Some critics have compared his work to the poetry of walt whitman and. Kenneth patchen, a pioneer in avantgarde poetry, the picture poem, and poetry jazz, was born on december, 1911, in niles, ohio. He enjoyed publishing in his school newspaper, kept a diary from the age of twelve, and began reading homer, dante, shakespeare, robert burns. Patchen seemed destined to a life of physical labor in the local steel mills before a scholarship to the university of wisconsin took him away from the industrial ohio valley and allowed him to take part in the. Reads his poetry with the chamber jazz sextet 1957 duration. Sitting across from me was a shavedface allen ginsberg with crutches. Kenneth patchen reads his poetry with the chamber jazz. Reads his poetry with the chamber jazz sextet discogs. Be a voice, sky, that her beauties may be counted and the stars will tilt their quiet faces into the mirror of her loveliness.
His over 40 books of poetry include wonderings 1971, but even. The murder of two men by a young kid wearing lemon colored gloves 2. Producing almost a book a year for 36 years, his work stands as in the structure of american character and art. Patchens poetry and prose has always had a strong following in the jazz community. The performance was recorded by the canadian broadcasting corporations studio in vancouver, canada, and broadcast later that year. When patchen recorded his jazzpoetry readings, one of the resulting albums drew praise from the poet john ciardi, who wrote that patchens. Kenneth patchen 19111972 was a poet, playwright, fiction and fable writer, artist, and performer of poetry jazz, working in the tradition of engaged writing which he helped to forge in america. The first part appeared in paj 11 volume iv, numbers 1 and 2. The jazzpoetry connection barry wallenstein this is the final part of a twopart essay on jazz poetry. Gleason wrote, i think patchens reading technique presents the possibilities of an entire new medium of expression. Patchen dislocated a disk in his spine, an incessantly painful injury, which he lived with for a span of nearly thirty years, before seeking treatment. Apr 18, 2012 kenneth patchen 19111972 was a poet, playwright, fiction and fable writer, artist, and performer of poetry jazz, working in the tradition of engaged writing which he helped to forge in america. With only a few days rehearsal, patchen and the alan neil quartet had melded into a unit that would produce on february 18th, one of the best poetryjazz recordings of all time, kenneth patchen reads with jazz in canada folkways 1959 taken from their radio broadcast.
Kenneth patchen reads his poetry with the chamber jazz sextet. I loved the combination of jazz and poetry blended together each stating something important and each trying to get my attention. American poet and novelist, kenneth patchen, was largely selftaught and never seemed to gain widespread recognition from the prominent literary critics or. This recording, issued originally on folkways records, documents a 1959 session patchen made with alan neils jazz quartet. He appeared on radio programs, television, in nightclubs and on the concert stage with jazz groups in 1957 and 1958. Complete your kenneth patchen with the chamber jazz sextet collection. I first discovered the poetry of patchen in the basement of city lights bookstore in 1970. City wears a slouch hat broadcast in 1942, and in 1957 he performed with the chamber jazz sextet, helping to further jazz poetry. Kenneth patchen collection university of texas at austin. He recorded kenneth patchen reads with the chamber jazz.
Kenneth patchen 19111972 was a poet, novelist, artist, performer of poetry jazz in the tradition of engaged writing which he helped forge in america. Almost 40 years after his death, patchen s works continue to intrigue and in spire lovers of modern literature and art worldwide. American poet and novelist kenneth patchen 19111972 reads 19 poems in this folkways recording. Patchen s ambitious body of work also foreshadowed literary artforms ranging from reading poetry to jazz accompaniment to his late experiments with.
Patchen s biographer wrote that he developed in his fabulous fables, love poems, and picture poems a deep yet modern. Eventually, he would release four albums of his jazz poetry readings on folkways records. Charles mingus, kenneth patchen and jazzpoetry fusion art jstor. In other words, poetry gives jazz a richer verbal content, reinforces and expands its musical meaning and, at the same time, provides material of the greatest flexibility. Kenneth patchen december, january 8, was an american poet and novelist.
This is an excerpt from chapter fourteen of kenneth patchen. In ron reges piece he compares patchens abstract, beautiful, intense jazzpoetry collaborations to kerouacs bombastic tone reading to jazz. He is regarded as a central figure in the san francisco renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement. His first published work was in his high school newspaper. In 1955 patchen underwent a successful spinal fusion operation and experienced good health for the first time since his accident. Though he denied any direct connection, patchens work and ideas regarding the role of artists paralleled those of the dadaists, the beats, and surrealists.
