1993 + 30 = Saturn (or, a Sun Ra Sampler)
Sean MurphySun Ra's music sounds like it was intercepted from another world. Thirty years ago, today, Herman Poole Blount, aka Sonny Blount, aka Le Sony'r Ra, aka SUN RA, left these…
Happy Trails, Peter Brown
Never heard of him? Don't worry, you've heard him, nevertheless. Unless you've managed to go your entire life without listening to Cream, and if you've never heard "Sunshine of Your…
Tina Tuner: Twilight of the Goddess
Wow. Another irreplaceable icon has departed a planet that could scarcely contain her. Tina Turner: what a goddess, an inspiration, a river deep & mountain high human being and a…
Original Poem: Now’s The Time
I continue to appreciate the team at Jerry Jazz Musician for celebrating America's unique art form, and showcasing not only the sounds, but the words around the sounds. For my…
This Apostle’s Creed: East Broadway Run Down
Fall '83 and, as if weekly church services weren't insufferable enough, the Sacrament of Confirmation required mandatory tutelage, also once a week, on Sundays, which meant our soccer games (and…
Gordon Lightfoot: Bon Voyage
Perfection is impossible (if fun) to try defining; you know it when you see it or hear it. "Sundown" requires little analysis: it's perfect. Every word, every sound, every second:…
National Poetry Month Meets American Culture
Huge love & thanks to the awesome team at Washington Writers' Publishing House for featuring my poem "DuBose Heyward's Blues," which was drafted with the working title "Rhapsodies in Blue"…
National Poetry Month Meets Bud Powell (and more metaphor)
Another wonderful Facebook memory prompts me to recall how incredibly productive things were, this time seven years ago, albeit not in the ways I'd intended. To recap, I headed up…
100 + 1: National Poetry Month Meets Mingus
Charles Mingus had many things to say, and he used his mouth, his pen, his fists, and mostly his music to say them. Of the myriad words that describe Mingus, passionate would…
National Poetry Month & Ron Carter
Another one from my new collection, "Ron Carter's Fingers" is also featured in the latest collection of poetry available at Jerry Jazz Musician, a wonderful site that celebrates jazz 24/7.…