They came because high-fashion magazines
Assured the sound accessorised Armani
They came because they missed it first time round
And were awfully keen to miss it once again
They came because their Berkeley lecturer
Spoke of such exceptional technique
They bought that self-same trumpet
But could not buy a soul to sound like ‘Diz’
They came because of Air Conditioning –
When someone said ‘hey man’ they felt real cool
In deeper velvet darkness than the movies
More like a church where Jesus pats His feet
They came because the truth astonishes
When spoken in so many vivid tongues
They came because The Blues and blues alone
Can purify and heal the living blues
The way only a diamond
Can cut and dress a diamond
Bernard Saint
Illustration: Claire Palmer
.