JAZZ

Myers, Walter Dean.  2006. JAZZ.  Ill. by Christopher Myers.  New York:Holiday House.  ISBN 9780823415458.

The book, Jazz, by Walter Dean Myers is a musically poetic tribute to the birthplace of jazz music, New Orleans.  The poetry carefully and thoughtfully shows the evolution and relationship between the music and New Orleans.  This colorful book offers up background information to provide a context and then weaves together poem after poem about the people, places, and instruments of jazz music throughout history.  Although some of the pieces are a bit mature for younger audiences, there are pieces that could be shared with students of all age groups.  The illustrations are richly colorful --just like the music—with a variety of scripts and fonts for emphasis as the words dance around the page mimicking the musical pacing of jazz. 

                                                                                     

“Twenty-Finger Jack" appears with a picture of a soulful looking man who hands, shown on the piano keys, give the impression of twenty fingers. This piece would be a great to get the kids up and moving as the piece personifies the instruments and music.  The rhythm and rhyme scheme are reflective of the style of music and offer a slowing and acceleration students will find enjoyable as they interact with the text. 

Well, the walls are shaking,
and the ceiling’s coming down
‘Cause twenty-finger Jack
has just come back to town
The keyboard’s jumping,
and the music’s going round
and round
If he had any sense,
he left it in the lost-and-found
He here go
Be ba boodie, be ba boodie, boo
Be ba boodie, be ba ba ba, boodie, boo

The onomatopoeia present in the piece is a great way to draw students in and allow them the opportunity to feel like a real “jazzer” as they sing along with the piece.  The book highlights the strong connection between New Orleans, Jazz, and the African American community.  With such greats as Louis Armstrong featured on the pages, children will get a lesson on many historical elements as the pages unfold.  In addition to the background information in the back, the book also offers a glossary for some unfamiliar terms.  A fun extension may be to integrate jazz instruments into the lesson and allow students the opportunity to play on the instruments to accompany their poetry.