|
Native Son
(for Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong)
By
Professor ARTURO
“I remember
when he was King Zulu—
when he got
off the float and was walkin'
down Orleans
Street....I looked up and
who I saw
was him....I was a young girl then...."
—-Mrs. Emelda P.
Thomas
I
EVOLUTION
Louis...
Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong
Lil' Louie...
From impoverished childhood to musical
Sainthood
His light and life and legacy shine
forever
shine...
From us, We, the living
From the dead, rotten, and forgotten
From humble 20th century beginnings
From the passion, prejudice, and pain of his
youth
to the veneration of generations...
From his freedom and fantasy
his fruition in the tradition
his mastery and mission
his jazziness and genius
From the Private Tears and trumpetiers
Mouseketeers and racketeers
From the power of his playing
From Old Crowe and Jim Crow
From Negroes clapping and white folks paying
(a curious institution)
From the swords and the sickles and the
sausage and the pickles
From the trumpets and the strumpets
hotty-tot tarts and vejitibble carts
From Liberty and Perdido
Mayann and Willie' son (a classical linkage)
-a forever sage on a musical stage
of a magical age and era...
A New Awlins boy
A Third Ward boy
"Lil' satchel mouf boy-- lips so
big--
--look like he goin' on a trip"
From his humble roots and musical
development
From beauty's scent
softly, as in the first light
of a morning sunrise...
Jazz Specialist American
Genius Millennium Master
From a tradition...
From a brooding, melancholy blues tradition
From Congo Square shouts and stomps
From Ooga Booga
From a virtuoso who taught us how to listen
From opera singing socialites
From "hot" music emerging from ragtime
From "discerning critics of human nature"
From the articles and reviews:
"...his vivid,
powerful playing..."
"...a unique,
intense style..."
"...Such music gave
encouragement to the Negroes
to escape
from their masters..."
From the Great Migration to the
big-shouldered city
From Goin' to Chicago, All Blues, Up A Lazy
River,
on a Stormy Monday, way before
Sunny got blue
(Well
I'll be John Brown!)
...the Sportin' Life
the cabarets and clubs
the Plantation and the Showboat
the gangsters and hoodlums and pride and
pain
the goodtime gals and the Sportin' Ladies
Pretty boys and ladies' mens
the lonely wimmins, weeping at the
windows
(All That Meat And No Potatoes)
From tight-lipped solos and ratty scats
From terminal vibratos and Uptown backbeats
From New Awlins style bands to Big Time
Dance Bands
From Lakeshore Drive to Lake Shore Drive
(Goin' to Chicago)
From a tradition...
From Caribbean, Latin, and swingin' and
scattin'
From a human life
From being born of a woman
being born Backatown
From the brothels and cribs and dance halls
and dives
From physical and emotional deprivation
miseducation, family devastation
(Sometimes I feel like a
fatherless child)
From poverty and the cheapest food
From poverty and the cheapest housing
From poverty and the cheapest clothes
From poverty and the cheapest medical
facilities
From poverty and the cheapest anything
To poverty and the cheapest everything...
(a separate inequality)
From falling killer bullets on New Year's
Eve
(Falling bullets still kill)
From the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, y'all
From a barbershop quartet to a boys' home
cornet
to marches and rags
to songs of silence and
sentiment...
From composition and improvisation
to repetition and invention
(calculated, carefree swinging)
From show tunes to sho' nuff tunes
From Louis and Bernstein and Louis and Bing
to Louis, the fella with Ella
(Well, looky here)
From everybody who was somebody and anybody
who was nobody
From jazzy nights out...
From music that romances and takes a-plenty
chances
with the antses in the pantses...
Music like...
Honey, Don't You Love
Me Anymore?...
Do You Know What It
Means To Miss New
Aw-leens When You're
Smilin' In High Society?...
Save It, Pretty
Momma...Surrender Dear...
Dream A Little Dream Of
Me When It's
Sleepytime Down
South...You Made Me Love You...
