Struttin with Some Barbecue
Born on the 4th of July 1900, if you believe him,
or August 4, 1901, if the fact-checker rules;
same birthday as Shelley; a Leo, with Aries rising,
New Orleans his native city, “Struttin with Some Barbecue,”
the Hot Five, the trumpet of a prophecy.
“Mistakes, that's all rebop is,” he said. He saw
jazz reduced to a species of chamber music.
“You've got to carry the melody,” he insisted.
Wore a Star of David around his neck;
smoked gage every day, “a thousand times
better than whiskey”; loved “The Genuineness
of Asses.” The envious said he clowned too much,
was on terms too familiar with the ofay in-crowd.
Ça ne fait rien. Music is supreme in his soul.
— DL