He experimented with different forms of writing and incorporated painting, drawing, and jazz music into his works, which were often compared with those of william blake and walt whitman. On this day in 1911 kenneth patchen was born in niles, ohio. Patchens ambitious body of work also foreshadowed literary artforms ranging from reading poetry to jazz. He experimented with different forms of writing and incorporated painting, drawing, and jazz music into his works, which have been compared with those of william blake and walt whitman.
A poor boy throughout his childhood, he spent his time playing football and working in a factory. Patchen also performed his poetry with charles mingus in the 1950s but no recordings are known to exist. Kenneth patoiten, poet, dead at 60 the new york times. I was intrigued and deeply moved by the poem itself and by the way it was performed and set to music.
Patchens biographer wrote that he developed in his fabulous fables, love poems, and picture poems a deep yet. Kenneth patchen poems by the famous poet all poetry. Aside from his many books of poetry, his acclaimed novels, and his concrete visual works, kenneth patchen also collaborated with john cage for the radioplay the city wears a slouch hat, and worked with charles mingus developing jazz poetry. Patchen s ambitious body of work also foreshadowed literary artforms ranging from reading poetry to jazz accompaniment to his late experiments with visual poetry which he called his picture poems. Throughout his career, patchen experimented with poetic writing styles and forms including reading his poems set to jazz music. Far more of the greatest jazz is written music than the lay public realizes. His readings of poetry with jazz were a phenomenon in the 1950s. Patchen seemed destined to a life of physical labor in the local steel mills before a scholarship to the university of wisconsin took him away from the industrial ohio valley and allowed him to take part in the alexander meikeljohn experimental college. Though he denied any direct connection, patchen s work and ideas regarding the role of artists paralleled those of the dadaists, the beats, and surrealists.
I came across kenneth patchen only recently, through a poem of his read by johnny dowd on an album by jackie leven. Kenneth patchen has been working with allyn ferguson and the chamber jazz sextet. Saxophonist peter brotzmann continually cites him as an influence, as does bassist william parker. One of his most lasting innovations was poetryjazz. It was given a second chance last night at the living theatre, 530 avenue of.
He moved to wisconsin after high school and studied at the university of wisconsin. Some remember patchen for his crossover experiments in art poetry and jazz poetry. Kenneth patchen reads with jazz in canada is for completists only. And cuts clean through the smog of smoke and talk and tinkle. When the jazz horns rail out on me i was reading in the frisco chronicle kenneth s obituary how poets have to endure late recognition standing there in my rainbow of a scarf my sister gave me by the glowing sunny bay wanting to ask kenneth for help gawking at the dawn sky hearing the gulls along sidewalk cafes. In 1958 kenneth rexroth published an appreciative essay on patchens wor and verbalized a theme of the 1950s.
Kenneth patchen reads with jazz in canada folkways fl9718 kenneth patchen recorded in vancouver with the allan neil quartet. In the s patchen collaborated with the jazz bassist and composer charles mingusreading his poetry with mingus group, but no recordings of the collaboration are known to exist. Almost 40 years after his death, patchen s works continue to intrigue and inspire lovers of modern literature and art worldwide. Music profile for kenneth patchen, born december 1911. Producing almost a book a year for 36 years, his work stands as in. Although he did not consider himself to be a beat poet, and disliked the association, he was dubbed the. Jul 12, 2000 larry smith kenneth patchen poetry and jazz days, 19571959 this is an excerpt from chapter fourteen of kenneth patchen. The skaters the album title is oh what a blow that phantom dealt me. A few years before, patchen had begun a series of collaborations, performing and recording with the chamber jazz sextet in san francisco, the bed of roses chamber group in seattle, the alan. Kenneth patchen pennys poetry pages wiki fandom powered. Kenneth patchen with the chamber jazz sextet kenneth patchen with the chamber jazz sextet reads his poetry with the chamber jazz sextet album 2 versions. Kenneth continued his poetry jazz until 1959, when he spent two weeks in new york with charlie mingus. A jazz lover, patchen often read poetry to jazz accompaniment, and he also collaborated with john cage and charles mingus. Patchens ambitious body of work also foreshadowed literary artforms ranging from reading poetry to jazz accompaniment to his late experiments with visual poetry which he called his picture poems.
Kenneth charles marion rexroth december 22, 1905 june 6, 1982 was an american poet, translator and critical essayist. Kenneth patchen, one of the 20th centurys leading experimentalists, gained widespread attention and notoriety through such books as the journal of albion moonlight 1941. Born in niles, ohio, he was an avid reader as a child and kept a diary from an early age. Authors of such poetry attempt to emulate the rhythms and freedom of the music in their poetry. With the composer john cage, he created the radio play the city wears a slouch hat broadcast in 1942, and in 1957 he performed with the chamber jazz sextet, helping to further jazz poetry. As early as the late 1940s, patchen was performing his poetry to jazz accompaniment, inspiring the bay area poets to do likewise. Perhaps most notably, patchen engaged in the visual arts, creating painted poems throughout his career. This was one of his remarkable early poems, written in 1943 and recorded with a jazz sextet in 1958.
