Wednesday, December 31, 2014

New Year

New Year

When I see those lights
and hear that old song
and see it all hung across
the sky splendidly saying it's
time to begin anew, I think
of the good old times and I
just don't know what
time it is.

My sketch of Lester Young

Inspired by Lester Young playing, "I didn't know what time it was".


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Your Way

Your Way

In your way
side to side
I watch and
I wonder
in your way
what song sways?

My sketch of Dave Brubeck

Inspired by Dave Brubeck playing, "In Your Own Sweet Way".




Monday, December 29, 2014

Changes

Changes

Just read the changes
it's not that hard

I am told across the room

changes upon changes upon
mouthfuls of consonants and vowels
unable to form sentences or phrases

red clown face hard to
breath

it's not that hard

I hear as I scan around the room

changes upon changes upon
opportunities lost from losing
harmony

I gulp up some air
I read the changes
I bebop across it all
scales up and down and around
and backwards

nothing can mumble
out the changes
I hear in life.

My sketch of Sarah Vaughan

Inspired by Sarah Vaughan singing, "You've Changed".

Sunday, December 28, 2014

I'll Remember

I'll Remember

I'll remember
the rainy days the thundering
storms that never seemed to
cease
I'll remember the bitter
cold the awful fog covering my
gaze
I'll remember the saddening
days the tears the cries of clouds
up above
But I could never forget
the smiles the laughs the gay
dances the time I felt completely
at peace
How could one ever forget
that?

My sketch of Charlie Parker

Inspired by Charlie Parker playing, "I'll Remember April".

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Yesterday

Yesterday

Yesterday a sound so new
hit me like a storm
so cold so blue so awfully true
I felt I was reborn. 

My sketch of Billie Holiday
Inspired by Billie Holiday singing, "Yesterdays".

Friday, December 26, 2014

Moody

Moody

Magical
One of a kind
Optimistic
Dazzling
Youthfully living on.


My sketch of James Moody
Inspired by James Moody playing, "I'm in the Mood for Love".

I write more jazz posts on, "Kind of Pink and Purple".

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Count

Count

Count your blessings
count your happiness
count your memories
count your smiles
count your luck
and count on your family.

My sketch of Count Basie
Inspired by Count Basie's band playing, "April in Paris".

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Somewhere

Somewhere

Somewhere music floats
like marshmallow clouds
upon candy cane forests.

My sketch of Ella Fitzgerald

Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald singing, "How High the Moon".

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Awake

Awake

Pop
     Crash
              Bang
                       Boom
                                 Hiss
                                        Hum
libraries of conversations
memories gone by and
pondering of the future
Pop
     Crash
              Bang
                       Boom
                                 Hiss
                                        Hum
libraries of emotions
thoughts dreams aspirations
all pass while I sit awake. 


My sketch of Jerry Bergonzi and Phil Grenadier (L to R)
My sketch of George Garzone
Inspired by The Jerry Bergonzi Group and The Fringe at the Lilypad. 


Monday, December 22, 2014

Tea

Tea

A sip of tea
a sip of music 
a gulp of life.

My sketch of Art Tatum
Inspired by Art Tatum playing "Tea for Two".

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Sunny

Sunny

If I close my eyes
and hum loud enough
even the coldest most
rainy dark days become
a sunny paradise.

My sketch of Sonny Stitt
Inspired by Sonny Stitt in the song, "On the Sunny Side of the Street".


Saturday, December 20, 2014

Without

Without

Without 

with
out

w
i
t
h
o
u
t

w
 i
  t
   h
    o
     u
       t

Any way you put it - 
without -

is a song all its own. 


My sketch of Sonny Rollins
This poem was inspired by the song I named my blog after - Sonny Rollins playing "Without a Song".


Friday, December 19, 2014

Buddy

Buddy

Why do you love jazz?

The question 
l
i
n
g
e
r
in the air - the shock of a 
lightening bolt -

How do you analyze this? 

It just 
COMES TO YOU
the love 
it hits you - just like anything really...

The air propels further - 

Why do you, me, we - love jazz?

Well,
I guess you can call it an outlet...for all the 
electrical energy it brings to us. 

It's happiness. It's beautiful. 
It's tragic. It's RAW. It's historical. 
It's modern. It's changing. It's tradition.
It's a bunch of people. It's an experience. 
It's a culture. 

But, if I had to really say WHY I LOVE JAZZ...

I'll tell you the secret -
It's the BUDDY I always wanted for myself. 
Someone - SOMETHING - always there. Through
thick and thin - a buddy - to guide me through life. And
wherever I travel I can carry this buddy with me. You can
lose everything, everyone, anything - people turn, change, 
leave you, hate you, break you open...
disappointment, guilt, anger...

But JAZZ 
man, this cat stays. 

My sketch of Bud Powell
Inspired by Bud Powell playing, "Like Someone in Love".

