American Book Awards
2 appearances
-
Edition 22 (2001) Winner
-
Edition 22 (2001) Lifetime Achievement Award
Ted Joans
テッド・ジョーンズ
Ted Joans
Aliases:
Theodore Joans / Theodore Jones Jr.
Pen Names:
Theodore Jones Jr.（Birth name; later changed his professional name to Ted Joans.）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1928-07-04 （Cairo, Illinois, U.S.）
- Died
- 2003-04-25 （Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada） age 74
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, French (learned during time in Paris)
- Residence History
- Fort Wayne, Indiana → Louisville, Kentucky → New York (Greenwich Village) → Paris, France → Tangier, Morocco → Timbuktu, Mali → Seattle, Washington, U.S. → Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Career
- Occupations
- jazz poet, surrealist, trumpeter, painter, filmmaker, collage artist
- Active Years
- 1949-2003
- Memberships
- Chicago Surrealist Group (correspondent/participant)
- Influenced By
- André Breton, Joseph Cornell, Salvador Dalí, Jack Kerouac, Charlie Parker (musical influence)
- Influenced
- later Beat poets and performers in jazz-poetry scenes, David Hammons (collaborator/influenced artist), Laura Corsiglia (poet/artist collaborator)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana University Bloomington | Faculty of Fine Arts | — | — | 1940年代-1950年代 | United States |
Indiana University Bloomington
Faculty of Fine Arts
Period:
1940年代-1950年代
Country:
United States
Earned a degree in fine arts; exact graduation year unknown.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | American Book Awards (Lifetime Achievement) | — | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
American Book Awards (Lifetime Achievement)
2001
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Funky Jazz Poems
1959 Poetry (jazz poetry)Early collection of poems incorporating jazz rhythms and spoken-word delivery.
jazzurban lifeBlack culture
Black Pow-Wow Jazz Poems
1969 Poetry (jazz poetry)A collection addressing Black culture and social issues, characterized by jazz-like improvisation.
racemusic and poetrysocial critique
Teducation: Selected Poems 1949–1999
1999 Selected poems (collection)A selection of poems spanning fifty years, showing his blend of poetry and collage aesthetics.
memory and traveljazzsurrealism
Long Distance Exquisite Corpse
1976 Art / collage (extended collaborative drawing)An over-30-foot chain of drawings and collages on dot-matrix paper, an exquisite-corpse with 132 contributors.
collaborationsurrealist methodinternational exchange
Der Erdferkelforscher / The Aardvark Watcher
1980 Poetry (translated edition)A German-translated edition of his poems, published for European audiences.
translation and internationalitysurrealism
Translations
- German edition (Der Erdferkelforscher)
Bibliography
- Funky Jazz Poems (1959)
- Beat Poems (1959)
- All of Ted Joans and No More (1961)
- A Black Pow-Wow Of Jazz Poems (1969)
- Afrodisia (1970)
- Long Distance Exquisite Corpse (1976–2003)
- Double Trouble (1991)
- WOW (1998)
- Teducation: Selected Poems 1949-1999 (1999)
- Our Thang: Several Poems, Several Drawings (2001)
Adaptations
- Appearances in film/video works (e.g. Jazz is Our Religion; Pan-African Cultural Festival recordings)
- Live performances of jazz-poetry in readings and concerts
Translations of Works
- Der Erdferkelforscher (German translation)
- Merveilleux Coup de Foudre (French edition)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- spoken-word delivery with jazz rhythms and improvisationsurrealist techniques and collage-like compositionbeat-generation oral-poetry tradition
- Recurring Motifs
- rhinoceros motif'Bird Lives' graffiti and homage to Charlie ParkerAfrican travel and ethnic culturesjazz and urban scenesrace and social critique
Health
-
Diabetes晩年（2000年代初頭）Died in Vancouver in 2003 due to complications from diabetes.
Legacy
Ted Joans is regarded as a versatile poet, artist and performer who linked jazz-poetry, surrealism and Beat culture. He worked internationally, left numerous works and collaborative projects, and received the American Book Awards Lifetime Achievement in 2001.
Museums
- De Young Museum San Francisco, California, U.S.
- Tate Modern London, United Kingdom
- Centre Pompidou (exhibited) Paris, France
Academic Societies
- Chicago Surrealist Group (association/correspondent)
Archives
- Guide to the Ted Joans papers at The Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley
- Materials at the University of Delaware (correspondence with Charles Henri Ford)
In Popular Culture
- 'Bird Lives' graffiti and influence on NYC street-art culture
- Legacy in Beat and jazz-poetry performance traditions
Quotes
-
Jazz is my religion and Surrealism my point of view.
Source: Personal motto / public statement
Trivia
- Born Theodore Jones, Jr.; later adopted the professional name Ted Joans.
- At one time he was a roommate of Charlie Parker.
- Originator of the 'Bird Lives' graffiti/street-art legend.
- Published more than 30 books of poetry, prose and collage.
- Reported to have fathered ten children.