Bass Instincts

“A band without an upright bass is like a body with no backbone” — Mingus

 
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’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

I’m celebration n’sorrow
tears n’understandin’
pain n’escape

I’m
razor’s edge real

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

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 to the last chance
of those loosin’ hope

hey man
hey

ya’eva needin’

I play f’giveness


Charles Mingus

*
rob kistner © 2022

Poetry at: The Sunday Muse

Poetry at: Poets & Storytellers

Poetry at: earthweal

 


** HEAR FULL ALBUM:
~


~ Joni about Mingus ~
He is three
One’s in the middle unmoved
Waiting
To show what he sees
To the other two
To the one attacking so afraid
And the one that keeps trying to love and trust
And getting himself betrayed
In the plan — oh
The divine plan
God must be a boogie man!

One’s so sweet
So openly loving and gentle
He lets people in
To his innermost sacred temple
Blind faith to care
Blind rage to kill
Why’d he let them talk him down
To cheap work and cheap thrills
In the plan — oh
The insulting plan
God must be a boogie man!

Which would it be
Mingus one or two or three
Which one do you think he’d want the world to see
Well world opinion’s not a lot of help
When a man’s only trying to find out
How to feel about himself
In the plan — oh
The cock-eyed plan
God must be a boogie man!

Mingus — he is three!

22 thoughts on “Bass Instincts”

  2. Absolutely love this. Would like to hear it on a street corner, just to stop and feel the last of the sun unknot all the tension while someone recited this.

    Reply

  3. I just knew this photo would draw you in for some word play. You did a marvelous job composing this one. Playing to the anguish and the grief. sigh..yes, there is a song there.

    When I first saw the photo, I was thinking how he carries a song with each stride. The beat lives within him.

    Happy Holidays and wishing you a healthy 2023.

    Reply

    1. Thank you Bredan. I loved being vocalist in the music scene for 27 years. Music is still what drives my soul, it’s just now the lyrics I write are not put to music. Because I was a vocalist and lyricist, the words simply never died. I can even hear the chord progressions nesting under my words, my poetry.

      Reply

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