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Peace

Peace

Peace. It's all we ever really
want...that crisp silence those bright
smiles that sense of unity that idea that
everything is in its right place and the beauty
of just being. 

My sketch of Mel Torme
Inspired by Mel Torme in "The Christmas Song".

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Holidays

Holidays

Wishing all the best;
a cheery time of year -
peaceful, grateful, joyful,
healthful, happy, helpful -
holidays.

My sketch of Nat King Cole
Inspired by the song, "The Christmas Song".

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Bird

Bird

If I could be any animal
I would be a bird for 
they can fly high up in the
sky, while who am I?

My sketch of Charlie Parker

Monday, December 15, 2014

To fly

To fly

To fly oh to fly 
to hear air and symphonies
between the clouds sky blue
melodies hushed harmonious
up in the air without a care. 


My sketch of Eric Dolphy
Inspired by Eric Dolphy's "Hi-Fly".

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Lush

Lush

Chords flowing melodies spinning
articulations legato smooth rests so
peaceful and solemn and emotions so
pure raw intense yet withheld feeling so
lush. 


My sketch of Billy Strayhorn

Inspired by Billy Strayhorn's song, "Lush Life". 

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Solitude

Solitude

A time to ponder
Solitude 
A time to reflect
Solitude 
A time to sing and dance and
praise and be grateful for all that 
still is to be cherished
Solitude. 

My sketch of Duke Ellington
Inspired by the Duke Ellington Song, "Solitude".

Friday, December 12, 2014

Stride

Stride

No one to talk with
no waltz to dance 
just a stride piano, 
a chance. 


My sketch of Fats Waller
Inspired by the song, "Ain't Behavin'"

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Sentimental

Sentimental

In a sentimental mood
la dee dee dom da da doo ee daa
da da deee da doo da dee
da da da dum da doo da dee.


My sketch of Duke and Coltrane
Inspired by one of my favorite songs, "In a Sentimental Mood". 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Treat it gentle

Treat it gentle

Treat it gentle 
treat it kind
treat it purely
a state of mind. 
My sketch of Sidney Bechet

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Brother

Brother 

Brother
a term so endearing
so lively oh
how I have so many
many I have never met but
when I play all millions of them
all billions of them
I hear play with me.

My sketch of a trumpet player


Inspired by Marvin Gaye's song "What's Going On".


Monday, December 8, 2014

What we play

What we play

What we play is
real
what we play is
raw
what we play is
rough and tough and strong and
calm and serene and pure
what we play is
blues and rhythm
exuberance and energy
gratitude and remorse
memories and forgotten
what we play is
those sad lonely nights
those snowstorms that sunshine
the hail, the rain, the waterfalls
the fireplace burning bright the
tulips sprouting so gorgeous
what we play is
those ups and downs and
diagonals spins around and
stories told to us all as children and
stories we made for ourselves as adults and
stories we know all too true
what we play is
the moments we were left frozen
paralyzed, we couldn't breathe, time
stopped and there was nothing left to do

except play.

What we play is
life.

No substitutes.

My sketch of Louis Armstrong

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Relaxing

Relaxing

Relaxing 
kicking back on 
two and four 
boom ba boom da
ding da ding za
zap za zap doo
doo da doo
Relaxing. 


My sketch of Christian McBride

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Penguins

Penguins

When I see those little guys
flipping and flopping around
they look like jazz cats with their
little tuxedos ready for the gig.

My sketch of a jazz penguin

Friday, December 5, 2014

Bebop

Bebop

Oftentimes I sit around
and I hear a sound

Be and a bop - Yes!
That's the sound!

Scoo bop e dee bop
Da dop e dee doo
zap a zap a wow a rap
Be and a bopping too

Oftentimes I hear a sound
bebop - so profound.

My sketch of a piano




Thursday, December 4, 2014

Stage

Stage

Tip toeing and sauntering and
sashaying around with my own self so
casually alone so remarkably solid.

Jazz word art

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Spontaneous

Spontaneous

A lifestyle based on
now

A music rooted in
then

A philosophy on
living.

My sketch of a saxophone

My sketch of a jazz band

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

To Diz

To Diz

To Diz,

You are someone I've never met. 
Hello.
Yet, I know you... from
the books, movies, videos - 
your playing cascades through my
life, your history, your tales, your
speech enlivens all of our lives and
the way you walked - as I can imagine -
it just brought life, be bopping around
two and four and one e and a bam - 
You are someone I've never met,
yet we are close like family - a 
family of be bopping and scoo dap e dop. 



A sketch of Arturo Sandoval

Monday, December 1, 2014

Diz

Diz

Be bopping 
scoo bapping
da doo ba da dee ba zap
a da wowwww

Be bopping
scoo dapping
da bop da bop da dooby doo
and and and owww

Be bopping
a scadattling a me 
a wow a bop shoo baaa
a dooby wow a doo - a

Night in Tunisia. 


My sketch of Dizzy Gillespie
Inspired by Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia".

My sketch of Arturo Sandoval and Ed Calle