Tonesmith: One Hundred Poems 2012-2016

Tonesmith is Al Basiles second collection of one hundred poems following 2012s A Lit House. As in that book he often writes about experiences of his earlier life often acknowledging the change in perspective brought about by the passing of the years. As Rhina Espaillat notes: These poems include autobiographical rites of passage regrets and celebrations personal and family memories immigrant folklore travel impressions encounters with revered musicians and sports figures and ambiguous lessons learned...The very title of the book identifies the author as a music-maker determined to be heard and as a poet whose first concern is achieving the tone in which he wants to be heard by the reader. His mostly lyric or narrative poems are generally in blank verse and of varying stanza lengths which recall his beginnings as a fiction writer. A lifelong musician and performer he uses musical devices throughout his work in a manner thats most noticeable in the audio performances of the poems which can be accessed by readers through a link provided in the book. In these performances the poems take on added dimensions of rhythm tempo and vowel and consonant colorations at a higher more specific level than they imply on the page and its his belief that the poems are like a musical score which is most fully realized in performance.With an introductory essay by Christopher Ricks.As Dana Gioia said of Als first book A Lit House Al Basiles poems have style joy and - above all - verve. Sometimes they unfold with the lyric expansiveness of great jazz solos. Sometimes they shine as beautifully jeweled miniatures. What a pleasure to read a book of poems with such unabashed energy.