Jazz Poetry (Essay Sample)

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JAZZ POETRY.
Bob Kaufman wrote two jazz poems that utilized war to symbolize the rumbling sounds of jazz music. In the first poem, 'Battle report,' he uses "a thousand saxophones infiltrate the city/each with a man inside, (Kaufman 1/2)”. The two lines in the poem show a city under eminent jazz attack. Jazz is seen to be living and entirely instrumental in the life of society.
A thousand saxophones are used to show jazz music as being loud enough. The instruments notify the city occupants to be ready since jazz music is looming in the air. The saxophones are all blown by men, and they contain different messages to different individuals in society. The selves idea is demonstrated by the fact that each saxophone was played by an individual and designed for every individual’s needs.
‘ten waves of trombones approach / under blue cover (Kaufman 7/8)’. The poet uses these war terminologies to emphasize that a jazz band is huge and subdivided into groups, with each group identifying itself with an instrument of its own. The band is depicted as well organized since it plays late in the evening when the city is tired and about to sleep.
'five generals gathered in the gallery/ blowing plans (Kaufman 16/17).’ This last part identifies generals who are figurative for the jazz players who play so well using their instruments. The generals are the ones controlling the flow of jazz music.
The purpose of the poem, in my view, is that the poet wanted to convey to society and to the reader that jazz music is powerful and capable of controlling society.
The second poem seems to depict war since we even have people crying and pushing and grabbing. Kaufman uses ‘While Jazz blew in the night / Suddenly they were too busy to hear a simple sound / They were busy shoving mud in men’s mouths, / Who were busy dying on the living ground (20/23). These lines show how jazz impacts society. Society is hit by soothing jazz music that they get lost in their duties.
‘What one hundred percent red blooded savage, would waste precious Time / Listening to jazz, with so many important things going on (Kaufman 28/29).’ The poet further goes on to show the purpose and various uses of jazz music. Initially, Jazz was figuratively used by the armed group to initiate war. However, the same jazz music is used to ease their thoughts as they rest, having murdered people at this point in the war. The poet