Poems About Jazz

Poems About Jazz

The Venn diagram of jazz and poetry has a large intersection in the middle. From the Beat Generation to the present, you’ll find many musicians and poets working together, and many poets taking inspiration from jazz. I thought I’d share a few jazz poems with you, and ask for your suggestions.

Paul Blackburn – “Listening To Sonny Rollins At The Five-Spot”

Langston Hughes – “The Weary Blues”

Jayne Cortez – “If The Drum Is A Woman”

Jack Kerouac – “San Francisco”

3 Responses

  1. Raymond Kent says:

    There are also Emotional Weather Report, Spare Parts, and Step Right Up by Tom Waits.

  2. Jerry Klinow says:

    Wonderful stuff!!!

  3. Scott Mellon says:

    Great topic. Here is a few examples of musicians and poets collaborating. I remember Steve Swallow setting some of Robert Creeley’s poems to music in a terrific album, “Home.” Sheila Jordan does the vocals.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPUAWb4Od4U
    Swallow and Creeley have collaborated on several records and live performances and participated in a band called “Courage.” It seems their inspiration was entirely mutual.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLifFTO6r-8
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnM9chsQzUk
    Then there was the fairly extensive collaboration between David Murray and Amiri Baraka.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2i8Wg-U9YU
    Maybe the first I’d heard of poets and musicians collaborating was Anne Sexton performing her poetry with a band named after one of her poems, “Her Kind.”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O33wdQnN7Y

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