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