Search - Kenneth Rexroth, Lawrence Ferlinghetti :: Poetry Readings in the Cellar

During the Spring of 1957 a Series of Fascinating Experiments Took Place in San Francisco. The Scene was the Cellar, a Downstairs Nightclub that Used to Be a Chinese Restaurant. The Experiment was an Attempt to Meld the Twin Forms of Modern Expression-jazz and Poetry. The Participants were Two San Francisco Poets - Kenneth Rexroth, Widely Known for Some Years as a Translator, Poet, and Commentator on the Social Scene, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a Modern Poet who Operated a Publishing House and a Bookstore - and a Group of Jazz Musicians. The Poets Read their Poetry While the Jazz Band Improvised. The Results were Startling and Exciting. During Each of the Half-dozen Evenings Devoted to the Jazz and Poetry Experiments, the Club was Packed. San Franciscans of Every Stratum of Society Came to Hear What was Obviously a New and Intriguing Artistic Excursion.