Herschel Silverman reads A Niftee Chickee Serenade

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In 2013, Ken Angel Davis made prints of a poem by Herschel Silverman, “A Niftee Chickee Serenade,” painted them with watercolors, then recorded the poet reading it. There are two panels for each poem, one with the poem on it and one where Silverman drew with his non-dominant left hand, often writing backwards, scribbling by design. I think they are beautiful. Because the poems are printed in oil, they are illuminated by the paint and remain easy to read.

“A Niftee Chickee Serenade” is a tribute to an evening at the Knitting Factory, January 28, 1994, when the musician and composer, John Zorn, played a saxophone solo. This urban poem made up of Chinese takeout menu rhymes and bebop rhythms seems a harbinger of the hip hop and rap to come.

The Vimeo below begins with Hershel Silverman talking to Steve Dalachinsky and Yuko Otomo about the time he sent Gregory Corso some money when the poet was down and out in Paris. Then he reads, “A Niftee Chickee Serenade,” and a shorter poem, “If the Word.” A lot of insightful fun. Enjoy.

Herschel Silverman
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The Bebop Beatnik Candy Store Poet from Bayonne, New Hersey:

Herschel Silverman, the Bebop Beatnik Candy Store Poet of Bayonne, New Jersey : Literary Kicks
It was very easy for me to meet Herschel Silverman, then a Beat/jazz poet of some renown, around twenty-five years ago when I began frequenting the downtown New York City poetry scene that swirled between St. Marks Church, ABC No Rio and the Nuyorican. These were the years when Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso were […]