<p>Al Basile's poems have style, joy, and - above all - verve.&nbsp;Sometimes they unfold with the lyric expansiveness of great jazz solos.&nbsp;Sometimes they shine as beautifully jeweled miniatures. What a pleasure to read a book of poems with such unabashed energy. Al Basile's playful ease with the pentameter line bespeaks a sensibility trained in the subtleties of musical rhythm and voice.&nbsp;Turn almost anywhere in this rich collection from five decades and you'll find "an instinct for the game, and more."&nbsp;He produces 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.</p><p><br></p>