Ted Joans
Encyclopedia
Theodore "Ted" Joans was an American
trumpeter, jazz poet
and painter
.
Joans was born in Cairo, Illinois
, but not on a riverboat as had been claimed. He earned a degree in fine art
s from Indiana University
. He later associated with writers of the Beat Generation
in Greenwich Village
and San Francisco. He was a contemporary and friend of Jack Kerouac
and Allen Ginsberg
. In the 1960s, Joans had a house in Timbuktu
. He claimed to be a brother of Leroi Jones, despite the spelling difference, but this appears to be apocryphal.
Joans' painting Bird Lives hangs in the De Young Museum in San Francisco. He was also the originator of the "Bird Lives" legend and graffiti
in New York City
after the death of Charlie Parker
in March 1955. Joans invented the technique of outagraphy, in which the subject of a photograph is cut out of the image.
Joans died in Vancouver, British Columbia due to complications of diabetes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trumpeter, jazz poet
Jazz poetry
Jazz poetry is poetry that "demonstrates jazz-like rhythm or the feel of improvisation". During the 1920s, several poets began to eschew the conventions of rhythm and style; among these were Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, and E. E. Cummings...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Joans was born in Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, but not on a riverboat as had been claimed. He earned a degree in fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
s from Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
. He later associated with writers of the Beat Generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
and San Francisco. He was a contemporary and friend of Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
and Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
. In the 1960s, Joans had a house in Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
. He claimed to be a brother of Leroi Jones, despite the spelling difference, but this appears to be apocryphal.
Joans' painting Bird Lives hangs in the De Young Museum in San Francisco. He was also the originator of the "Bird Lives" legend and graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after the death of Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
in March 1955. Joans invented the technique of outagraphy, in which the subject of a photograph is cut out of the image.
Joans died in Vancouver, British Columbia due to complications of diabetes.
Published works
- Funky Jazz Poems (1959) Rhino Review, New York.
- Beat Poems (1959)
- All of T.J. and No More (1959)
- The Truth (1960)
- The Hipsters (1961)
- A Black Pow-Wow Of Jazz Poems (1969)
- Afrodisia (1970)
- Razzle Dazzle (1984)
- Teducation (1999)
- Our Thang (2001)
External links
- Ted Joans Lives! Tribute (huge)
- Ted Joans information, news, & resources
- Ted Joans & Laura Corsiglia official website
- bookseller specializing in Ted Joans books
- Ted Joans tribute at Milk
- Village Voice obituary
- Kerouac Alley - Ted Joans Bio and Directory
- Guide to the Ted Joans Papers at The Bancroft Library
- Ted Joans at Find-A-Grave
- "Bird and the Beats", by Ted Joans