The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Baldwin, Michael. “Jazz Riven.” Jerry Jay Musician, https://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/the-sunday-poem-jazz-riven-by-michael-baldwin/. Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

“Jazz-Riven” is a contemporary jazz poem by American writer Michael Baldwin, which first appeared in Jerry Jazz Musician in 2025. Note that this is a different author from the British poet and novelist Michael Baldwin (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/19/michael-baldwin). The American Baldwin is a former amateur jazz musician, and also the author of the jay-inspired novel Murder Music. While “Jazz-Riven” can be read as autobiographical, it also reads as a study of an entire jazz-centric culture.