Peter J. King

Venuti and Lang

 

i.
x
Joe and Eddie
through an old opportunity
offered a welcome
blue and gay
x
children of tradition
they expressed a white facetiousness
cheap and unexpected
play hot
and stranger in the studio
a richer blues
harsh jazz of alien days
x
ii.
x
Coltrane and Hawkins,
slow and sentimental
sinus standards …………………..historic sunset
(easy over and all) ……………smoothly changes
a bleak advance ………………a fifth time rifftide
towards self ……………………..and walking jazz
x
iii.
x
Pee Wee
flirt free
fans first
Birdland
x
iv.
x
high Ink Spots
whispering sun
down forties swing
flat sharpness
x
v.
x
modern night
drumming magic
presents the romantic
bop Bill
a bid
for beautiful

Source & Method

From All What Jazz, Philip Larkin (Faber & Faber, 1985). My approach to cut-ups is to choose a section and read through it, extracting words and phrases, keeping them in their original order, and arranging them on the page.

Peter J. King, born and brought up in Boston, Lincolnshire, was active on the London poetry scene in the 1970s, returning to poetry in 2013.  His work has been widely published in magazines & anthologies; available collections: Adding Colours to the Chameleon (Wisdom’s Bottom Press) & All What Larkin (Albion Beatnik Press).

https://wisdomsbottompress.wordpress.com/S


Issue 25