By Kim Hesas [appeared in QB Newsletter vol. 2, issue i]
hold the note by Domenico Capilongo speaks to the musician, the family-minded, the jazz enthusiast, and the poetry lover. Lines crafted to push the limits of linearity and metre strike a chord – and I don’t just mean the dominant seventh jazz chord – with metaphors that resonate throughout the book. The collection is divided into three distinct parts: the jazzy syncopation of “jazzista,” the reminiscent, sexy, and at times, comical “nessun dorma” section, and the emotionally charged reflections of “after midnight”. Any collection of poetry that can quote the Weakerthans, pay tribute to Louis Armstrong, and reference Leonard Cohen is all right by me: hold the note is accessible and entertaining. In his description of “how jazz can improve your life,” Capilongo writes, “listen til you hear it/ listen till you hear/ your heart breathing/ skin opening to the night.” Like a great jazz performance or a glass of whisky, hold the note goes down smooth as you immerse yourself in the language and enjoy.
