Chicago Jazz Composers Collective

Green Mill: the bar shaped like a long question mark
statue’s in the corner holding grapes
lights up warming orange against a yellow ceiling
starlight’s bluely painted over the bottle tops
Niema Sclitza, niema piwa
seats perched on the edge of jaws
people loose and dwelling inward
camping inside a house
inside a tender mountain
infront of a fireplace
burning on stage
an excuse to talk close
with finger tips

Geof Bradford Quartet came before
Matt Ulery Ensemble comes next

breaking a stalk of milkweed open in the morning
field of stranger's heat
clean and by itself
running down the chandelier
around which the wheels turn
blowing across the skin
where
is that coming from
where
are you
waking so proud
tell me
where you’ve been
on some ship of leather shoes
crossing through a puddle
under a rippling sky
woven through gray branches
that will be busy
with tomorrow's mouthful of rose petals
tips scorched by frost
honey colored edges
rinsed in the sea
through what cargo holds have you come
speaking giraffe to a mouse
in grapes, traffic jams, last August, a Thursday
nearly awake in new skin
breathing out through my pockets
swooning electric on rails
hands stretched over drums
purple becomes her sigh
something
is burning
a song’s slope
solids in solution
running out of ribbons
gift upon gift
unearthed

Berto

Written while at/and inspired by:

Chicago Jazz Composers Collective
January 28, 2007
Featured composers
Geof Bradfield
Matt Ulery