Swayin' to the Beat

Been pecking away at this Jazz Poem since September. Still consider it "work in progress," but saw the call to share, so am sharing at dVerse Meeting the Bar: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

He plays a mean guitar, this one-time star,

  the crowd waits, anticipates

            those old tunes, crooned…

Takin’ ‘em back to that old Rat Pack—

            movin’ to the groove;

Frankie and Dean, Sammie and Tony…

  then he turns it around,

                        lowers voice down

adds some scat 

            ‘n quick as that 

Louie and Nat are in the house.

Not done yet, throws in some clarinet

  and a little sax from his combo tracks—

he holds the crowd, 

                        cranks it loud;

  turns up the heat with that steady beat,

            that keeps it rollin’ down to their soul.

Then he takes the sound and slows it down

             orders up another round

and settles the score with a song or two more.

Too soon then, his evening ends…

  he walks away,  leavin’ crowd swayin’

                        to the beat

©  Ginny Brannan 2014

Inspired, in part at least, by many singers, including this gentleman who has entertained where I work and does an amazing Louie Armstrong-Mr. Jerome Robinson.
*Image: Google Images, guitar player.