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The Language of Saxophones : Selected Poems of Kamau Daáood

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Linda Jo Smith
Reviews

When I think saxophone, I think jazz and how its sound resonates through my auditory receptacles, creating awesome spiritual guidance to whatever turnpike I'm led to tour on my human journey. The stability of its raspy crescendos comforts me as I sit to write this review.
The Language of Saxophones is a historic retrospection for those who are familiar with the works of jazz, its writers, singers and performers. Those who seek to become more familiar will find it intriguing. It reminds us jazz connoisseurs of our duty to share this powerful legacy with our young loved ones to keep it alive and burning.
Reading Language of Saxophones was like a tour of a virtual musical museum flowing from one chamber to the next with Daaood as the tour guide divulging secrets of artists like Billie Holiday and Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, Paul Robeson and Art Blakey, and others all in cultural context of each era. Reading these valuable tidbits, invited me to experience the jazz legacy not only as an enlightened jazz lover, but one can see our vulnerable selves in the lives of these jazz icons.
The book is divided into what I dubbed as time chambers in which the writer creates his "saxophone sojourns." Daaood's first two sections or time chambers, "Spear Rituals 1970-1979 and Liberator of the Spirit 1980-1989), were hard-core and pulsating as I found myself moaning, grunting, grinning and grimacing (as Daawood often used anal references).
My favorite time chambers were "Wounded with a Blessing/1990-1999" and "Search for the Purest Water on Earth/2000-2004" These last two sections seem to focus on Daaood's familial and personal journeys but you sense the linguistics of the saxophones in the background.
Within each chamber are poetic portraits expressing jazz in sultry, conflicting, spiritual, intoxicating, supernatural ways translating the experience into the Language of the Saxophones.

I personally grew up musically in Leimert Park. The first person I met was Kamau Daaooud at The World Stage in Los Angeles,CA. After all he is one of the elders of The Village. I was taken by his robust, deep voice and the manner in which he delivers his spoken word. His voice reminds me of some of the old preachers in the black churches and how they inspired the people. I've had the pleasure and honor of performing with him through the Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra. I personally own this book. If you are ever in the Los Angeles area, you have to see him live. He also has an album with some of his gorgeous pieces, it's called Leimert Park. He's an inspriration to both hear and read. As a human being, he's a kind and gentle soul. It's fully conveyed in his work. If you are looking for something to open your heart and spirit, check him out. I promise, you won't regret it.

Imagine a spoken word to the tune of a musical jazz selection. Can you hear the wail of the sax? Can you feel the tempo and rhythm as it calibrates into sensations of smooth poetry, floating off your ears? Kamau Daáood transcends reason with his version of this popular language, guiding us as he uses metaphors and melodies to describe THE LANGUAGE OF SAXOPHONES.

A powerful collection, broken into sections ranging from 1970 through 2004, Daáood takes us on a dance with him, revisiting each era, sharing his insights. Vivid images come to mind as the poems are read, reflecting on his artistic nature. Woven like an intricate web, he chronicles his anger against racism and injustices, while at the same time, allows us to witness his influence on others. Like a sensuous dance, the poems go up and down, seemingly getting better as they progress, allowing the reader to hold onto a piece of time in the process.

Poetry cannot be explained, as it is revealed within the voice of the poet. Although the poems did get better as they progressed, some of the poems featured were as if they were being modeled specifically from a musical standpoint, which might confuse some readers, especially if they don't have any musical background. A little raw around the edges, this book is definitely one that caters to the spoken word crowd. If you're not deeply embedded within this realm of the poetic culture, it might not be the book for you, but if you are, you've just stumbled across quite a gem.

Reviewed by Belinda
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers