Poetry & Jazz

This is the special 50th Anniversary DVD of the poetry and jazz concert at Hampstead Town Hall in 1961, arranged by the poet and publisher Jeremy.

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In 1961 the poet and publisher Jeremy Robson arranged a poetry and jazz concert at Hampstead Town Hall. It was the first of hundreds of events. It's not often you get a line-up of star-studded poets but Poetry and Jazz in Concert did. Spike Milligan, Adrian Mitchell, Ted Hughes, Laurie Lee, Dannie Abse, even Jeremy Robson himself spoke their words at times. The jazz, specially written by Michael Garrick, featured some of the finest musicians of the day. This special 50th Anniversary DVD sees Dannie Abse, Alan Brownjohn and Jeremy Robson read their own work. Poetry may be immortal but poets are not; so Celia Mitchell reads her late husband Adrian's work, Jessie Lee reads poems by her late father Laurie, and Sasha Mitchell sings two of her father's biting songs. You'll never think of marrow bone jelly in quite the same way again.