A Brief Guide to Jazz Poetry

Jazz poetry is a literary genre defined as poetry necessarily informed by jazz musicthat is, poetry in which the poet responds to and writes about jazz. Jazz poetry, like the music itself, encompasses a variety of forms, rhythms, and sounds. Beginning with the birth of blues and jazz at the beginning of the twentieth century, jazz poetry is can be seen as a thread that runs through the Harlem enaissance, the Beat movement, and the Black !rts "ovementand it is still vibrant today. #rom early blues to free jazz to e$perimental music, jazz poets use their appreciation for the music as poetic inspiration. %ot only the music but the artists make fre&uent appearances in jazz poetry' (ouis !rmstrong, John )oltrane, "iles *avis, *izzy +illespie, Billie Holiday, )harles "ingus, ,helonious "onk, )harlie -arker, .onny ollins, Bessie .mith, and (ester /oung are just some of the muses for jazz poetry. But writing about jazz poetry is, as they say, like dancing about architecture. -erhaps the form can be best understood through a few lines from the poets themselves' from ,he 0eary Blues, by (angston Hughes'
Droning a drowsy syncopated tune, Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon, I heard a Negro play. Down on Lenox A enue the other night !y the pale dull pallor of an old gas light "e did a la#y sway . . . "e did a la#y sway . . . $o the tune o% those &eary !lues.

from Jazz #an (ooks Back, by Jayne )ortez'

I crisscrossed with 'onk &ailed with !ud (ounted e ery star with )titt )ang *Don%t !lame 'e* with )arah &ore a flower like !illie )creamed in the range of Dinah + scatted *"ow "igh the 'oon* with ,lla -it#gerald as she blew roof off the )hrine Auditorium .a## at the /hilharmonic

-oets in the Jazz tradition include' !miri Baraka, "arvin Bell, .terling Brown, Hayden )arruth, Jayne )ortez, "ichael .. Harper, (angston Hughes, Jack 1erouac, /usef 1omunyaaka, "ina (oy, 1enneth e$roth, and .onia .anchez. #or further reading, consult these anthologies' Jazz -oetry !nthology, .ascha #einstein and /usef 1omunyakaa, eds. 23ndiana 4niversity -ress, 566578 ,he .econd .et' ,he Jazz -oetry !nthology, 9ol. :, .ascha #einstein and /usef 1omunyakaa, eds. 23ndiana 4niversity -ress, 566;8 and Jazz -oetry' #rom the 56:<s to the -resent, .ascha #einstein 2+reenwood -ublishing +roup, 566=7.

3n !pril :<<:, the .mithsonian>s %ational "useum of !merican History launched Jazz !ppreciation "onth 2J!"7 to draw greater public attention to the e$traordinary heritage and history of jazz and its importance as an !merican cultural heritage. ?very !pril, the .mithsonian produces a Jazz -oetry event as part of J!" and %ational -oetry "onth. @ .ee more at' https'AAwww.poets.orgAviewmedia.phpAprm"3*AB;;<Csthash.3p4!HtdJ.dpuf