{"id":268,"date":"2009-11-13T13:51:01","date_gmt":"2009-11-13T18:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/2009\/11\/winners_and_their_blues\/"},"modified":"2011-04-28T16:33:24","modified_gmt":"2011-04-28T20:33:24","slug":"winners_and_their_blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2009\/11\/winners_and_their_blues.html","title":{"rendered":"Winners and their blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winners of this blog’s first Blues Lyric Contest are suitably\u00c2\u00a0troubled — and all get Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nels<\/span>on\u00c2\u00a0Play the Music of Ray Charles<\/span> DVDS to ease their weary minds. All have expressed regrets they can’t get to \u00c2\u00a0Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts of Wynton and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra celebrating for Mary Lou Williams’ centennial or<\/span>\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0alto saxist Maceo Parker, so sadly those tix go wanting. But that’s the blues for ya. . .\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First prize to Vikram Devasthali<\/span>, LA-based trombonist who blogs at t<\/a>wentydollars.wordpress.com<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0— he wrote:\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Death
\nin the morning, lying next to me in bed<\/span>
her
\neyes are stormy, and her lips an angry red<\/span>
she
\nsays she loves me, and my heart forgets my head.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
Death
\nin the daytime, up and leaves me by myself<\/span>
heard
\nthrough the grapevine, she belongs to someone else<\/span>
she’s
\na deceiver, but she does it awful well.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
Death
\nin the evening, when my senses come undone<\/span>
she
\ndon’t believe me, when I tell her she’s the one<\/span>
she
\nmakes me swear it, at each dying of the sun.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
Death
\nin my nightmares, wraps her left hand round my neck<\/span>
and
\nwith the right one, thrusts a knife into my chest<\/span>
my life’s a card game, and my
\nwoman stacked the deck.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n


\n<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Second prize to singer-songwriter\u00c2\u00a0Andrea Wolper<\/span><\/a>\u00c2\u00a0for this ditty:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mandel
\ndon’t love me<\/span>
He
\ntreats me awful mean<\/span>
Mandel
\ndon’t love me<\/span>
He
\ntreats me awful mean<\/span>
Asks
\nme to write ’bout<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Chi-town
\nand New Orleans
<\/span>\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
Says
\nhe want songs ’bout<\/span>
Gath’rings
\nin Congo Square<\/span>
Asks
\nus for songs ’bout<\/span>
Gath’rings
\nin Congo Square<\/span>
Problem
\nfor me is,<\/span>
Baby,
\nI wasn’t there<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
Wants
\nto see songs ’bout<\/span>
Ragtime
\n‘n blues ‘n swing<\/span>
Wants
\nto see verses ’bout<\/span>
Bolden,
\nBechet, ‘n “King”<\/span>
Scratchin’
\nmy head ’cause<\/span>
Can’t
\nthink of anything<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
Mandel
\nsaid, “post about<\/span>
‘merican
\nroots of jazz:<\/span>
Villanelles,
\nhaikus, ‘n blues<\/span>
’bout
\nthe roots of jazz”<\/span>
Must
\nbe too hard, though<\/span>
‘Cause
\nlook here:<\/span>
Nobody
\nhas.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n


\n
\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

(Ms. Wolper has also written and sings “Grey, Not Blue”<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0which begins:\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Storm clouds over head<\/span>
Tears upon my pillow<\/span>
No one home to tell my
\ntroubles to<\/span>
Lyin’ on my bed,<\/span>
Cryin’ like a willow,<\/span>
Tryin’ to hold on to
\nall the things that I once thought I knew<\/span>
Shadows creep and steal
\nmy sleep<\/span>
And that is why I’m
\nGray, Not Blue . . .<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n


<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00c2\u00a0. . . and continues through a bluesy chorus of duetting guitarist Ron Affif<\/span> & bassist Ken Filiano<\/span>; nice, al, thanks, it’s a treat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3rd prize to Jennifer Lemming<\/span>\u00c2\u00a0— I think she discovered the contest via Twitter<\/span>\u00c2\u00a0who writes:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

I found about it \u00c2\u00a0because I subscribe to The Arts Journal . . .My influences are – my mother who sang in the community w\/her 2 sisters. My family is from the south, so music was very, very important. PBS which introduced me to a very wide variety of music. I also lived in Elkhart, In – Selmer and Conn band instrument companies, Baldwin piano. I studied the violin all through high school. Our orchestra teacher actually arranged Chuck Mangone’s \u00c2\u00a0“El Gato Triste” for full orchestra for us to play. * I’ve got a list of poems published, won an award and actually have a song on an independent CD.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0So this contest was a great outlet for me.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

— for “I Can’t Sleep Baby Blues,” in which the povs of both parties may be thought to come alive –\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n

Story
\ntime is over, we’ve come to the end of the book.<\/span>
Story
\ntime is over and we’ve come to the end of the book.<\/span>
My
\nmommy’s hoping that’s all it took.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
I’m
\nlying on my cot and it is time for nap<\/span>
the
\nlight are low and it’s time for nap.<\/span>
mommy’s\u00c2\u00a0 <\/span>beside me, giving my back a pat.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I
\ngot the I can’t sleep Baby Blues.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
The
\nstuffing is coming out of my bear,<\/span>
she
\nleans done to whisper “hush, hush”<\/span>
while
\nI play with a strand of her hair.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
I
\ngot the I can’t sleep Baby Blues.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
My
\nlegs are achin’, they are achin’ from running that playground<\/span>
My
\nleg are achin’ from runnin that play ground<\/span>
My
\neyes are closed but I’m still chasin’ that ball around.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Shadows
\ndance on the wall,<\/span>
shadows
\ndance over on that wall.<\/span>
There’s
\none in the corner about ten feet tall.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
I’m
\nso sick of hearing about those stars a-twinkling in the sky.<\/span>
I
\njust rub my eyes, kick my feet and cry.<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
I
\ngot the I can’t sleep baby blues<\/span>
You
\nknow I got the I can’t sleep baby blues<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n
First runner-up is\u00c2\u00a0Mike Borowski<\/span>, a guitarist in the jazz performance program at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh who has a tango group which he says “plays a lot of Astor Piazzolla and John Zorn” — check out their website<\/a>. His lyric was inspired by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.<\/a> <\/span>\u00c2\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

I’ve
\ngone and sold my riches baby, things will never be the same<\/span>
I’ve
\ngone and sold my riches baby, things will never be the same<\/span>
I
\nmoved on down country, no more will I live in shame<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
Gone
\non down to Rosewater, gonna help the sick and lame<\/span>
Gone
\non down to Rosewater, gonna help the sick and lame<\/span>
Gonna
\ntell em to keep on livin’, while I drink my life away<\/span>
\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>
God
\nbless that Mr. Rosewater, hes the only one that knows<\/span>
God
\nbless that Mr. Rosewater, hes the only one that knows<\/span>
There flows a money river, but
\nonly a few know where it goes<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n


<\/span>The next Jazz Beyond Jazz Blues Lyric Contest will specifically include Blues Rap. Stay tuned . . .
<\/span>
<\/span><\/div>\n

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