Louise Glück and the Power of Poetry
Sean MurphySad to see Louise Glück depart our puny planet, but glad she received the love and attention she richly deserved, and was able to feel that approbation while she was…
This Day in History: “Porgy and Bess,” the first great American opera, premieres on Broadway
From History.com On October 10, 1935, George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess premieres on Broadway. Porgy and Bess began its journey to the Broadway stage in 1926, when George Gershwin wrote a letter…
Something Sweet, Something Tender: Richard Davis, RIP
Another irreplaceable giant has left the planet. Richard Davis, God-Level on so many occasions, IMO arguably never more so than on this track from an album that continues to defy,…
Original Poem: The Unsatisfactory Suicide Note
Four summers ago, almost to the day, a friend took his life, and his life partner posted his farewell note. This situation was awful enough, on so many obvious levels,…
1993 + 30 = Saturn (or, a Sun Ra Sampler)
Sun 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…
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…
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…