Yo' Big Fat Maw And Yo'
Skinny Paw...
(Ya heard me?)
...Baby Won't You
Please Come Home...
Dis' Louis...I'm Yo'
Sweet Lil' Poppa With the Jazzy Lips...
I Git Ideas…When We're
Dancin'...I'm A Son of the South
--With Boo-Coo Jack...
I'm Yo' Big Butter and
Egg Man From the West...
I Like It
Slow...Tighter Than This & Hotter Than
That...
I'm the King of the
Zulus...I'm Not Rough...
I Ain't
Misbehavin'...Ain't Got Nobody...Once In A
While...
I'm Doin' the Georgia
Grind with Sweet Savannah Sue
Between The Devil and
the Deep Blue Sea on the
Sunny Side of the
Banket When the Saints Go Marchin' In...
(You Sho' Hit The Nail
On The Head...)
Linger In My Arms A
Little Longer and Dream A Little Dream Of
Me...
What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World...
From the blues to Broadway
From Storyville honkytonks to international
tours
From King Oliver to the British Crown (You
rascal, you)
-the greatest trumpetier New
Awlins ever put down
-lil' Dippermouth boy
-Satchelmouf Louie
-Satchmo Louie
-Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong
-Native Son…
What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World
What a Wonderful
World...
II
BLOW
Blow!
Blow
Louis, Blow!
Blow
passion and vision
Blow
Louis, Blow!
Blow
fire, desire and lust and light
Blow
life, after life (sunsets unlimited)
Blow
to rhyme and race
and time and space
and irony lace
Blow
to fulfillment and faith...
Blow
Louis, Blow!
Blow
to Fonky Fat Tuesday and Lil' Skinny Minny
Blow
to the soul of Mardi Gras (Yo', Woo-oo-ooty)
Blow
to the souls of the faithful departed (Ah
men-en-en-nnnnn)
Blow
to the people
to the principals and teachers
and the players and the preachers
to the educated tools and
uneducated fools
to the ministers, mayors and
sinister players
to whitecapped waters and redcapped
porters
to the people in the streets
to the Doo woppers and the
Dewdroppers
Blow
to the Captain on the BIG WHITE HOSS
Blow
what it means to be from
New Aw-leens
Blow
to the streets Blow to the bankets
Blow
to the siren sounds of sun-baked bankets
"Ice-cold peaches, ba-na-nas,
watuh-mell-ell-ell-on..."
Blow
to the streets
Blow
to Beale and Bourbon and Basin and Bienville
Blow
to Looziana Avenue
Blow
to Touro and Mee-row
(or Mee-row,
to be historic)
Blow
to Orleans and Claiborne
Blow
to Back Alley Alice and the old Pink Palace
Blow
to Tulane and Broad
(even
though they tore yo' house
down)
Blow
to Bessie, blue (moanin' in the moanin')
Blow
to politicians "please, please, pleasing" at
night
Blow
to Uptown studs with the Backatown Blues
Blow
like the St. Joseph's Day wind 'cross the
bayou
(when
the Injuns out)
Blow
to THE BIG CHIEF WIT'-DA GOLDEN CROWN
Blow
COUP DE FIIIII-YUH!
(Blow
the man down)
Blow
HANDA WANDA YO' MOMM-MA
Blow
SHOO-FLY DON'T BOTHA ME
Blow
IKO-IKO AHN DA-A-A-A-AY
Blow
CALDONIA! CALDONIA!
(Ooh,
Bob Sha-bam)
Blow
Louis, Blow!
Blow
for the Baby Dolls and the Baby Gig
Blow
for momma's baby and daddy's maybe
(What
Kind Of Fool Am I-I-I-I-I-I-IIIIIIIIIIII?)
Blow
Pops, Blow!
