Johnny James

Portrait of Johnny James -- credit: Christiane Cordero (thank you!)

Russell Streur takes us to the jazz scene in Atlanta when Johnny James was a part of it.  Johnny (full name: John James Willikes) is now based in Amsterdam.  As the poem states, he has also lived in Suriname.  Interestingly, another Johnny James (also a horn player) works in Singapore, and a third used to be active in the Brooklyn jazz scene but has retreated from it.

JOHNNY JAMES

Wednesday night

At the Sage on Sycamore

It’s not the horn

It’s the player 

And Johnny James 

In dreadlocks gold 

Is smiling large

Because it makes a difference 

To solve the mystery

And the melody he is playing

Behind that almost new

Vita saxophone

Is Look At The Sky

And he is off somewhere

Very far away 

Where the solos bend and spin

From drum to clarinet  

To bass and back again

Some place in those fields of possibility

That Surinam

Where brass

Melts into flesh.

Russell has also provided us with with YouTube videos of Johnny's playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfpYo0nn6eY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzwNu4vPlVo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSrkdT52P9A

Below is a picture of Johnny performing near Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.

And here is *Russell*'s bio:   A resident of Johns Creek, Georgia, Russell Streur’s poetry has been widely published.  He operates the world’s original on-line poetry bar, The Camel Saloon ( http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/ ), is the author of The Muse of Many Names (Poets Democracy, 2011) and Table of Discontents (Ten Pages Press, 2012), and is an avid photographer.   

I hope that "Johnny James" (and "Metaphorical") inspire you to write about the musicians who make up the scene in your locale.  Here is a link to "Metaphorical."  (Note that I've added a link to Lori Williams' schedule for the summer.)

http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2014/06/metaphorical.html

Information about the guidelines for this summer project is here:
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2014/06/lively-up-blog.html

Again, thank you, Christiane for allowing me to use the picture at the top of this entry.  You may see more of her work here:  http://christianecordero.com/2012/06/15/44-photograph-10-strangers/

Hope you are inspired!