The Jazz of this Hotel

The poem “The Jazz of this Hotel” by Vatchel Lindsay read by Graham Donald. You can listen here

The poem contrasts the loud, “hard and cold” artificiality of city jazz with the “slower,” natural rhythms of the sea, thunder, wind, and rural life, lamenting the loss of simpler, authentic experiences for the mechanical energy of modern urban life, with lines emphasizing nature’s deep tones (tom-toms, violin, cello) against the hotel’s jarring, unrooted sound. 

The poet illuminates the  conflict between the organic, timeless rhythms of nature and the frantic, artificial energy of urban life. In the  concluding paradox, the jazz sounds “hot” but feels emotionally empty, harsh, and isolating compared to the warmth of nature and simple life.

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Why do I curse the jazz of this hotel?

I like the slower tom-toms of the sea;

I like the slower tom-toms of the thunder;

I like the more deliberate dancing knee

Of outdoor love, of outdoor talk and wonder.

I like the slower, deeper violin

Of the wind across the fields of Indian corn;

I like the far more ancient violoncello

Of whittling loafers telling stories mellow

Down at the village grocery in the sun;

I like the slower bells that ring for church

Across the Indiana landscape old. 

Therefore I curse the jazz of this hotel

That seems so hot, but is so hard and cold.