Jazz Man — Chapter 67 Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The poem “Jazz Man” is a compact, first-person narrative that moves from the speaker’s past musical training to a single, present-moment action and its immediate consequence. The speaker begins by acknowledging that they have taken music lessons and have spent time working on “nice voicings for the chords”—a phrase that suggests a deliberate effort to master jazz harmony and chordal color. This opening establishes the speaker as someone who has invested time and energy in developing a skill, presumably at the piano.
The poem then shifts to the present tense. The speaker describes a simple, almost mundane gesture: lifting the keyboard cover one inch. This action is minimal—barely enough to expose the keys—yet it triggers an immediate and dramatic response from the cat, who dashes from the room. The poem ends with that image, leaving the reader with the stark contrast between the speaker’s careful preparation and the cat’s instinctive flight.
The narrative arc is straightforward: past effort, present action, and a swift, unexplained reaction. There is no further elaboration, no resolution, and no commentary from the speaker. The poem relies entirely on the juxtaposition of the speaker’s musical ambition and the cat’s visceral response to create its effect.
Key Events
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The speaker reveals that they have taken music lessons.
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The speaker has worked on chord voicings, indicating a focus on jazz harmony.
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In the present, the speaker lifts the keyboard cover by one inch.
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The cat immediately dashes from the room.
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The poem concludes with the cat’s departure, leaving the contrast unresolved.
Character Development
The poem offers only a brief glimpse of two characters: the narrator and the cat. The narrator is defined by their musical pursuits—they have taken lessons and practiced voicings, which suggests a degree of dedication and perhaps a desire to master a sophisticated art form. The phrase “nice voicings” implies a level of refinement and an appreciation for the subtleties of jazz harmony. However, the narrator’s character is also revealed through their observational stance; they notice the cat’s reaction and choose to record it without explanation. This suggests a sensibility that is attentive to the small, ironic moments of daily life.
The cat, though silent, functions as a character in its own right. Its reaction is immediate and unambiguous: it dashes from the room. The cat’s behavior is instinctive, unmediated by thought or social convention. It does not pause to consider the speaker’s efforts or the aesthetic value of the music; it simply flees. This makes the cat a foil to the narrator, highlighting the gap between human intention and animal response.
Neither character undergoes any significant development within the poem’s brief span. Instead, the poem captures a single, static moment of contrast, leaving the reader to infer the broader implications.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Irony is the central motif of the poem. The speaker has invested time and effort in learning jazz, only to have that effort undercut by the cat’s reaction. The irony lies in the disproportion between the speaker’s preparation and the trivial action that undoes it—lifting the cover a mere inch. The cat’s flight suggests that the speaker’s musical ambitions are met with indifference or even aversion, at least from this particular audience.
The piano serves as a symbol of artistic aspiration and domestic creativity. The keyboard cover, which the speaker lifts, represents the boundary between the private world of practice and the public act of performance. The fact that the speaker only raises it an inch—rather than opening it fully—implies hesitation or a tentative approach, perhaps reflecting a lack of confidence or a sense of intrusion.
The cat can be seen as a symbol of instinct and the unpredictable nature of response. Cats are often associated with independence and a disregard for human concerns. Here, the cat’s flight embodies the idea that art does not always receive the reaction its creator hopes for. The cat’s reaction is not rational; it is purely sensory, perhaps triggered by the sound of the cover moving or the sudden exposure of the keys.
Jazz itself is a motif, representing a sophisticated, improvisational art form that requires both technical skill and creative freedom. The speaker’s focus on “voicings” suggests an attention to harmonic detail, a hallmark of jazz piano. Yet the poem does not celebrate this artistry; instead, it places it in a domestic context where it is met with a mundane, animal response.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Jazz Man” is a quintessential example of Billy Collins’s ability to find humor and insight in the ordinary. The poem is brief, but it encapsulates a universal experience: the gap between effort and reception, between the artist’s intention and the audience’s reaction. By focusing on a cat’s flight, Collins deflates the pretensions of artistic endeavor while also acknowledging its persistence.
In the context of Musical Tables, a collection that explores music, memory, and domestic life, this poem serves as a lighthearted interlude. It reminds readers that art is often created in solitude, and that its impact can be unpredictable. The poem also demonstrates Collins’s characteristic wit—the title “Jazz Man” suggests a figure of cool sophistication, but the poem undercuts that image with a simple, comic image of a cat fleeing.
The chapter matters because it shows how a poet can distill a complex emotional and philosophical idea into a few lines. It invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of practice, performance, and the often-absurd reactions of those around them.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does the speaker’s musical training suggest about their identity?
The speaker’s mention of taking lessons and working on chord voicings indicates a serious commitment to jazz piano. This suggests they are a dedicated musician who values technical skill and harmonic sophistication. The phrase “nice voicings” implies an aesthetic sensibility and a desire to achieve a certain level of artistry. However, the poem does not reveal whether the speaker performs publicly or simply plays for personal enjoyment.
2. Why does the cat dash from the room?
The poem does not provide an explicit explanation for the cat’s reaction. It could be startled by the sound of the keyboard cover moving, or it might be reacting to the sudden exposure of the keys. Alternatively, the cat may have a negative association with the piano or with the speaker’s playing. The ambiguity is intentional; the cat’s flight is presented as an instinctive, uninterpretable response. The irony is that the speaker’s careful preparation is met with an immediate, unexplained departure.
3. How does the poem use irony to create its effect?
The poem’s irony arises from the contrast between the speaker’s deliberate musical study and the cat’s swift, dismissive reaction. The speaker has invested time and effort in learning jazz, but all it takes to undo that preparation is a simple action—lifting the cover an inch. The cat’s flight suggests that the speaker’s artistry is either irrelevant or even repellent to the animal. This irony is heightened by the title “Jazz Man,” which evokes a figure of cool confidence, yet the poem shows that confidence being undercut by a domestic pet.
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