To hear the author perform this spoken word poem, please visit https://files.press.uillinois.edu/journals/supplemental/jac/vol_5_1_2022/For Bobby Few (1935–2021)Cheers to a life well played—ting!I.In 1969Paris was still shaken not stirred.Rocked the city was,riots, protests, cars afire.1We gon’ set this world ablaze in 1968,the students said,the counterculture said,the outsiders said,the Black folk said.No acted, no pushed, no marched,reached out hands for othersreached out hands to shield (sigh)the blow.Police chasin, doggin heels, runnin,burnin, bustin up a city not listenin to cries,cries of an American too,not listening to criesthat mourned:Where my Martin?Where my Malcolm?Where where where?Myyyyyyy own . . . shackled, pushed asunder, beaten down,my own . . . submerged beneath a system not listening.Not just American,Not just French,That beatdown been all aroundUs. We, crying out for justice Cryin and movin Can't keep us downStill some left.Some said sayonara, adios, adieu.Say what about France? Why not?Cause we BEEN comin Black & American we BEEN comin,Been comin since 1917, what?What's that sound? they said.Picked up the horns and shook ’em.It must be new, different, what is this thing called jazz?1917, 1946 we BEEN comin, BEEN hereWaves and waves and waves and waves of wavesWe been struttin through this City of LightNow enlightened by jazz, a beacon for others to come.Paris.Paris’ seductive siren call soaring across years and oceans to the Blackand American.Yes this repeated seduction so savory after years and years and years and years of Black push back against the U.S.Come?Why not?2And so, many came.1960s U.S. meet 1960s France:Bonjour Nathan Davis, Ah Bonjour Donald Byrd, Oui Bonjour Archie Shepp,Rebonjour Jeanne Lee as you come and you go.And then voila Monsieur Bobby Few.II.Runnin runnin . . . runnin runnin . . . runnin runninfrom the Po-lice3But really, they lookin for you Black man?Lookin differentSoundin differentYour freedom movesdiff-feh-rahndiff-feh-rahn from French Blackness unvoicedBlack, noirFrench saw BlackBut heard EnglishBlack sounded American to the pretending-to-be-unfamiliar-with-race Frenchthe Frenchdreamin Americanchasin American soundyeahhhhBlack American soundsteppin into 1960s Parisyeahhhh Albert Ayler step-plopstep-step step step-plopstep-plopppyahhhh 1960s Frank Wrightslide-crack, slide-baby-slide-crrrrrackkkkk-kkk-kkkkYEAH Archie Shepp in 1960s Pariswah-haahhhhhhhhhhh, Wahhhhhahhh, wy-yahhhhhh, wy-yahhhhhh, wee-yah,We are Here!Yeahhh 1960s Bobby FewSmoo-ooth, Smooth-ooh-ooth-ooh-ooth entrance, yeah-wow, smooth wowh- how, smooth-wow-pow! Smooth-wow. Smooth-wow, enter Few. Bobby Few Enter.III.Wow!Wow jazz free!Coloring smooth transitionSituating moo-oo-oo-oo-oods of liberationIn wanting, pulling, seducingWanting, pulling, seducingWanting wanting wanting French crowdsWowwwwww, jazz freeFew coloring outside linesof sharp shouts and blasts and BLATSand Black power fists of soulful criescries and jazzsmooooooth-SPLATFew coloring moods of liberation in our soulsFewThat gentle soulFewHe blew up the world!His smoooooth attack on the social normcoloring underneath social unrestto reach one soulthen one soulSmoo-ooth Bobby Few easing past color linesto move one soooooooulto touch our sooooulsto tell my soulIV.Click-clank-ting.Ting.Few and me click-clank.4Click-clank, clank-cl-clank, click-clank. Ting.Remembering ting-ting.Relating click-clank ting.Few and me-ting.and others-ting.Smoooooth Few coloring others in the Parisian jazz scene.His smoooooth ting-ting-ting attack on the social normcoloring underneath social unrestto reach one-ting-soulthen one-ting-soulthen one-ting-ting-ting-soul.That gentle soul Bobby Fewcoloring outside lines of jazz FREE, jazz BLACK, jazz AMERICAN.Easing past color lines—national divides.Few coloring moods of liberation,Liberation one soul to the next coloring.Colors bleeding from the continued beatdown of oppression-suppressionBeat-beat-beat-beat coloring.Ting.Color of living Black in the U.S., no African in France,No Black in the U.S. No. Yes. No. African in France.No both.Few's Black and African and American pushing backBEATDOWNS.But smoooooooth-Wowhow-smooth-Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!Few's jazz meets Black and white and the other and another in the echoes of the BEATDOWNThe beat-beat-BEATDOWN of Paris.Few's jazz Black, Black as all,Black as universal without silencing but sounding dif-feh-rahnce inside univer- sal freedom.Few, that gentle soul blowing UP!Wow free jazz!Wow-smooth wow-wow-wow-wow-wow-smooth. Wow-smoooth-wowwwww.Coloring a freedom Black and all.That gentle soul.Ting-wow, that gentle soul.Wow blowing up colors of Black and blue.That gentle soul blowing colors of Black and blue in 1969 Paris.Ting!