roll me out a long B note
flat busted - tenderized
slip into those soulful sounds
the sweetest E of easy street
twelve true and blue chords
bustling at the bar 

squeeze some of that jump juice
half crazy overtones
off the scale and bouncing
have me rollin' in the aisle
hot smoky night folk
sticky limbed cohesion
jamming to the rhythm
sweat dripped steps 

discordant like the duchess
at a downtown dive
big bass Daddy
pulls on some rubber bands
time wise and like wise
paradiddle drums
slide me in some cool trombone
just before the sax man's leap
saps the souls of women
in his heavy breathy tones

33 thoughts on “Jazzamatazz”

1. great stuff, holds the rhythm and mood all the way through

   1. thank you! I tried to make it more erratic but instead of John Mayall, somehow John Masefield’s “Cargoes” kept time 😉

      1. had to look those two up – interesting fusion between the two… i think i had Morphine’s Sharks in the back of mind for today’s Shadorms

         1. looked that one up and now I’m staying outa the water 😉

            1. Yup

2. Clearly you know jazz and blues! I’m impressed. This is the feel of it, baby! Need to put your poem on repeat.

   1. and you know how to make a person feel good – thank you Jilly!

3. I can hear this one, Laura, and it has me coming back for more, like all good jazz does. I need to look up ‘Cargoes.’ Love these musical lines, “the sweetest E of easy street”, “sweat dripped steps”, and (the very funny) “discordant like the duchess
   at a downtown dive”.
   Great work!

   1. oh thank you – your prompt freed me a little from the doldrums. Not sure how the duchess got there – maybe it was with the ” cargo of diamonds,
      Emeralds, amethysts,
      Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.”

4. This is well-written! My favorite part is “the sweetest E of easy street.”

   1. thank you – I love the mood-E

5. Love how you almost wrote this as the score of a song… so many words rhyming making the tempo…

   1. appreciate your comment Bjorn as I felt the rhythm section was somewhat chaotic- made up for it with accidentals of assonance –

6. I like this line: “squeeze some of that jump juice”

   1. The jive is jumpin’ came to mind

7. Well watch your dust! (With a nod to Dizzie). Great stuff, Laura.

   1. Not angel dust as I first thought -oops. Watch my smoke too 😉 thanks Tish – [Stay warm this weekend]

      1. There was another of his fab sayings, probably Tish-garbled – they don’t know if I’m coming by land or sea…It also applies here 🙂

         1. sucking on a stash of idioms Tish – thanks for supplying

8. Way cool…I dig this!

   1. did away Lyn with thanks

9. I can smell the smoke, feel the beat, and see the “Sticky limbed cohesion as the music slides up and down.
   Great poem!

   1. pictorial without the lyrical – not really my style so had to jazz it up – thank you

10. This is jumping! I’ve been in this club before. Your lines work the place like the Duchess herself — free drinks and she’s riding home with the Duke. Hip – hep – hurrah!

    1. the Duchess went home with the Duke – I like that Charley -even jazz has happy endings

       1. Ellington had a thing for satin dolls. 🙂

11. This was totally groovy to read! Smiles. Loved it. Especially the paradiddle drums.

    1. those drums resonant of my grandson’s Corps 🙂

12. kaykuala

    slide me in some cool trombone
    just before the sax man’s leap
    saps the souls of women
    in his heavy breathy tones

    The ending appropriately sums up how jazzy it should be, Laura! Clever take here!

    Hank

    1. thanks Hank – leaving the best til last with that heavy breathy sound

13. Love the visceral rhythm in this! I read it several times and loved in more each read.

    1. ‘Visceral rhythm’ – love that Angela and many thanks for taking time to read this

       1. My pleasure.

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