Cedar Bar Redux

These guys invented Bebop so of course there are plenty of Bird and Diz albums out there. This one makes you feel like you were there. Just close your eyes and listen.

Never in my life have I heard such piano playing. It’s heartbreaking to think someone so talented is gone. Heck, I’ll admit it, I cry over him. Best tracks, none. The whole thing is just like heaven.

I believe that Gregory Corso had to write poetry to live. He was another hustler/addict. Writing kept him in touch with the life around him. His poems are sometimes raw and hard. But most of the time they give you a peek into a brilliant mind and sweet, gentle soul. I am in love with this man.

This is not an easy poem to write about. In fact, I think it’s the only thing that really has me stumped. All I can say is this: it’s beautiful and it must be read dozens of times. To get a feel for how important it is, please read “Howl” Fifty Years Later, edited by Jason Shinder. Allen Ginsberg is an important, thoughtful poet and this is his most important book.

This was the first Beat book ever published. John Clellon Holmes was not one of the wild beat guys and this book tells a wild story from a quiet point of view.

Holmes’ approach to writing was not like the Beats. He wrote like an observer, and gives us an amazing picture of the whole scene.

Normal Mailer, writer of “The Naked and the Dead”, passed away this morning at the age of 84. Read about at The Chicago Tribune