Teeming with pathos, redemption and wisecracks, this strange tale blooms leaves the listener breathless, au bout de souffle -- and that ain't just whistling pixies.

Bansari, trumpet, and percussion: jhafur khan azad darakht;

Bass, vocals and organ salad: Joel Banner Baird

So it goes:

Snide villain

beyond the pale of shades

fast-draws zeros:

oblong fetters

rattle high noon escapades;

eggshell obloquy

saves the day.

Better now, better now

to high-tail westward ho

in mid-step, high-stepping

missteps —

deeper than tire-tread,

tried-and-true,

you time-slippers, you.

So long, telephone,

Ozark campground and chaperone;

He’d rather wriggle and hiss

quartz notes and trilobite tics

in true tectonic time.

No going home to the metronome, no -

no going home to the metronome:

hightail westward ho.

—jbb 19Jan2022

an anthem to the collective possibility

jhaffur khan azad darakth: drums, trumpets, clarinet

Joel Banner Baird: acoustic bass, piano

photo of Toda women dancing by Ramya Reddy

stir fly and whirl away*

jhaffur khan azad darakth: trumpet, flutes, percussion

Joel Banner Baird: acoustic bass, keyboard

*transcription purported to be from R. Ghosh Sullivan, 1832

jhaffur azad darakth: drums, silver flute, voice

Joel Banner Baird:acoustic bass, classical guitar

Les règles de la neige

Mais c'est beau,

c'est trop choette

c'est la voix de l'oiseau,

c'est le choix des bibliothèques,

c'est la danse de la pêche,

c'est le dernier livre,

c'est ce que je recherche,

c'est le premier à vivre !

c'est ma généreuse muse

c'est un cri de mon coeur

c'est une pensée que j'excuse

c'est du pain plein de beurre

c'est noir blanc et beige

c'est la source de l'argot

c'est les règles de la neige

c'est trop beau.

Jhaffur khan azad darakth

A brief interlude of sheetless chambered music

jhaffur khan azad darakth: silver flute

Joel Banner Baird, classical guitar and acoustic bass

Still waters of the Danube run deep with the toe tips of moon livers - ancient boatman's song in situ

Joel Banner Baird: acoustic bass, slide acoustic guitar

jhaffur khan azad darakth: Am harmonica, clarinet, vocals, tablas

A view of the desert seen from the eyes of a gazelle redolent with Raga Yaman

jhaffur khan azad darakth: plays bansuris, and percussion

Joel Banner Baird: acoustic bass and slide guitar

Hold your horses everyone is chompin at the bits

jhaffur khan azad darakth: drums, silver flute, clarinet

Andrew Alter: pianos

Joel Banner Baird: acoustic guitar

mceucalips: conga combo percussion

decibells and diadems heard together shine like gems

Joel Banner Baird: acoustic bass and

bass cumbush

From the heady golden age of bollywood - we invite you to hear this historic story.

Jankidas Pyarelal

book binders extraordinaire

by special order of her Majesty the Queen

Jankidas Pyarelal

Antiquarian, Collector

All that's printed is not seen

For your finest treasures

you but have to call

Jankdas Pyarelal

Invites you to his secret reading room

secret sharing chyoom chyoom chyoom

sight unseen

Book binders to the Queen"

jhaffur khan azad darakth: drums, vocals and kazoo

Joel Banner Baird: fender bass and electric guitar.