And All That Jazz

From East to west enslaved in chains To work the fields, make tracks for trains They sang their song antiphonally To dull their day, hide misery Those blues notes hit in wailing tone And words about the heavenly home Their doleful sounds had paved the way To blues and jazz in later day Rhythms and chords became complex Joplin’s ragtime was a great success For well practiced piano on old upright Those old time rags are still a delight New Orleans was where it began In ghettos for blacks with time on their hands From morning to night they developed their skills On trumpets, sax, it staved off their ills Mastering their instruments with deft virtuosity Jazzy riffs marked by smart improvisatory The Mississipi paddle boats chugged their way Aboard, the sounds of jazz in full sway Entertaining, with a sense of pride Scat singing, cross rhythms, boogie and stride And took their art to far off places Strutting their stuff, no airs and graces White bands were now beginning to swing Inclusion slowly becoming the thing With time to go, but heading that way In church, brilliant gospel helped them to pray Spirituals continued to highlight their plight Fair treatment becoming within their sight Jazz continues to wow one and all In different forms to really enthrall Miles Davis and Matt Dennis both just the same With jazz in mind, they played the same game Blues and jazz have impacted new sounds As popular as ever its music abounds