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Jazz Been Dug

July 11, 2012
By Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
More by this author
Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
8 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Outsiders who see rules and not the love that runs through them are often too ready to label other people as 'prisoners'." -Iris Murdoch in The Sea, The Sea

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Jazz ain't no thing to understand,
You gotta dig it.

Deep in that Freudian id,
Long past any conceptualized being,
Dig it primal-like.

Like a beating drum,
Vibrating you gut,
And screaming your fear,
Into a rivalry with the wind,
Scraping your feet,
To a dance older than dust,
Dig it hard.

Follow Paradise to Frisco in the 50's,
And roam the midnight bars in madness.

Spin some Parker and Gillespie,
And find cool solace in ethereal dreaming.

Chill out to the sketches of flamenco,
And find Davis in a mild shade of blue.

Calm your thoughts,
And feel it in your teeth,

Because jazz ain't no thing to understand,
You gotta dig it.

© Amanda W., Nanty Glo, PA

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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 7 comments.

Matt27 SILVER said...
on Aug. 2 2012 at 6:21 pm
Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
8 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Outsiders who see rules and not the love that runs through them are often too ready to label other people as &#039;prisoners&#039;.&quot; -Iris Murdoch in The Sea, The Sea

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Thanks, and you're right, I didn't notice that until looking at it just now. I definitely agree.
Tiwaz SILVER said...
on Aug. 1 2012 at 8:14 pm
Tiwaz SILVER, Jackson, Missouri
6 articles 0 photos 28 comments
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This is a really awesome poem. I play jazz guitar, but I'm not nearly as knowledgable when it comes to the genre as you.

 

I only noticed one minor thing that you might change: The 5th and 6th stanzas both include "And find...", and I think it would work better if you changed one (putting that line in other stanzas to make it more repetitive could work too, but I like the others too well and they definitely don't need to be altered).

Matt27 SILVER said...
on Jul. 20 2012 at 8:27 pm
Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
8 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Outsiders who see rules and not the love that runs through them are often too ready to label other people as &#039;prisoners&#039;.&quot; -Iris Murdoch in The Sea, The Sea

View profile
I know what you mean about picking a favorite, it's like picking a favorite taste; you know what you like and don't like but you couldn't possibly just pick a single taste to declare as the epitome of aestheticism. Anyway, I've been in the band for about four years, it started as an acoustic rock thing though and just developed. As for UNT, I've heard that it has a good jazz program but that's the extent of my knowledge.
InkWriter13 said...
on Jul. 20 2012 at 3:57 pm
Also, how much do you know about UNT (university of north texas) and their jazz program (the o'clock bands)?
InkWriter13 said...
on Jul. 20 2012 at 3:55 pm
I play in my high school jazz band and the local community college jazz band. I really want to start my own band, but haven't found enough/the right musicians yet...Anyway, how long have you been in your rock blues jazz latin fusion band thing? Currently, I love bebop (Bird, Omnibook). I also love a good ballad (like Soul Eyes by Coltrane, Nancy). Mostly been listening to Cannonball, Bird, some Coleman Hawkins, and some Big Band (Basie, Big Phat Band)....hard to pick a fav though :)
Matt27 SILVER said...
on Jul. 20 2012 at 11:49 am
Matt27 SILVER, Englewood, Colorado
8 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Outsiders who see rules and not the love that runs through them are often too ready to label other people as &#039;prisoners&#039;.&quot; -Iris Murdoch in The Sea, The Sea

View profile
Thanks, it's good to find a like-minded person out there, and I play the bass guitar mostly though I can play most instruments with strings. I play in my high school jazz band and I also have a band that's kind of a rock blues jazz latin fusion thing. If I had to pick a certain genre I'd say bop with free jazz as a close second, so like Coltrane or Monk, anything along those lines. How about you though, any specific tastes within jazz?
InkWriter13 said...
on Jul. 19 2012 at 9:58 pm
WOW! Loved it. I totally get it because I play jazz saxophone (actually going into jazz studies and writing as careers in the future). I love all your references like Parker and Gillespie (Charlie "Bird" Parker and Dizzy Gillespie). I loved the Davis in a mild shade of blue as a reference to Miles Davis and his album titled "Kind of Blue." Very well done. I totally agree with you one hundred percent on all of this. You captured it so well. It's a feeling, a groove at the heart of jazz. Loved this. Truly and positively. :) What instruments do you play with jazz? Do you play with a band? Other than the obvious references to artists listed here and the favorite albums/artists on your account page, do you have an absolute favorite song or style (like within the arch of jazz)? Just out of curiosity..... :) And thanks for your comment on my work titled In the Music.