I read this poem to open the inDIGenous Jazz Concert Series show in October 2019. It is my belief that every time we perform it is an experience to be had by all, that we, the musicians and listeners, create something beautiful together.

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Music Magic

By Betsy Ezell

The music magic moves us.

We hold the tension

and then it snaps.

It swings and sways

like a 6/8 slow dance.

Like Otis, Aretha, Sam and Etta –

a bared soul I can’t resist.

Feel the turn of the tune

and the time and the beat;

the strum and pluck

and whack of the drum.

Hear the resolution

and the resistance.

A song of strength, a warrior shouting to the sky;

like a raised fist with a microphone in it.

The melodies subvert independence.

This show needs you as much as us.

In these four walls, interdependence.

There is no us and you; 

tonight there is we.

What luck we’re here,

sharing and bridging

the space between

the verses, choruses and bridges.