Hear me read “Mingus”, scroll to below the music selections.
Original DDE™ digital abstract: “Mingus” — by: rob kistner © 12/5/23
Song of inspiration is “Goodbye Porkpie Hat”, a Mingus jazz composition.
Hey man
ya’eva feel the hit-bottom bass
of my spruce-wooden upright
while’ya
weep’n with the wound steel
strung ‘cross the sound holes
of this here
righteous holla’body
ya’eva
ache to d’blues-bent reed
of a lush broke-heart sax
ya’eva
burn to the brush’s sear
d’sizzle’n’spank o’da’taut-skin snare
ya’eva
sob to the surrender’n’sustain
of an ivory key’d ebony
d’ya know me
man
I’m jazz
I’m blues
hear me
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Rainin’ Jazz”<
by: rob kistner © 12/6/23
I’m the velvet touch
on the supple-strung
big-bottomed
long-necked lady
with the smooth
sweet curves
of a fine-ass dame
hot’n fresh
all aflame
warm and mellow
smokey golden
as a ‘52 big apple sunset
fully sussed
in jazzin’ lust
I’m celebration n’sorrow
tears n’understandin’
pain n’escape
I’m
razor’s edge real
with a soul o’steel
taunt me true
in a fiery flurry
of rhythmic dissonance
of sizzling
scalded jazz
lift the veils
from off my eyes
free me from these
tempo’d lies
Original DDE™ surrealistic diptych: “Whiskey Joint Waltz”
by: rob kistner © 12/6/23
wrap round me
with soft studied fingers
in free-form
coax me started
work me in the shadows
at the light’s blur edge
that pools in the night
in a wounded whiskey joint
on the bleak back streets
of the sad brokenhearted
I play to the anguish
of the loveless who cower
in the dark nightmare alleys
of the lost n’forgotten
I play to the grief
of the sinners who moan
alone in their heartbreak
in the ruins of love
I play my dirge
fo’ the busted dreamers
fo’ the butt-broke schemers
n’fo’too
the voiceless
frightn’d
screamers
I play to the last chance
of those loosin’ hope
hey man
hey
ya’eva needin’
I too play — f’giveness
Original DDE™ surrealistic art: “Thunderbox”
by: rob kistner © 12/6/23
*
rob kistner © 2022
revised © 2023
Poetry at: dVerse
~ Joni sings her observations about, and affection for Charles ~
NOTE: Click the arrow below to hear me read “Mingus”.
I am so enjoying hosting this prompt, Rob, with such a wide diversity of music and poetry. Thank you for channeling Mingus in your beat poem and for sharing not only Mingus and his jazz but also Joni and hers. I’ve been listening to a series all about Joni’s life and last week was the episode about her meeting with Mingus and the stick she got for her own experimentation with him, which I for one loved. My favourite lines:
‘workin’ the shadows
at the light’s blur edge
that pools in the night
in a wounded whiskey joint
on the bleak back streets
of the sad brokenhearted’
and
‘I play to the grief
of the sinners who moan
alone in their heartbreak
in the ruins of love’.
I am so very pleased you resonated with my words Kim, and thank you again for a wonderful prompt my friend… 🙂
A fine poetic tribute to Mingus, Rob!
Thank you Merril… 🙂 …he was a character bigger than life.
Loved this so much! I could hear the whisky-soaked voice of jazz singer belting this out, Rob, and lulling us into the land of the blues, delicious and absolving of all. Especially liked,
“I’m
razor’s edge real
with a soul o’steel
workin’ the shadows
at the light’s blur edge
that pools in the night”
This, is singing the blues!
Thank you Dora. I’m pleased that this resonated for you. Glad you joined me today my friend.
I love how you brought fourth an amazing bass player, something that is so often forgotten I must admit that my knowledge of jazz is very low, but I constantly feel amazed…
You need to listen to some fantastic fusion from Sweden with just Piano and bass… a fusion between jazz and traditional Swedish folkmusik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2D5HlKLh34
Thank you Björn — I love the jazz piece you linked me to. I have listened to the ECM international jazz record label, since German jazz producer, Manfred Eicher founded it in 1969. They have a really fine stable of Scandanavian jazz artists, such as JAN GARBAREK(one of my very favorites),Terje Rypdal, Sidsel Endresen, Christian Wallumrød just to name a few. I find Scandinavian jazz to be very clean, very crisp. I really enjoy it. It is open and inviting, really allows a listener to fall into the music. It doesn’t beat you over the head like some jazz does. It’s really refined and quality — good stuff. Although at times, I like really complex challenging jazz as well, just depends where my head at.
I agree, and the one I shared iis probably the most loved in Sweden ever, and reached an audience well outside the usual jazz-lover’s circle. The pianist, Jan Johansson who also composed tragically died quite young… I think he did recordings with Stan Getz too…
I loved hearing you read it, you should put a recording here….
Thank you Björn, very much. I’ll see if I can find a surviving recording and post it if I find it.
What a fabulous tribute Rob, love it ??????????
Thank you Ange… 🙂 Mingus is a beast of a jazz man.
Well done, Rob. I love the quote about a bass in the band. That is exactly right. In interesting choice for the prompt.
Thank you Dwight I appreciate it. Well, the prompt said Kim, was music — and jazz is my music, so there you go… 🙂 Mingus is now among us my friend… 🙂
That’s the way music speaks to us, indeed “I’m celebration n’sorrow
tears n’understandin’
pain n’escape”
Enjoyed!!!!!
Much?love
Thank you Gillena… that is what music is. Human emotion, played out a fine instrument, or called out with s fine voice, for all to hear, to digest, to relate to — and hopefully understand. Much love my friend… 🙂
Ah, Charlie Mingus. THE MAN! AND Joni!!!?? We must have done something good to deserve these musical jazzy gifts. I would love to hear you read/perform this poem. Would LOVE it.
Thank you Helen. If I am able my friend, I will try it tomorrow… 😉
Hope you got to read it! I was unable to make Thursday and Saturday is in the middle of my night (LOL) I had no idea Open Link Night was disappearing …. I am sorry. The times I joined were magical. Thinking of you and your lovely wife, sending tons of healing energy.
Thank you Helen… 🙂 yes I did get to read it. I enjoyed that. Like you, Saturday morning 7:00 AM is the middle of the night for me as well. I can’t get to sleep much before three or four in the morning, so getting up at 6-7 AM in the morning doesn’t work. I tried it once, and was Messed up for two days. My participation in dVerse is going to become a more casual thing for me going forward. Kathy comes home this week and there is more to do in continuing her recuperation — so we’re gonna have to pick up that battle against her throat cancer again, but she’s doing better, as far as I know. I’ll know more when she finally gets home here, I got my own issues going with the lesions in the white matter of my brain. I’m involved in a different ongoing tests with my neurologist, to determine what’s going on. It definitely affects my balance, affects my thinking and memory, it even affects at times my speech — but all these symptoms are still early and irregular in their development, and I’m staying on it — so I am coping. Anyway these past 20 years been a fun trip, as this is my 20th year online with writing community sites. Three of them over the years I personally published and monitored, so it’s been a good run. I’ll still show up as I can. I enjoyed getting to know you my friend. I wish you well, Merry Christmas. Happy holidays! 🙂
Your poem gets a standing ovation from me Rob! Bravo! Bravo!
Thank you Carol… 🙂
Rob, I’ve been watching, “Treme,” an HBO series that is set in the just past Katrina New Orleans, and I highly recommend the series for the amount of excellent live music going on in it. Some of the best jazz musicians in the world there. The show has a bunch of cameos of people you’d probably know if you know jazz. Really like that top digital Mingus you did and all of the other digital art.
Thank you Lisa. ::) I watched Treme a little while back, and it definitely had somd fine music.
Oh good glad you saw it. So good to hear you read this today at OLN Live!
It was a pleasure, Lisa… 🙂
Oh wow…love this jazz and you’re poem that compliments and breathes it all to life. Would love to hear it read out loud with the jazz playing…reminds me so much of the beats. Thank you for this poem, it was a wonderful prompt for all this jazz. 🙂
Thank you very much Di, 🙂 I’m envisioning trying to read it today, if I can get my mind cleared up — having some neurological issues.
I hear you Rob – very rich and pretty masterful write here. I especially like you interweave so many tones here, echoing the soul of the music, the night, that sense of life, the drink, the sadness, the romaticism, of solace and despair too and seductively feminine too… Great!
Thank you Scott… 🙂
“I’m the velvet touch
on the supple-strung
big-bottomed
long-necked lady”
“I play to the grief
of the sinners who moan
alone in their heartbreak
in the ruins of love”
“ ya’eva needin’
I too play — f’giveness”
Really loved these parts a lot. I went back and played the first song and read through it again.????????
Thank you very much Melissa you are most kind. I appreciate it my friend. … 🙂
LOVE everything about this as I mentioned after you read it aloud. I truly think it’s one of your best poems ever!!! Also wanted to let you know, the more I thought about OLN LIVE, the more I think we should not eliminate Thursdays. I think having the flexibility and the inclusivity of offering two options has been excellent and should continue. There are others besides you who will be affected. Am hoping Grace and Bjorn agree. Will let you know. I’m the first one to host OLN LIVE in January so we’ll know for sure by then!
Thank you Lil. I consider that really high recognition coming from you my friend… 🙂
This is exquisitely drawn, Rob! I especially love; “I play to the anguish
of the loveless who cower in the dark nightmare alleys of the lost n’forgotten.” 🙂
Thank you Sanaa, very much, I appreciate it my friend… 🙂
A superb tribute to the angry man of Jazz. I remember listening to my first Mingus album years ago. The first track was Freedom. I don’t remember the name of the album though.
Thank you OP, and yes, Charlie was a mad dude at times. Of course I only know that by reputation — his reputation. I am pretty sure “Freedom” was first released on the album “Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus” in ‘64. I know it did also appear on a couple of live compilations. I don’t remember exactly which ones, but first I heard it was 64 on Mingus Mingus, Mingus… damn good song! I should’ve found a copy of that. Put it at the bottom of the poem.
Enjoyed hearing you read Rob. Again Bravo!!!
Much?love
Thank you Gillena. Much love to you my friend… 🙂
I agree with his sentiment about an upright bass (except for Jack Bruce who could play the electric horizontal and make sound like an upright). I love me some Mingus too. what I really appreciate is how you have captured the feel of this jazz piece – sizzling, scalded, and I yearn for the veils to fall from my eyes.
Jack was a hell of a player. He learned on an upright bass. His first small electric was the Fender Bass VI, a 6-string bass tuned EADGBE like a guitar, but one octave lower. Jack recorded most of Fresh Cream with this bass, before moving to the classic Gibson EB-3, the sound of which he made famous during Cream’s live tours. In 1976, Jack moved to the fretless bass. After stints with some Aria and Spector long-scale basses, he found Warwick, a German electric basses. Jack made some suggestions for improving the balance and pickups, and Warwick produced the bass that served thereafter as his main instrument. The Warwick Jack Bruce Signature Model is a modified fretless 4-string Thumb Bass featuring MEC active pickups and LED position markers on the side of the neck. Jack preferred to use S.I.T. medium gauge roundwound strings (.050 – .105). Jack occasionally used some Warwick 5-string basses for recording, though he didn’t perform with them onstage. In 2010 he acquired a fretless Star Bass II at Warwick’s New York City custom shop. For fretted bass playing Jack occasionally made use of a refitted Gibson EB-1 bass.