Tad Richards brings The Song Is... back to its roots with some poems inspired by music (especially jazz). This first poem will also give you some names to look up on YouTube. The other two poems are triolets, fitting given Tad's column for Verse-Virtual: https://www.verse-virtual.com/tad-richards-informal-2019-august-no-6.html
CHOOSING SECURITY
George Wallington played
in Dizzy's first bebop
combo on 52nd Street.
in 1960 he gave
up jazz, went home
to Florida, joined
the family business
installing
air conditioners. Wendell
Marshall played with Ellington,
Coleman Hawkins,
Milt Jackson, Gerry
Mulligan, gave it up,
went back to St.
Louis, started his own
insurance agency. Teddy
Charles played swing,
played bebop, played
the far out stuff,
played with Miles, with
Mingus, with Wardell
Gray, gave it up
to get his captain's papers,
skipper a charter
skipjack on Long Island
Sound, in the Caribbean.
I’d go for that.
TRIOLET FOR SALE
For Sale: You choose--
But there's no choice,
It's all the blues--
What's there to choose?
Each way, you lose,
Guitar or voice.
You say you choose
But there's no choice.
BLUES TRIOLET
From a line by Bessie Smith
My baby's got those juicy lipsShe's the lyinest woman in town
But when I hold her by the hips
She sure can use those juicy lips
She knows just where they come to grips
If it ain't up, it's down
She swears it's just me gets those lips
But she's the lyinest woman in town
But when I hold her by the hips
She sure can use those juicy lips
She knows just where they come to grips
If it ain't up, it's down
She swears it's just me gets those lips
But she's the lyinest woman in town
Tonight's songs will be especially interesting, given Tad's first poem.
I'll start with the George Wallington Quintet's version of "What's New?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cShLnB2SfA
His trio performs "Polka Dot" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu_YkMYB8aA
It's hard to find a single song with Wendell Marshall, so I'm including these three that he did with Hank Jones and Kenny Clarke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC0ijOx-cuw
Here are the "Green Blues" by the Teddy Charles Tentet. I wonder if it includes the tuba. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
I'll finish with his quartet's version of "When Your Lover Has Gone": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfsPrhvQ8ss
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment