Jazz and Poetry for a Rainy Monday
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This morning I was reading Nine Horses, a collection of poetry by Billy Collins, and I ran across a poem called "Tipping Point," which was inspired by the music of Eric Dolphy.Here's the poem, and there is some sample music at the link provided below. “Tipping Point,” by Billy CollinsAt home, the jazz station plays all day,So sometimes it becomes indistinct,Like the sound of rain,Birds in the background, the surf of traffic.But today I heard a voice announceThat Eric Dolphy, 36 when he died,Has now been dead for 36 years.I wonder ---Did anyone sense somethingWhen another Eric Dolphy lifetimeWas added to the span of his life,When we all took another Full Dolphy step forward in time,Flipped over the Eric Dolphy yardstick once again?It would have been so subtle ---Like the sensation you might feelAs you passed through the momentAt the exact center of your lifeOr as you crossed the equator at night in a boat.I never gave it another thought,But could that have been the little shiftI sensed a while agoAs I walked down in the rain to get the mail?http://db.cs.berkeley.edu/jmh/music/dolphy.htmlhttp://www.salon.com/05/reviews/dolphy.html
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