According to Ralph J. Gleason's notes from the album jacket, the fusion of improvised jazz with poetry rose in significance during the spring of 1957, when the exploration between the seemingly disparate art forms at the venerable Cellar in San Francisco occurred. As both post-bop jazz and modern expressionistic poetry were seminal elements in the Bay Area's concurrent boho experience, the union between the two was practically obvious. Poetry Readings From the Cellar (1957) presents one album side from Kenneth Rexroth and the other featuring Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Unlike similar approaches from Allen Ginsberg or Jack Kerouac, the quartet of recordings in this collection are not simply recitations set to music. Rather, the focus is on the improvisational aspects of the musicians as they instrumentally respond to the respective poets. Backing both authors are the Cellar Jazz Quintet with Dickie Mills (trumpet), Bill Weisjahns (piano), Jerry Goode (bass), Bob Lewis (bass), Sonny Wayne (drums) and leader Bruce Lippincott (tenor sax), whose resume included a stint in Elliot Lawrence's band. Both music and words possess an undeniable acquiescence, making them perfect candidates for the synthesis. Rexroth's sole contribution is the indicting Thou Shalt Not Kill (In memory of Dylan Thomas), sprawling over 20 minutes with his somewhat nihilistic observations on death. From a universal perspective, he references and connects the contrarieties of war in Asia to the nightclubs of America. Rexroth's reedy intonations add a further brashness to an inescapably accusatory manner. By contrast, Ferlinghetti's Autobiography was penned with the distinction of being written with an ear for a complementary jazz score, as each art form is essentially trading licks with the other. The verbal phrasing and sibilancy are one primary key to the interactions and the clean trade-off between the players and poet, providing an additional tension that would have been obscured had the quintet simply noodled behind an otherwise standard reading. Mills and Weisjahns' contributions stand out on the closing Junkman's Obbligato as Ferlinghetti reels at a dogmatic pace. Enthusiasts of the Beat Scene will undoubtedly find Poetry Readings From the Cellar an irresistible, if not compulsory supplement to their respective libraries. ~ Lindsay Planer, Rovi

1		Thou Shalt Not Kill (In Memory of Dylan Thomas)
2		Autobiography
3		The Statue of St. Francis
4		Junkman's Obbligato

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