Report #37

This week's poem is by the extraordinary poet and essayist William Heyen: "The Gift" from his collection Pterodactyl Rose - Poems of Ecology. (Time Being Books, 1991).

You can also read some of Heyen's poetry that I've recently published at CounterPunch: "Emancipation Proclamation" and "Angels."

Music this week is a jazz classic, originally known as "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and renamed on this album to "Theme for Lester Young." Mingus wrote this song as an elegy for Young who died shortly before the recording session for Ah Um where the song makes its debut. This episode features the reworking of this song found on Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus.

Click below to listen:
Report #37

This Week Was Last Week

... but next week should be next week, until it becomes this week.

Episode #36, which was posted here last week, didn't air on the radio till this week, due to pledge break mayhem (which is actually the most fun time to be at the station).

Here's the skinny on last week's (this week's) show:

This week's poem, "October," is that same old story: it's over, but no one can admit it. It might be the first time I've written a fictional narrative poem. The characters and situation is invented, but I think we've all been there.

The song this week is from Freddie Hubbard's Here to Stay. A track played in honor of my dad who would have turned 81 on October 17: "Father and Son." Personnel include Hubbard (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Cedar Walton (piano), Reggie Workman (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums).

Click below to listen to the episode:

Report #36

And since you came here for something more than a rerun of last week, here's Billy Collins doing his poem "Lanyard." (Since the song above is for my dad, here's something for my mom).

Report #36 - 19 October 2009

This week's poem, "October," is that same old story: it's over, but no one can admit it. It might be the first time I've written a fictional narrative poem. The characters and situation is invented, but I think we've all been there.

The song this week is from Freddie Hubbard's Here to Stay. A track played in honor of my dad who would have turned 81 on October 17: "Father and Son." Personnel include Hubbard (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Cedar Walton (piano), Reggie Workman (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums).

Click below to listen to the episode:

Report #36

Report #35 - 12 October 2009

This week's poem is called "The Drive." It was written after driving back to Montana from a Michigan visit, rolling across the back highways of the Dakotas. Beauty and death are common companions. In this case the paradox of being stunned by the natural wonder of the Dakotas while in the process of destroying it.

The song in this week's episode is "Offering Time" from Grab This! by Johnny Griffin. It features Griffin on tenor sax, Joe Pass on guitar, Paul Bryant on organ, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Doug Sides on drums.

Click below to listen:
Report $35