authors discuss their book’s mission to provide the artists an opportunity to voice their experiences so crucial to the evolution of popular music.

Short Fiction

MartyRus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Briscola” – a short story by Emily Xu...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – is an exaggerated version of the dynamism of domestic/romantic relationships between spouses and the difficulty to sustain a family.

Art

photo of Leroy Jenkins by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Leroy Jenkins...photos of the eminent free jazz violinist, taken at Amsterdam's Bimhuis on January 4, 1999.

Essay

“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum...The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” What was it about this musician that captivated and astonished so many for so long – and still does?

Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 21: “The Blue Truth”...In this edition, the poet riffs on Oliver Nelson’s classic 1961 album The Blues and the Abstract Truth as if a conversation between conductor and players were caught on tape along with the inner monologue of some mystery player/speaker of the poem.

In Memoriam

Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Remembering Joe Pass: Versatile Jazz Guitar Virtuoso” – by Kenneth Parsons...On the 30th anniversary of the guitarist Joe Pass’ death, Kenneth Parsons reminds readers of his brilliant career

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Jazz History Quiz #175

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
This famed jazz artist played the piano professionally as a seventh grader before switching to drums, learning to play in the styles of Chick Webb and Sid Catlett. Before forming his own band in the early 1950’s, he played with Mary Lou Williams (pictured) in New York, toured the South with Fletcher Henderson’s band, and was the drummer in Billy Eckstine’s group from 1944 – 1947. Who is he?

Community

photo via Picryl.com
“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 – September, 2024)

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

An interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America; an interview with Jonathon Grasse, author of Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy; A new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots 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.