AUDIO: Jazz and Poetry
Virgil Mihaiu's JAZZOGRAPHICS/SHABAH performance
Dumitru Belinschi / keyboards & piano; Marius Gagiu / flute & percussion; Mario Florescu / drums & percussion; Virgil Mihaiu / poetry & percussion
This audio sample is recorded fragments from Mihaiu and his jazz-poetry outfit (for the occasion, named JAZZOGRAPHIC /SHABAH) performing at the last World Exhibition of the 20th century, held in Lisbon in 1998. Because of the context, Mihaiu spoke all of the texts in Portuguese.
The first text is called "Outono" ("Autumn"), spoken by Mihaiu with comping from Dumitru Belinschi, the pianist/keyboardist/composer of the group.
Following, is a masterpiece by the Brazilian poet Murilo Mendes, entitled "Estudo Quase-Patetico" ("Quasi-Pathetic Study"), written in the early 1930s. Mendes is buried in Lisbon in what is noted as the city's most beautiful cemetery, which bears the surrealistic name Cemiterio dos Prazeres (Cemetery of the Pleasures). Mihaiu speaks the text, but also plays some percussion instruments in this piece — the Brazilian rainstick-tube among them. Belinschi was on keyboards, Marius Gagiu on flute, and Mario Florescu on drums and percussion.
The last piece exemplifies how Mihaiu's performances were organized: an alternation of texts spoken with purely instrumental pieces composed and arranged by Belinschi.
Two of Mihaiu's poems, "Finesse de Brasil" and "Universal Canticle," can be read in our print or digital edition of the March 2011 issue on page 33.
March/April 2011
Table of Contents
SPECIAL SECTION: Neustadt Laureate Duo Duo
- Duo Duo’s acceptance speech and biographical profile
- Duo Duo new poems, trans. Yibing Huang
- Michelle Yeh, “Monologue of a Stormy Soul: Duo Duo, 1972–88"
- Yibing Huang, "Duo Duo: Master of Wishful Thinking"
SPECIAL SECTION: Jazz Poetry
Guest edited by Lauren Camp
- Introductory essay by Lauren Camp: "What's in the Notes: The Sound of Jazz in Poetry"
- Poetry from Lauren Camp: “Thelonious Monk on a Subway” and “What You Might Hear” plus web exclusive audio clips
- Virgil Suárez (Cuba/US): “Latin Jazz on the Go in Havana”
- Adrian Matejka (Germany/US): “Behind the Yashmak"
- Nii Parkes (Ghana/Great Britain): “Our Love Is Here to Stay” & “Hymn"
- Virgil Mihaiu (Romania; tr. Adam Sorkin): “Finesse de Brasil," “Universal Canticle,” and a web exclusive concert recording.
LETTERS
NOTEBOOK
- Author Profile: E.C. Osondu (Nigeria)
- City Profile: Seoul, South Korea
- First Words: Luma Sarhan, “Approaching Zainab”
- WLT Online Bookclub: The United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi
- New books: recent translations
CRIME & MYSTERY
- J. Madison Davis, “Scarface Al and His Pals”
POETRY
- Romeo Çollaku (Albania), Two poems, tr. Peter Constantine
- Stuart Friebert (US), “Good Leg Up, Bad Leg Down"
- Jan Wagner (Germany) Two poems, tr. Chenxin Jiang
Q&A: WLT INTERVIEWS
- Erwin Koch (Switzerland) by John K. Cox
ESSAYS
- Adrianne Kalfopoulou (Greece/US), “Ruin”
Web Exclusive: PHOTO GALLERY: Athens Street Art - Web Exclusive: "But It Was Beautiful" by Erwin Koch
FICTION
- Luay Hamza Abbas (Iraq), “Spit Out What Is in Your Mouth,” tr. Yasmeen Hanoosh
WORLD LITERATURE IN REVIEW
OUTPOSTS: Literary Events & Landmarks