Blow
to the people
Blow
to the people
Blow
to the language of the people
Blow
for they mother and they father
Blow
for they momma and they daddy
Blow
for maw-maw
and paw-paw
Blow
"trumpetier"
jazz (not "trumpeter" jazz)
Blow
"gittin' ig'nan't" jazz (not "feeling
perturbed" jazz)
Blow
"all night long" jazz (not "last call" jazz)
Blow
"write-up" jazz (not "article" jazz)
Blow
"runnin' head" jazz (not "talking trash"
jazz)
Blow
second line jazz (not conservatory jazz)
Blow
"hot" jazz" (not "lukewarm" jazz)
Blow
"icebox" jazz (not "refrigerator" jazz)
Blow
"pecawn" jazz (not pee-can
jazz)
Blow
"perm" jazz (not "poem" jazz)
Blow
"alligator pear" jazz (not "advocado" jazz)
Blow
"Esplanade" jazz (not "Esplanod"
jazz)
Blow
"parasol" jazz (not "umbrella" jazz)
Blow
the people's jazz (not museum jazz)
Blow
Louis, Blow!
Blow
to the poor
to the dignity of the poor
the hard work of the poor...
Blow
to waitin' tables so they chirrens could
repair hearts
Blow
to makin' beds so they chirrens could run
hospitals
Blow
to not havin' a grade school education
(but they chirrens done finished
college)
Blow
to "makin' doo" and goin' without
(so they chirrens could go
wit)
Blow
to being poor, but sendin' they chirrens to
school clean
Blow
to the po' lil' chirrens who ain't had
nobody to do that
Blow
to spatial gyration on a new plantation
Blow
to the Saints and the Sinners
(and
the Sinners and the Saints)
"Don't be talkin' 'bout them Saints...
'Bless you boys'...They need
to be blessed...
Them boys lose mo' than a Taliban soldier"
(Oops -- ma ba-a-a-a-a-a-a-ad)
Blow,
Louis Blow!
Blow
to the needy and the greedy
Blow
to BIG RED BERTHA in the back
Blow
to lil' fonky Flora in the front
Blow
to Willa-mee-ee-eena!
Blow
for the Negroes!
Yes!
Yes! The Negroes!
Negroes with hainkachiffs (in they hands)
Negroes with hainkachiffs (on they heads)
Second-linin', twine-timin' Negroes!
Seas
and Seas of Negroes!
Knees
and Knees of Negroes!
You'se
and Me's of Negroes!
She's
and He's and He's and She's of Negroes!
New
Awlins Negroes!
Nanann
Negroes! Parann Negroes!
Red,
Black, and Green Negroes!
Colorful Negroes! Colorless Negroes!
Dreamgirl Negroes! Dreamboy Negroes!
Happy
and Gay Negroes!
Straight Negroes! Crooked Negroes!
Fun
Negroes! ROTUND Negroes!
Square
Negroes! Spare Negroes!
Curious Negroes! Furious
Negroes!
United
Negroes --
(no
Negroes...)
Blow for the martyrs and memory
Blow for praise and proclamation
Blow for the great river, Mesechabe
Blow for the hard work
Blow for the shovels and the axes
and the
hammas
and the
hoes...
Blow splendid songs of beauty and softness
and love
songs of heat and
passion
and flying away
together
in the
dark, tender night...
Blow the blues, Louis
Blow the blues
Blow the bondage of the blues
the freedom of the blues
the poetry of the blues
the hues and dues of the blues
the lonesome, weary blues of
Langston Hughes
Blow the hurt of the blues
the majesty of the blues
(Use yo' lips, boy -- blow)
Blow the I'ma Lil' Fat Boy From New Orleans
With Buckles On Ma Shoes
And A Horn In Ma Mouf
Blues...
Blow the jelly-shakin', booty-quakin',
banket-strollin',
unholy-rollin',
slow-grindin',
never-you-mindin' blues...
Blow the I Still Gits Jealous Backatown
Blues
the Shipwrecked Blues, the Railroad
Blues,
the I Cain't Believe It Ain't
Butter Blues,
the I Gotta Right To Sing The Big
Booty Blues
(Hey-hey HEY)
The Married Blues
The Divorced Blues
The Disorder In The Court Blues
The Why I Gotta Pay Her All That Money
Blues?
