Midnight

It's impossible to get fed up with Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" (1,2). I was taking some photos of Molde in the late evening, and reading the Beat author Bob Kaufmann's poem "Round About Midnight". So here you get Molde, Kaufman and Bobby McFerrin with Herbie Hancock (p) and Tony Williams (dr, cigar). I'm not too happy with vocalists of the virtuoso kind (I often end up asking "where is the song?"), but McFerrin is unbelievable. I guess Kaufman's poem will never end up in the world canon of great poetry, but I think it was meant as a text to improvise around, backed by some hot jazz music.

ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT

Jazz radio on a midnight kick,
Round about Midnight.

Sitting on the bed,
With a jazz type chick
Round about Midnight.

Piano laughter in my ears,
Round about Midnight.

Stirring laughter, dying tears,
Round about Midnight.

Soft blue voices, muted grins,
Exciting voices, Father's sins,
Round about Midnight.

Come on baby, take off your clothes,
Round about Midnight.

Bob Kaufman, from "The Portable Beat Reader" (Penguin Classics, 1992)