What are you reading Stan

A book

I can see that

It is called

Jazz Poems

Did you pick it up whilst you were away

No it was a gift from my parents

How sweet

I agree

Do you write Jazz poems

No not really

Why is that

Because whilst I like jazz I do not really feel it

Do your parents read your poetry

Yes

And

Mum likes the war poems and she adores the more lyrical ones but I am not sure what she makes of my more edgy or oblique works

What does your dad think of your poems

He does not say much but I have the distinct feeling that he understands me as poet

In what way

I believe that he shares my vision and feels the pain

Have you ever asked him

No

Why

Because he would soon tell me if I was writing self indulgent shit

Are you

Yes most of the rime

Time

No Rime

Bitch

I think that he is quietly proud of me as he in his youth wrote poetry

Was it any good

I think so

Was he ever published

Yes in a couple of anthologies but if you think that I am a Salinger then Dad takes the biscuit

In what way

He always used his initials

Rather like HD

Yes

Does he still write poetry

I am not sure

Do you think that he would show me some of his poems

Possibly as he adores you

But if you look in the Kingston Magazine then there are a few of his poems printed

Kingston Magazine

I have some copies in my study

Look for the summer of 1977

Stan

Yes

I know that this is a stupid question

Your questions are never stupid

Fuck Off

But how did Jazz originate

To the best of my knowledge it was created by the descendants of the African slaves

But it has morphed and morphed a great deal since then

I have always thought that the blacks had a great sense of rhythm

I agree

But I am not so taken by the modern stuff which I think is aggressive and violent

There is Bad Rap and there is Good Rap

Although a lot of it does sadly live in the Bad Rap camp

Do you remember when we were in France and I took you to a H Magnum concert

Yes

Did you enjoy it

Very much

In my view that is where the British and French differ as the French Rap songs are more lyrical

Many of the songs over here work within very narrow parameters

Who was the first Jazz poet Stan

Although it is disputed I would imagine Langston Hughes as he was the first to write about Jazz

Possibly Carl Sandburg but Hughes was the first to embody a Jazz aesthetic and have it affect his poetic language

That is very profound

I am reading it from the book

Fraud

He wanted to create a Jazz experience

Is that yours

Yes

Have you ever been to a Jazz Club

Yes on many occasions

When

Before I got into your pants

On your own

Sometimes

But I often accompanied my parents

Dad as you know loves Jazz

Are there many Jazz Clubs in town

Yes

Will you take me to one

If baby says yes

Do you dress up

No

The Beatniks are long dead

Just rock up as you are

There are some that dress that way but it does for some reason look fake

Rather like those aged hippy’s that you meet at festivals

Grown men greying with pony tails

There is nothing wrong with that

I agree but they look faintly ridiculous

Wearing all the hippy gear

It seems to me that they are trying to recreate an era that they missed first time around

My rule is just be yourself and do not try to be something you are not whether you are five or eighty-five

Have you ever followed a trend Stan

I used to walk around barefoot

Why

Because I found it more comfortable

Why did you put your shoes back on

Because some lazy cunt left a broken bottle lying around and I ended up having some stitches

Did it scar

A bit

There is is just under my big toe

I thought that was a football injury

No it is my souvenir of Camden Town

Will you ever write a Jazz poem Stan

Yes and no I might never write a Jazz poem

Or I might write a hundred

Stan

Yes

Will you dedicate it to me

Of course

I might call it

Jane and Jazz and Jane