Jazz Poems
LADY SINGS THE BLUES
Satin luscious, amber Beauty ceter-stage;garden in her hair. If flowers could sing
they’d sound like this. That legendary scene:
the lady unpetals her song, the only light
in a room of smoke, nightclub tinkering
with lovers in the dark, cigarette flares,
gin & tonic. This is where the heartache
blooms. Forgot the holes
zippered along her arms. Forget the booze.
Center-stage, satin-tongue dispels a note.
Amber amaryllis, blue chanteuse, Amen.
If flowers could sing they’d sound like this.
* * *This should be Harlem, but it’s not.
It’s Diana Ross with no Supremes.
Fox Theater, Nineteen Seventy-something.
Ma and me; lovers crowded in the dark.
The only light breaks on the movie-screen.
I’m a boy, but old enough to know Heartache.
We watch her rise and wither
like a burnt-out cliche. You know the story:
Brutal lush. Jail-bird. Scag queen.
In the asylum scene, the actresses’s eyes
are bruised; latticed with blood, but not quite sad
enough. She’s the star so her beauty persists.
Not like Billie fucked-up satin, hair museless,
heart ruined by the end.
* * * The houselights wake and nobody’s blue but Ma.Billie didn’t sound like that, she says
as we walk hand in hand to the street.
Nineteen Seventy-something,
My lady hums, Good Morning Heartache,
My father’s in a distant place.
TERRANCE HAYES
from Jazz Poems ~ Selected and Edited by Kevin Young
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Requisites
Star Highs ~ Warne Marsh | By Eddie Carter
Warne Marsh enters the spotlight with Star Highs (Criss Cross Jazz 1002), an outstanding 1982 quartet album, his second release on the Dutch label. It was recorded two days after the tenor saxophonist’s performance at the NOS Jazz Festival in Amsterdam. Marsh, a talented musician who studied under pianist Lennie Tristano and later joined his group, is a notable figure in the Cool Jazz school. His collaborations with Lee Konitz and the jazz group Supersax have further solidified his reputation. He is accompanied here by the exceptional rhythm section of Hank Jones on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. My copy is the original Netherlands Stereo album.
The first side opens with Switchboard Joe, the first of four originals from the pen of Warne Marsh. The saxophonist guides George and Mel through a brief introduction to the quartet’s brisk theme. Marsh sets the tone with his opening statement, followed by a solo from Hank that answers him. Marsh then leads a brief conversation with George before the theme’s reprise. The ensemble then shifts to the title tune, Star Highs, starting with a relaxed groove for the melody. Marsh goes first with a beautifully constructed statement, followed by a concise comment from Jones leading to the closing chorus.
Hank Jones introduces his composition Hank’s Tune, a leisurely paced blues that gets into a happy mood from the quartet’s melody. Warne delivers the opening solo with a simplicity and melodic charm. Hank follows with a thoroughly delightful reading, and then George walks with a sense of fulfillment next. Warne gets the last word before the close. Charlie Parker’s Moose The Mooche gets underway with the quartet’s lively melody. Marsh takes off first with a robust opening statement, followed by Jones’s spirited solo. Mraz takes a short walk with authority. Lewis has the final say in a brief workout ahead of the climax.
Side Two opens to a brisk clip for the ensemble’s quick melody of Victory Ball by Lennie Tristano. Warne soars into the opening solo, with the rhythm section’s driving accompaniment. In the following interpretation, Hank is inspired to greater heights; then, Warne and Hank chase each other through the third reading. Lewis has a moment to shine before the theme returns. Marsh’s Sometimes starts with the trio’s tender introduction and a seductive lead solo by Jones. The saxophonist illustrates elegance and sensitivity in the second statement. Mraz rounds out the readings briefly, moving toward the gentle repeat of the theme.
One For The Band begins with a carefree theme. Warne takes the spotlight first, offering an endearing reading. Hank responds with a dreamy, satisfying statement before the quartet wraps things up. Gerry Teekens produced Star Highs, and Max Bolleman was the recording engineer. The album’s sound quality is superb, with a vibrant soundstage that emerges from your speakers as clearly as Waterford Crystal. Whether you’re a cool jazz fan or enjoy the tenor saxophone, Star Highs by Warne Marsh is a gem you should not miss on your next record-shopping trip. It’s a great introduction to a jazz giant that should appeal to any jazz lover and become a welcome addition to any library!
~ Moose The Mooche – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Jazz Poems
THE SYNCOPATED CAKEWALK
My present life is a Sunday morning cartoonIn it, I see Miss Hand and her Five Daughters
rubbing myback and the backs of my legs
Nat King Cole provides the music and the words
It’s 1949, Finished with them, I take off
on a river boat, down the Mississippi, looking for work.
On deck the got the Original Dixieland Jazz Band
doing “Big Butter and Egg Man.”
A guru haas the cabin next to mine and everybody
who visits him whimpers something terrible!
Stood on deck after dinner watching the clouds
form faces and arms. The Shadow went
by giggling to himself.
An Illinois Central ticket fell from his pocket.
Snake Hips picked it up, ran.
