Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon

<b>A suite of poems about a percussionist in 1970 Spanish Harlem music circles from the author of <i>The Crazy Bunch</i> <p/>A National Book Critics Circle 2014 Finalist for Poetry</b> <p/> Through dream song and elegy alternate takes and tempos prizewinning poet Willie Perdomo's third collection crackles with vitality and dynamism as it imagines the life of a percussionist rebuilding the landscape of his apprenticeship love diaspora and death. At the beginning of his infernal journey Shorty Bon Bon recalls his live studio recording with a classic 1970s descarga band sharing his recollection with an unidentified poet. This opening section is followed by a call-and-response with his greatest love a singer named Rose and a visit to Puerto Rico that inhabits a surreal nationalistic dreamscape before a final jam session where Shorty recognizes his end and a trio of voices seek to converge on his elegy.