Jazz and Poetry Show

Poets like Pound, Cummings and Eliot began experimenting with form, rhythm and meter in the 1920's. At the same time, poetic practitioners in the Harlem Renaissance opened up to the influence of jazz. Weary Blues, written by Langston Hughes in 1925 was both an imitation of the music and a description of the environment where one watched and listened to the music. In a broad sense, it tried to bring a sense of improvisation to the poetry.

Jazz and poetry hunkered down for a while but re-energized with the coming of the Beats in the 1950's, which is the era wherein most of my playlist derives. Practitioners from that era are scarce, but the tradition maintains itself. There are also later experiments, using electronics and recording techniques, a couple of examples which I include.

Here's the Show.

Here's the Playlist:

Langston Hughes "Weary Blues" 1958 

Bob Dorough "Night and Morn" from "Jazz Canto" (Jazz, 1958) on World Pacific 

Bob Dorough "Daybreak in Alabama" from "Jazz Canto" (Jazz, 1958) on World Pacific 

Jack Kerouac "Blues and Haikus" (Jazz, 1959) on EMI 

Mark Murphy "Parker's Mood" from "Bop for Kerouac" (Jazz, 1981) on muse 

Christopher Logue "Red Bird" from "Red Bird" (Jazz, 1959) on Parlophone 

Kenneth Patchen "As I Opened The WIndow" (Jazz, 1959) on Folkways 

Bob Dorough "Dog" from "Jazz Canto" (Jazz, 1958) on World Pacific 

John Carradine "Poets to Come" from "Jazz Canto" (Jazz, 1958) on World Pacific 

Ben Wright "Sullen Art" from "jazz Canto" (Jazz, 1958) on World Pacific

Ben Wright "Lament" from "jazz Canto" (Jazz, 1958) on World Pacific 

United Future Organization "Poetry And All That Jazz" from "UNITED FUTURE ORGANIZATION" (Jazz, 1993) on Talkin' Loud 

 Mark Murphy "Kool Down" from "Tenth and Parker" (Jazz, 2000)