Texas Shuffle, who sat in with the Band last night,
this morning, dropped his fiddlecases
in the ocean and did the Lindy all the way
to the dinning room
I got off at Freak Lips Harbor.
Boy from Springfield said he’d talk like Satch for me
for a dime. I gave him a Bird,
and an introductory note to the Duke of Ellington.
Found my way to the Ida B. Wells Youth Center.
Girl named Ella said I’d have to wait to see Mister B.
Everybody else was out to lunch.
In the waiting room got into a conversation
with a horse thief from Jump Back. Told him:
My past life is a Saturday morning cartoon.
In it, I’m jumping Rock Island freight cars, skipping
Peoria with Leadbelly; running from the man,
trying to prove my innocence. Accused of being
too complex to handle.
Meanwhile, Zoot, Sassy, Getz, Prez, Cootie, everybody
gives me a hand.
Finally, Mister B comes in. Asks about my future.
All I can say is, I can do the Cow Cow Boogie
on the ocean and hold my own in a chase chorus
among the best!Fine, says Mister B, you start seven in the morning!
CLARENCE MAJOR
from Jazz Poems ~ Selected and Edited by Kevin Young
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Requisites
Rifftide ~ Al Cohn | By Eddie Carter
Submitted for your approval this morning is an excellent album by Al Cohn. Rifftide (Timeless Records SJP 259) was recorded during the tenor saxophonist’s 1986 European tour. He’s joined on this date by three Danish musicians: Rein De Graaff on piano, Koos Serierse on bass, and Eric Ineke on drums. My copy is the 1987 Netherlands Stereo release. Side One opens with a popular song by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash, Speak Low. The trio takes off with a lively introduction leading to the quartet’s theme. Al gets everybody in the mood with a spirited opening statement. Rein swings into action next with an energetic reading. Eric has a vigorous conversation with the saxophonist ahead of the theme’s restatement and fadeout.
Blue Monk by Thelonious Monk is a slow blues that was the pianist’s favorite and one of his most recorded songs, a testament to its enduring appeal. The foursome begins the melody gently, leading to Cohn’s gorgeous interpretation. De Graaff is equally graceful on the following solo, and then Serierse shows his tender side in a pretty presentation preceding the reprise and finale. The tempo for the quartet’s quick melody moves upward to begin the 1945 jazz standard, Hot House by Tadd Dameron. Al takes the lead and crafts an exciting solo. Rein meets the challenge with a fiery passion in the following interpretation. Al reappears for the closing chorus and leads the group to the finish line.
The Thing by Al Cooper starts the second side with the foursome’s medium melody. Cohn cruises comfortably into the opening interpretation. De Graaff follows with a silky smooth statement, and then Serierse provides the exclamation point until the closing chorus. We’ll Be Together Again by Carl T. Fischer, and Frankie Laine is a beautiful ballad from the forties, and the group begins with a gentle melody. The saxophonist opens his first of two solos with an intimate story. Rein caresses each note of the following solo with tranquil tenderness. Al returns for his second reading, complemented by the rhythm section’s hauntingly beautiful support before the song’s summation.
The album ends with the title tune Rifftide by Coleman Hawkins. It’s a pretty tune that the quartet opens at a slow tempo for the melody. Cohn’s opening solo is particularly stirring; De Graaff has the next spot and draws the listener into the second statement. Serierse has a short reflective moment closer, leading to the theme restatement and climax. Al’s career, which lasted nearly five decades, was marked by numerous achievements. He recorded thirty-five albums as a leader, including fourteen years co-leading a quintet with Zoot Sims. He was also a successful arranger for several big bands and worked on Broadway. Al Cohn passed away from liver cancer on February 15, 1988, at age sixty-two.
Wim Wigt produced Rifftide, and Max Bollerman, who owns and still operates Studio 44, was the man behind the dials of the recording. The album’s sound quality is stunning, with a stellar soundstage transporting the quartet to your listening room with crystal-clear fidelity. If you’re a fan of cool jazz and post-bop, I invite you to check out Rifftide by Al Cohn the next time you’re on a record-shopping trip. It’s a terrific album that’s sure to please even the most discriminating jazz fan, and I highly recommend it for a spot in your library!
~ Blue Monk, Speak Low, We’ll Be Together Again – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ Al Cohn – Source: Wikipedia.org
~ © 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Jazz Poems
FOR SIDNEY BECHET
That note you hold, narrowing and rising, shakes
Like New Orleans reflected on the water,
And in all ears appropriate falsehood wakes,
Building for some a legendary Quarter
Of balconies, flower-baskets and quadrilles,
Everyone making love and going shares–
Oh, play that thing! Mute glorious Storyvilles
Others may license, grouping round their chairs
Sporting-house girls like circus tigers (priced
Far above rubies) to pretend their fads,
While scholars manqués nod around unnoticed
Wrapped up in personnels like old plaids.
On me your voice falls as they say love should,
Like an enormous yes. My Crescent City
Is where your speech alone is understood,
And greeted as the natural noise of good,
Scattering long-haired grief and scored pity.
PHILIP LARKIN
from Jazz Poems ~ Selected and Edited by Kevin Young
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