Meeting John Lee Hooker...

On a cool Paris evening improvisational blues fills the air    

clouds of smoke linger, filling the basement night club

A crowd gathers, dampered voices float up to the wet sidewalk 
reflecting wavy reds, greens, yellow lamp light

He had sought the louder acoustical guitar 

after performing on Beale St...

drifted to Detroit where he joined up with piano 
players 
Son of a sharecropper, his popularity grew quickly 

Live jazz in clubs crossed over then,                                                                     

from the heart of black and Latin entertainment

to what they called rock fusion 

But his style was 'talking blues'...

Then to white audiences, along with Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, 
Sonny Rollins and Quincy Jones; he

even gave an early opportunity to the young Bob Dylan

I saw him when he was much older -

seated on a stool in an old watering hole
downtown, back to back with Fats Waller's
"Ain't Misbehavin"' and "Your Feets too Big"

Shuffling chairs to find a seat, we found a table

and sat close to him, his knee almost touching mine

Lips to the microphone, brow glistening with sweat
his eyes met mine and he winked at me 

His live show had a casual, rambling feeling

All who knew his songs moaned "Ahh- huh", "Yesir",

rocked their heads, tapped their toes, waved their hands....

bodies swayed to the beat

His music was also called the"front porch blues",
some were Boogie Woogie, others rock blues or Delta jazz

Music historians can easily place the time and

influences surrounding jazz from around the globe..

All I know is.... I know what I like when I hear it!

Antonio Jobim's genre of Bossa Nova 

 "The Girl from Ipanema"-

the smooth alto or tenor sax blended with deep bass;

there's a long list of names, each had their own style
Add an African or Cuban beat to kick it up a notch

Billie Holiday had it down..

I dislike loud crazy, to me nonsensical Jazz Funk

or leaps taken by fresh new groups I do not have an ear for - 

But with a cigar in his left hand, he talked right to me

..told me to "chill" (and chillen meant children) and "be cool",
my man wasn't going to do me no wrong
,.. long as I is good to him

"Blues before Sunrise" hit home for me

I was a little girl on his stoop that night -

 listening to my papa sing....

'bout slavery and the putting down of his family, 

lousy pay, how the summer heat won't let up...

Mama in her apron hummed right along

I knew him from a long time ago it seemed.. 

,,,and I just came by to say "hello"

Our souls took a ride through time and place that night

with folk who understand...enveloped by

music oh, so mellow


Gay at dversepoets.com prompts us to write 'Jazz Poetry'...anything pertaining to it or even our own composition of a song or the mood it puts one into when listening.