The He Ain't Payin' Me Near 'Nuff
Money Blues
The When You Snooze, You Looze Blues…
Blow the Rockin' Chair Blues the
Trumpet Lip Blues
the I Double Dare You Blues the
Put 'Em Down Blues
the Bionic Chronic Blues
the Dippermouth Blues
the Life Is A Har-ar-ard Dose O'
Medicine
Blues
the Rainin' While That Lucky Old
Sun Is Shinin' Blues
(the Devil Beatin' His Wife And
Marryin' His Daughter Blues)
the Project Blues
the Pontchartrain Park Blues (same
blues, different key)
the East Blues the Cain't We
All Git Along Blues
the NOPD Blues the Angola Bound
Blues
the I Got Picked Up For Forgery And
Cain't Even Write My Name Blues
the Nobody Loves Me But My Cellmate
(And He
Could Be Jivin', Too Blues)
the Hard Head Makes A Soft Behind
Blues
the Momma Blues the I Brought
You Here --
-- And I'll Take Yo'
Behind Away From Here Blues
the Gas Bill Blues the 'Letric
Bill Blues
the Why Them People We Keep Votin'
In Office
Let Them Light Bills Git
So High Blues
the I Ain't Gon' Slap You -- I'ma
Bat The Mess Out You Blues
the What Did I Do To Be So Black
And Blue Blues
the "Dear Old Southland" Blues
the Sharecroppin', Head-woppin',
Toe Cheese-lickin',
Poverty-stricken, I
Ain't Got No Job Blues
the Wish I Woulda Stayed In School
Blues
the Broke Blues
the Baby' Daddy Blues
the Baby' Momma Blues
the Baby' Momma' Family
Blues
the Baby Daddy'
Family Blues
the Baby Momma' Girlfriend
Blues
the Baby' Daddy' Podner
Blues
the Everybody In Yo' Bizness
Blues...
the Bugarman Blues the Bugar
Lady Blues
the Girl, Why Don't you Git You A
Job And Stop Droppin'
Them Babies Like
Puppies Blues
the Boy, Why Don't You Pull Yo'
Pantses Up -- And Git a Job--
And Stop Makin'
Them Babies Like Puppies Blues...
the Old-Fashioned Blues the
New Age Blues
the Babs Gonzales blues
the I Paid My Dues blues
Boo-Coo Blues OO--OOh-Woo
Blues
the Lewinsky Blues the Fire Engine
Red Hot Lipstick Blues
the Ice Cold Turlit Seat Blues
the Sittin' On A Slopjar Blues
the Git Down On It Blues
the Boy -- Git yo' Big Lips Out Ma
Face Blues
the Girl -- What You Mean Dinner
Ain't On The Table Yet Blues
the You Betta Git The Funk Out Ma
Face Blues
the You Ain't Gon' Be Puttin' Yo'
13 TRIPLE EEEs
Under Ma
Table No Mo' Blues...
the Gray Hair Blues the Bald
Spot Blues
the I Cleaned Out Ma Pocketbook
But I Threw The Wrong
Stuff Away Blues
the I Cain't Find My Blue Pills
Blues
the There Might Be Snow On The Roof
--
But They's Fire In The
Furnace Blues
the You Been A Good Old Wagon --
But You Done Broke Down
Blues
the Po-Boy Blues
the Walkin' To New Awlins Blues...
New Awlins -- where colorful natives dance
in the streets
(and wear red on
holidays)
New Awlins -- where the words "she passin'"
have nothing to do with grades
New Awlins -- where there existed
exhibitions of dances
that were
particularly vicious in their
"effect upon young
white women"
Dances like
the Grind, the Messaround,the Sugar Hips &
the Shimmy...
the Snake Legs, the Boo-Coo Booty, the Sugar
Foot Stomp,
the
teeny weeny, the Bulbstroker, the Camel
Hump,
the Butter Dish, the Coffee Cup, the
Hot Coffee Cup, the
Hot Coffee Cup With Cream, the
La-a-a-a-a-azy River,
the Texas Turnaround, the Howdy Booty, the
Funky Butt,
the Skankawank, the Here Minny-Minny Here
Minny-
Minny,
and the Tricky Dick
Nixon...
