Piece Description

Broadcast on KSDS Jazz 88, San Diego 1997 Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti headlined the 1997 Border Voices poetry fair, and performed in concert with saxophonist Charles McPherson and his quartet. The highligh of the concert was an updated rendition of Ferlinghetti's poem, Autobiography, the most well-known piece from one of the original jazz and poetry records, Poetry from the Cellar. In addition to the Autobiography performance, the program features interviews with Ferlinghetti, McPherson, and festival organizer Jack Webb, a news editor from the San Diego Union Tribune. Webb disucsses how the Border Voices fair is integrated into local school curriculum, and the role of the fair in bringing together diverse voices in poetry. Ferlinghetti discusses the role of the poet in society, the history of the original Poetry from the Cellar recordings, and the connection, both tenous and contentious, between jazz and poetry. McPherson explains how his mentor, pianist Barry Harris, broadened his interest beyond jazz to include classical music, as well as art and literature. He also describes how he worked with Ferlinghetti to prepare for the performance.