Sweet lover of my soul, my drum teacher Bro. Shahid has loaned me his copy of this phat 5 hour documentary on John Coltrane (http://www.johncoltrane.com/swf/main.htm) called “How Long Trane Been Gone.” (http://www.artistowned.com/album_detail.cfm?artistid=159&albumid=53)The title comes from a Jane Cortez (http://aalbc.com/authors/jayne.htm)poem of the same name. I have listened to the first of the 5 cd ’s twice, and about half of the second. It has inspired me to start writing some. I am so excited. Keep a look out for some new poems on the site. because I feel like I am breaking though my writers’ block. Below is the text for Cortez’s poem as well.
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How Long Has Trane Been Gone
by Jayne Cortez
Tell me about the good things
you clappin & laughin
will you remember or will you forget
forget about the good things
like BIues & Jazz being black
Yeah black Music
all about you
And the musicians that
write & play about you
A black brother groanin
A black sister moanin
and beautiful black children
ragged under-fed laughin
not knowin
will you remeber their names
or do they have no names
No lives-only products
to be used when you wanta
dance fuck & cry
You takin-they givin
You livin-they creating
starving dyin trying
to make a better tomorrow
giving you & your children
a history
But what do you care about
history-blackhistory
and John Coltrane
NO
all you wanta do
is pat your foot
sip a drink & pretend
with your head bobbin up & down
what do care about acoustics
bad microphones or out of tune pianos
and noise
you the clubowners and disc jockeys
made a deal didnt you
a deal about Black Music
& you really dont give
a shit long as you take
There was a time
When KGFJ played all black music
from bird to Johnny Ace
on show after show
but what happened
I’ll tell you what happened
They divided black music
doubled the money
and left us split again
is what happened
John Coltrane dead
and some of you
have yet to hear him play
How how long has that trane been gone
And how many more Tranes will go
before you understand your life
John Coltrane had the whole of
life wrapped up in B flat
John Coltrane like Malcom
true image of black masculinity
Now tell me about the good things
I’m tellin you about
John Coltrane
A name that should ring
throughout the projects mothers
Mother with sons
who need John Coltrane
need the warm arm of his music
like words from a father
words of comfort words of Africa
words of welcome
How long how long has that Trane been gone
John palpitating love notes
in a lost-found Nation
within a Nation
his music resounding
discovery
signed Always
John Coltrane
Rip those dead white people off your walls Black people
your walls Black people
black people whose walls
should be a hall
A Black Hall of Fame
so our children will know
will know & be proud
Proud to say I’m from Parker City, Coltrane City,
Ornette City,
Pharoah City living on Holiday street next to James Brown
Park in
the state of Malcolm
How long
How long will it take for you to understand
that Trane been gone
riding in a portable radio
next to your son lonely
Who walks walks walks into nothing
No city No State No Home No Nothing
How long how long have black people been gone
