Blues
by Jesse Reisch

Jazzonia
By Langston Hughes

Oh, silver tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!

 In a Harlem cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.
A dancing girl whose eyes are bold
Lifts high a dress of silken gold.

Oh, singing tree!
Oh, shining rivers of the soul!

Were Eve’s eyes
In the first garden
Just a bit too bold?
Was Cleopatra gorgeous
In a gown of gold?

Oh, shining tree!
Oh, silver rivers of the soul!

In a whirling cabaret
Six long-headed jazzers play.

Langston Hughes

Carli Munoz
John Froehlich, Jazz Artist

Juke Box Love Song
by Langston Hughes

I could take the Harlem night
and wrap around you,
Take the neon lights and make a crown,
Take the Lenox Avenue busses,
Taxis, subways,
And for your love song tone their rumble down.
Take Harlem’s heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till day–
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.
1950

[mp3j track=”moments-notice.mp3″]

Hello, and welcome back to Poetry Wednesday 6/17/09. You can sign in today and take the tour thru Thursday, so take your time.

I’ll be your hostess again this week. My sister, Sans Souci, has completed her poetry book, and is taking a break, but she will check in.

Before we get started, please make sure that your post has a link to get back to this page to make it easier to take the tour:

1) Copy and paste the following link that I have provided for you from this page to somewhere on your poetry post.

Link back to the Poetry Wednesday tour on Laurita’s page

2) Leave the link of your poetry post in the comments section below. This is the link guests will click on to read your poem.

Jazz and the blues were a great influence on the poetry of Langston Hughes (1902 – 1967).

He was one of the first American poets to experiment with these distinctly American musical forms created by black people. While Langston was living in France in 1923, he worked washing dishes at a club.

He was swept away at the sounds of jazz and the blues, which inspired him to write poems in his head as he scrubbed. He heard jazz and blues live at clubs and on the radio. The force of this exuberant music inspired him to create new poetic forms.

He took the rhythms and sound of jazz and incorporated that playfulness and spontaneity into the language of his poems. He also borrowed from the blues, a musical form that utilizes repetition and treats sad themes in humorous ways. He performed and recorded his poetry with legendary jazz musicians such as bassist Charles Mingus.

Ella’s Angelic Scat
Fred Nold

Dream Boogie
By Langston Hughes

Good morning, daddy!
Ain’t you heard
The boogie-woogie rumble
Of a dream deferred?

Listen closely:
You’ll hear their feet
Beating out and beating out a —

You think
It’s a happy beat?

Listen to it closely:
Ain’t you heard
something underneath
like a —

What did I say?

Sure,
I’m happy!
Take it away!

Hey, pop!
Re-bop!
Mop!
Y-e-a-h

Clifford Still Jammin’
Fred Nold

Trumpet Player
By Langston Hughes

The Negro
With the trumpet at his lips
Has dark moons of weariness
Beneath his eyes
where the smoldering memory
of slave ships
Blazed to the crack of whips
about thighs

The negro
with the trumpet at his lips
has a head of vibrant hair
tamed down,
patent-leathered now
until it gleams
like jet–
were jet a crown

the music
from the trumpet at his lips
is honey
mixed with liquid fire
the rhythm
from the trumpet at his lips
is ecstasy
distilled from old desire-

Desire
that is longing for the moon
where the moonlight’s but a spotlight
in his eyes,
desire
that is longing for the sea
where the sea’s a bar-glass
sucker size

The Negro
with the trumpet at his lips
whose jacket
Has a fine one-button roll,
does not know
upon what riff the music slips

It’s hypodermic needle
to his soul
but softly
as the tune comes from his throat
trouble
mellows to a golden note.

“Hold fast to your dreams,
for if dreams die,
life is a broken winged bird,
that cannot fly.”
– Langston Hughes

What are your dreams ? The tour starts here with you.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 15, ’09 Here’s some more poetry by Langston Hughes and how jazz influenced him: http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1342/Poetry_Wednesday_061709_The_Fusion_of_Jazz_and_Poetry

deletereply starfishred wrote on Jun 15, ’09 wonderful laurita http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/1426/poetry_wednesday-lizette_woodworth_reese

deletereply sugarpiehuny wrote on Jun 15, ’09 I love this post.. the jazz is great as is the poetry! http://sugarpiehuny.multiply.com/journal/item/195/The_Winds_of_Fulfillment…

deletereply billatplay wrote on Jun 15, ’09 I have written pages on how to present a single note. Yes, in just one note there is movement and soul. It is like dancing with sound where your partner is you. It is your ability to feel and display a harmony that only music can bring. It is God’s gift to mankind. Music, and Jazz is a hole in one.

deletereply billatplay wrote on Jun 15, ’09 My brother was a player. Great poems from you again. http://billatplay.multiply.com/journal/item/162/Five_Years

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 15, ’09 Here’s another post by a well known poet you already know, but did you know he wrote about jazz ? http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1343/Poetry_Wednesday_061709_Carl_Sandburgs_Jazz_Fantasia_

deletereply jadedruid wrote on Jun 15, ’09 I have been missing for a while while I work on my book but I went hiking on Saturday and shot this video and wrote a poem about it. So I decided to take everyone along on this journey. http://jadedruid.multiply.com/video/item/55/Solace

deletereply sassyangelac wrote on Jun 15, ’09 http://sassyangelac.multiply.com/journal/item/507/The_Void

deletereply gileson wrote on Jun 15, ’09 Love the music! Here is something musical as well, but slightly different from Jazz or Blues. I See A Darkness http://gileson.multiply.com/journal/item/514/I_See_A_Darkness

