Tonesmith is Al Basile's second collection of one hundred poems, following 2012's 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 that's 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 it's 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 Al's first book A Lit House, "Al Basile's 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."
Industry Reviews
Al Basile has wrought poems that are almost holographic in their insistence on bringing their author into the reader's space, where he, his tone of voice, body language and facial expressions, constitute an uncanny presence. 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. Almost wholly blank verse, except for a few very fine pieces in rhymed tetrameter and some persona poems that reveal a strong flair for dramatic writing, 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. Everything about them comes to the reader bearing the unique stamp of the teller, just as the musical notes that emerge from his horn are the literal product of his breath. This is poetry, not for the timid, but for those willing to contend with the "close-grained" nature of a highly individual artist. The good news is that the reading experience is more than worth the effort, and rich for the poet's uncompromising presence in every line.
- Rhina P. Espaillat, winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Richard Wilbur Award
