For Sidney Bechet

In this poem, Larkin talks about New Orleans, the birth place of jazz something which he loved, particularly Sidney Bechet, a famous jazz musician. IN the poem music reminds Larkin of love and happy times as he talks about the positive effect music has on him. The rhyme scheme is consistent like a jazz song, giving it a beat. 

Stanza 1:

• 'note' links to music. 
• 'narrowing and rising' gives a sense of water and flow linking to the jazz beat and the theme of water in this stanza. 
• 'shakes like New Orleans reflected on water' simile over two lines reflects a ripple and the way things are distorted by water. 'shakes' also suggests movement linking to the idea of music. 
• 'in all ears' demonstrates the power music can have as it 'appropriate falsehood wakes'.

Stanza 2:

• 'building for some...' shows how music does different things for different people. 
• 'balconies, flower-baskets and quadrilles' connotes romance.
• 'everyone making love and going shares' describes people relaxing and having a good time, reflecting Larkins positive view of jazz.

Stanza 3:

• 'mute glorious storyville' is new orleans red light district, introducing the darker side of the area. 'Glorious' shows as a man Larkin sees the good in this bad thing, although he knows it needs to be 'mute(d)'.
• 'sporting house girls like circus tigers' talks about prostitutes and how they were seen as animals. 
• 'priced far above rubies' shows how women could be bought. 

Stanza 4:

• 'scholars manques nod around unnoticed'  describes the audience and how no one ever looks at them. 'manques' means 'to lack' in french suggesting that because they are just scholars they are incomplete. 
• 'like old plaids' suggests that they could be engrossed and immersed by the music to the point they are interwoven with it, or it could suggest that they are stuck in their 'old' ways.

Stanza 5:

• 'as they say love should' demonstrates Larkins strong love of music.
• 'like an enormous yes.' caesura used to emphasize the positive view of music. 
• 'my crescent city is where your speech alone is understood' demonstrates how at home and understood Larkin feels in New Orleans and he sees it as the only place jazz is accepted as it should be. 

Stanza 6:

• 'the natural noise of good' combines Larkins positive views of both nature and jazz music, reinforced as it is 'scattering long-haired grief and scored pity'.