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jun 15, ’09 Fantastic post/compilation. Wonderful!

deletereply gileson wrote on Jun 15, ’09 This will be the last one for this week, I promise. I’ve had this in my draft box for a couple of weeks, and decided to go ahead and stick it out here. Come Back http://gileson.multiply.com/journal/item/515/Come_Back_…

deletereply sugarpiehuny wrote on Jun 15, ’09, edited on Jun 17, ’09 I love it here.. everytime I visit I just want to listen…Thanks again..just stopped in to see who else posted, now I can’t get away!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 15, ’09 sugarpiehuny said Thanks again..just stopped in to see who elase posted, now I can’t get away! I’m glad you’re having a good time, Sug !

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jun 15, ’09 Oy, I got lost…phenomenal post, sis. I am using my current photo journal–just added an appropriate poem, some lyrics, so come on over–Sug, come on back! http://sanssouciblogs.multiply.com/journal/item/582/NYC_photo_journal_The_High_Line_abandoned_rail_in_the_sky_becomes_a_park

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 15, ’09 sanssouciblogs said Oy, I got lost Sorry, you got lost…I put out so many posts today, LOL!!! I guess I got carried away with the music, hee, hee !

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 15, ’09 Here’s an additional post about the jazz influence of Langston Hughes. http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1346/Poetry_Wednesday_061709_Ask_Your_Mama_12_Moods_for_Jazz

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 16, ’09, edited on Jun 16, ’09 jadedruid said I have been missing for a while while I work on my book but I went hiking on Saturday and shot this video and wrote a poem about it. So I decided to take everyone along on this journey. I hope your book is coming along well !

deletereply asolotraveler wrote on Jun 16, ’09, edited on Jun 16, ’09 WHAT A TIME THAT WAS! Langston is the best! ==== COME, SEE MINE >>> http://asolotraveler.multiply.com/journal/item/620/POETRY_WEDNESDAY

deletereply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Jun 16, ’09 What a treat this is Laurita! (Love the jazz!!) Here I am this week…http://sweetpotatoqueen.multiply.com/journal/item/290/Poetry_Wednesday_Strangers_Welcome

deletereply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jun 16, ’09 Hi every one……………..nothing too serious from me this week love the jazz , AND the paintings………………and of course the poetry, another wonderful page Laurita thanks http://forgetmenot525.multiply.com/journal/item/327/Poetry_Wednesday_The_Crocodile

deletereply caffeinatedjo wrote on Jun 16, ’09 Here I am: http://caffeinatedjo.multiply.com/journal/item/50/Poetry_Wednesday_Misintentions

deletereply bostonsdandd wrote on Jun 16, ’09 Oh how! I must be REALLY late this week LOL. Look at all the people :o)))))! You know, Laurita I am from the state of jazz’s birthplace :o))))))). It has been seeping in my soul since I was knee high to a grasshopper. To live in Louisiana you have to like jazz LOL. I’m up and ready: http://bostonsdandd.multiply.com/journal/item/319

deletereply gilesy01 wrote on Jun 17, ’09 Great paintings to go with the poetry. http://gilesy01.multiply.com/journal/item/640/Poetry_Wednesday_The_Wife_a-Lost

Comment deleted at the request of the author.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 17, ’09 bostonsdandd said To live in Louisiana you have to like jazz LOL. Lori, if you want to visit a cool jazz site, visit my Multiply friend, Fred, at: http://instrumentalpavilion.multiply.com/ He helped get me into jazz, but the Langston Hughes thing I discovered for myself.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 17, ’09, edited on Jun 17, ’09 Please visit Brian’s poem at this link: http://brian51.multiply.com/journal/item/547/Poetry_Wednesday

deletereply caffeinatedjo wrote on Jun 17, ’09 Brian, I clicked on your link, and it says it does not exist???

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jun 17, ’09, edited on Jun 17, ’09 caffeinatedjo said Brian, I clicked on your link, and it says it does not exist??? Jo, Use the link that I used in the comment above. I think he deletd the original post, but he left the old link here before. I think it’s deleted. If you still can’t see his poem, go to his homepage, and then you’ll see his blog post from there.

deletereply caffeinatedjo wrote on Jun 17, ’09 Thanks, Laura.

deletereply welshdoug wrote on Jun 17, ’09 Running around like a madman this week, so I’m just putting a link to an old post – only the second post that I did on Multiply, going wayyyyy back to October 2007. Both poems were written in one afternoon when I was bored. http://welshdoug.multiply.com/journal/item/2/The_Second_One

deletereply skyerider wrote on Jun 17, ’09 Can anyone play?

deletereply welshdoug wrote on Jun 17, ’09 skyerider said Can anyone play? the more the merrier – leave a link and make it public.

deletereply instrumentalpavilion wrote on Jun 18, ’09 This is great too Laurita….thank you! : )

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