Blow Louis, Blow!
Blow Satchmo Summerfests and Satchmo
Sandwiches
Satchmo Pastries and Satchmo
Pasties
Satchmo Posters and Satchmo Parks
Satchmo Cigars and Satchmo
Cigarettes
Satchmo Hainkachiffs and Satchmo
Handkerchiefs
Satchmo Pavilions and Satchmo Poems
(them, too)
Satchmo Pause For The
Cause Satchmo Draws!
Blow Louis, Blow!
Blow to an era when the people's choice
was
the people's choice...
before the urbane renewal of jazz
before the "heir apparents" of jazz in need
of hip replacement
(the new jack players)
before the maddened melody of post-pubescent
punks
--talkin' 'bout they the Savior of
Jazz
before the jumpstarting upstarts who believe
what they read 'bout theyself in the
Picayune
(Dum-dum dee-dee-dee dum-dum)
--who believe them pitchers on the
covers of they See-Deez
“See-Deez
See Ma See-Deez”!!!
(like they invented
the horn)
-new prissy minstrels
-bandshell banditos
-headlines and paychecks
-corporate money changers
-slavemasters of the music
(Kenny G. jazz)
whole notes and bank notes
(bottom line jazz)
MYYYYY Ma-Ma-Ma MY-MYYYYYYYY
(Me-Me-Me-Me-Meeeeeeeeeeeee...)
May they eat English beef on a
Valuejet with Firestone Tires
May they have the accuracy of a New
Orleans weathercaster,
the honesty
of a Louisiana politician
and the
matrimonial fidelity of a New York
governor...
May they be forever condemned to
"playing for the door" --
-- at
the gates of hell (they'd be rich, then)
May they life savings be invested in
Enron
May they have the credibility of a
FOX News analyst
the truthfulness of a
White House press secretary
and the hunting skills
of Dick Cheney…
May they chirrens look
like them
May the Florida Election Committee
count they money
(and recount it, and
recount it, and recount it...)
They think "chitlin circuit" is a
piece of pork in a radio
They think "payin' dues" is something
you do in a social aid & pleasure club
(“SEE DEEZ!!! SEE DEEZ!!!
SEE MA SEE DEEEEEEEEEEZ”!!!)
Blow Louis, Blow!
Blow for their souls and the souls of the
faithless, departed
(the wicked fire of earthly desire)
Blow for their imitations of life and
perpetuation of unimagination
Blow for their mass-consumed melodies
(like they rewritin' musical achievement and
presentation)
-no impact on the
music
-just imitation of
the music (auction block jazz)
-recon figuration of
the music
-like they done generated a genre
-like the music owe
them sumpin'
-like they done rewrote history
-like they done WALKED OVER THE
WATERS AND FREED THE SLAVES
-like they not benefittin' from
things like --
lil' things like --
the denouement of segregation
Neo Populism
a
wider ranging musical literacy
Integration
the Internet
the New Technology
the advent of amplification
the New Technocracy
Mega-mass consumption
the redefinition of Liberalism
Monopolistic entertainment entities --
-- and the fact that
they had
people like Louis Armstrong
to build on
in the first place...
Blow Louis, Blow...
III
Afternoon
In Armstrong Park
That
afternoon in Armstrong Park
two
lovers, holding hands
A serene,
sentimental song in their hearts
of far and
distant lands
They
laughed and tickled and teased each other
throughout
their music's din
and
breathed their laughter into the air
in the
Indian Summer wind
That afternoon in
Armstrong Park...
(c)
2000
Portions of this poem
appeared in the
New York Quarterly 2009. |
