Jazz And Love Poem by John Knight

What is Jazz - What is Love?
You can ask the questions - don't expect answers.

Jazz is free and yet constrained
Love comes and goes as it pleases - within constraints

Jazz is wild and yet restrained
Love liberates but seldom completely.

Jazz is open and yet contained
Love is singular but it takes two to tango

Jazz is unscored and yet maintained
Love doesn't need a manual but practice makes perfect.

Jazz has many forms - hot - cool - free - swing - soul
Combos have a style but can experiment infinitely
Love is a many splendored thing
But worldwide the basics are very similar

Jazz is spiritual and has graudually evolved
From the angst of the downtrodden slaves
Love is also spiritual - and is a natural emotion
A gift from God a compensation for being Human!

No two Jazz Sessions are ever the same
Even with the same 'line up' and the same 'number'
No two Love Sessions are ever the same
And sometimes the performance surprizes even us!

Classical Music is scored and proscribed
And needs a Conductor to keep it on track.
Pure Jazz and True Love are uninhibited
They just connect and 'Go with the Flow'.

Jazz can be played anywhere and any time
It is played from the heart and from the soul.
Love is not restricted by space and time
It works best when the brain is in neutral!

All attempts to classify Jazz are futile
There are too many loose ends and grace notes!
All attempts to classify Love are futile
There are also too many loose ends and grace notes!

(John Knight - Colchester - October 2009)