All in the family

Hettie Jones (1934-2024) with her adopted family;
her parents disowned her.

Less than a week to go for NCMF 2025, and I have fresh parts in front of me of the commissioned work “Beat Chick: Tunes for Hettie Jones” for string quartet, jazz vocalist, and digital beats, by our 2025 Composer-in-Residence, Guthrie Ramsey. Six poems he has set to music, by trailblazing poet and his late mother-in-law, Hettie Jones (New York Times: Profile “Hettie Jones, Poet and Author Who Nurtured the Beats”). The piece will be sung by Guthrie’s daughter (who also happens to be Hettie’s granddaughter), Bridget Ramsey.

Subway Poem
by Hettie Jones
‍
‍ *Yo, Spring!*

We need weather baby,
We need tulips, lilacs,
dandelions in the grass
and your sweet ass

Hettie Jones was born almost the same year as my mom. In a mid-century act of love and defiance, these two fearless Brooklyn Jews married a man of another race and went on to forge impressive careers in a man’s world. As the father of two daughters, I’m full of gratitude for the work and sacrifices of this generation of women. It can’t have been easy. I hope we do Hettie proud this summer, wherever she is.