This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
From Marsalis, Jazz Profiles in Verse for Kids
Listen
0:00
Listen
Wynton Marsalis puts down his horn and picks up his pen for his latest project. It's a book called Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits, and in it, Marsalis shares his deep knowledge of jazz in all its forms with children.
Marsalis jitterbugs his way through the alphabet, profiling 26 jazz legends -- from Louis Armstrong through Dizzy Gillespie -- through a variety of poetic forms.
At first, Marsalis considered writing poems and music for each portrait. But the thought of writing music for these jazz legends just didn't seem right.
Here are a few poems from the collection:
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.