It started, as with much of my love of music,
With my Dad.
With him Swing was King
And the monarch was Benny Goodman.
This was my introduction
Of the world and wonder of Jazz.
From those early days I have listened
To many types of this music and loved them all.
The very early times of Bix and Jelly Roll
And of course ol’ Satchelmouth leading the way.
Though the thirties of the big bands
Basie, Ellington, Shaw and Miller;
Leading to the swing of the forties.
Then out of this came the sound that was bebop;
Bird and Dizzy in the lead, with this strange sound;
Alien noises to the establishment,
But became so wonderful to hear.
It changed the course of Jazz history.
The chromatic changes that weren’t thought possible,
Now becoming the sound, to which many flew.
Bebop mutated into so many varied type of Jazz.
It lead to the disaster that was ‘avant garde’.
A sound, to my mind, that just wasn’t music.
That Coltrane record I bought,
Put the needle anywhere on the disc,
The sound was just as bad.
I wonder if I could listen to it now,
With my more open minded view of music.
Cool Jazz given birth by Miles;
So harmonic, so soft, so mind-blowing.
This sound of mellow tones coming through my mind
And into my soul.
The beautiful sounds of Chet, Stan and Dave;
Pure melancholy, transporting me
To a world where all is calm and peaceful.
Trad, that sound that some decry,
But whenever it is played, all the feet tap.
Acker and Kenny leading the way
With this cheerful and foot tapping sound,
That can never fail to lift any depression
With its sound of unalloyed joy.
And then of course there was Oscar.
The man who can take me to places
That only exist in my dream of heaven.
This man who when he died
Took a piece of my life with him;
A man whose music was part of me,
And still is.
Jazz, the sounds that many can’t stand.
But to me, a world of such varying ways
Of contemplating the world of music ,
That has been with me all my life;
And is still there for me.
-
Author:
Goldfinch60 (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: November 16th, 2025 02:08
- Comment from author about the poem: And all that jazz.
- Category: Reflection
- Views: 9
Offline)
Comments3
A fine write Gold. Reminded me of 'all that', as in '1066 and all that'. We woz there!
Thanks Orci.
A stroll of music history in a poem. Lovely and I too share that love that my father introduced me to. Very nicely told Gold
Thank you soren, most grateful.
Andy
Most welcome Andy
So many of the greats mentioned here - makes to get Alexa going. Like you i love all sorts although my first love has to be classical then folk to rock and roll through to reggae and everything in between. Of todays music I love the honesty simplicity and freshness of Rose Betts - lyrical. tuneful, celtic influenced and so far removed from much of todays genres.
Thank you Michael, I was brough up on Classical and Jazz but like you love all kinds of music.
Andy
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