Kenneth patchen performed on stage together at the living theatre in. Kenneth patchen s vibrant designs fuse poetry and image september 21, 2011 on sept. Writing in a style which, like the poetry of langston hughes and kenneth rexroth, was often referred to as jazz poetry, patchen struck up a publishing relationship and friendship with james laughlin, the original publisher of new directions, in 1936. Kenneth patchen reads with jazz in canada smithsonian. In the 1950s, patchen received praise from the jazz critic ralph gleason for his jazzpoetry readings with the chamber jazz sextet at the blackhawk club in san francisco. Kenneth patchen reads with jazz in canada smithsonian folkways. Jazz and poetry, a mixture brewed in san francisco, sputtered and fizzled when it was introduced to new york last year. Producing a book a year during his writing life, his work and life stand as a huge exposed girder in the structure of american culture and art. Kenneth patchen december, 1911 january 8, 1972 was an american poet and novelist. They also performed at the arts club and university of british columbia and for television on the canadian broadcasting. The sterling example is kenneth patchen reads with jazz in canada 1959. Patchen termed his work poetryjazz and not poetry and jazz because he believed in the complete fusion of the two mediums, not just the accompaniment of one by the other.
Considering the long history of jazz poetry, no two figures dominate its modern phase as do kenneth patchen and kenneth rexroth. When we last leftoff kenneth patchen he was beginning his career as a proletarian poet in the 1930s, writing a strikingly prophetic in both senses of the word poem about what the middle of the 20 th century was holding in store. This later poetry evolved from the more textoriented poetry of academia into the bardlike traditions of the performative and political poets who use colloquial language and theatrical recitals to politicize the lyric. Patchen was an unwavering pacifist and many of his works have a political bent. Forerunners of the style included the works of vachel lindsay, who read his poetry in a syncopated and rhythmic style for audiences. If you can find rebel poets of america, id say thats the one to own. Poetnovelist kenneth patchen 19111972 was a figure in new york citys greenwich village literary scene, which folkways records founder moses asch documented. Kenneth patchen, a pioneer in avantgarde poetry, the picture poem, and poetry jazz, was born on december, 1911 in niles, ohio. This was one of his remarkable early poems, written in 1943 and recorded with a jazz.
On december, 1911, kenneth patchen was born in niles. Kenneth patchen was born into a poor family in niles, ohio. Recorded with the alan neil quartet, it features some of patchens bestknown poems interactively read with a hot jazz band. For seventynine recorded seconds in 1957, poet kenneth patchen and a group of jazz musicians achieved a perfect melding of minds and biorhythms. An inspiration for the beat generation and a true peoples poet, kenneth patchen was a prolific writer, visual artist and performer whose exuberant, freeform productions celebrate spontaneity and attack injustices, materialism, and war. Over the course of his career, which included about forty books, patchen tried his hand at several types of poetry. In ron reges piece he compares patchen s abstract, beautiful, intense jazz poetry collaborations to kerouacs bombastic tone reading to jazz. In addition to the poetry and jazz movement, patchen made important contributions to at least three other areas of poetic experimentation.
His lifelong romance with writing commenced at age twelve, when he took up keeping a diary and reading the works of famous writers. Patchens readings on rebel poets are topnotch, and the jazz accompaniment which consists of fergusons original compositions that he tailored for each individual poem is also excellent. Jacket 12 larry smith kenneth patchen poetry and jazz. Thy guidesman touching the green flesh of the world. In the last two weeks of march 1959, the jazz bassist charlie mingus and the beat poet. Patchen, born in 1911 in the ohio steelmill town of niles, lived and wrote mainly on the east coast until 1950, when he and his wife, miriam, moved. Kenneth patchen december 1911 8 january 1972 an american poet and novelist. O my darling troubles heaven june 28, 2019 june 28, 2019 frank hudson when we last leftoff kenneth patchen he was beginning his career as a proletarian poet in the 1930s, writing a strikingly prophetic in both senses of the word poem about what the middle of. He then held a variety of jobs as a migrant worker in the united states and canada, and ended up in new york city, where, in 1936, he published his first book of poems, before the brave. Kenneth patchen reading his work with the alan neil quartet. Jazz poetry, poetry that is read to the accompaniment of jazz music. The journal of albion moonlight smithsonian folkways recordings.
1561 238 1315 285 1393 808 825 607 1475 1098 1622 965 383 1508 1091 926 1595 276 801 649 1338 1642 1378 233 1199 1348 1461 667 1105 1001 421 197 516