Bio
Barry Wallenstein was born in New York City. He received his PhD in Literature and Modern Poetry from New York University in 1972. From 1965 until 2006 he taught literature and writing at the City College of New York where he founded the journal Poetry in Performance and the Poetry Outreach Center,[*] which in 2012 celebrated its 40th anniversary. His poems first appeared in 1964, and since then he has published nine collections. In the early 1970's he began collaborating with jazz artists in the performance and recording of his poetry, establishing long term relationships with renowned jazz musicians, including saxophonists Arthur Blythe and Charles Tyler, and pianist John Hicks. He currently performs in New York City with pianist Adam Birnbaum and the internationally known French horn artist Vincent Chancey. Barry continues to collaborate with musicians internationally. In recent years, he has worked with Serge Pesce in France, Massimo Cavalli in Portugal, and the band Drastic Dislocations in Switzerland. In 2012 he composed lyrics for 8 ballads by the saxophone artist and composer, Pepper Adams. He continues to work on lyrics for jazz composers.
Books
It’s About Time, New York Quarterly Books, 02.22
Tony’s Blues Éditions Pourquoi viens-tu si tard, 02/20
Time on the Move Xanadu Press 02.13.20
At the Surprise Hotel and Other Poems; Ridgeway Press, 2016
Drastic Dislocations: New and Selected Poems; New York Quarterly Books, 2012
Tony’s World, Birchbrook Press January 2010
The Tony Poems, Canada, Ottawa, Lyric Editions, 2001 [Illustrated by Chan Ky-Yut]
A Measure of Conduct, Ridgeway Press, 1999
The Short Life of the Five Minute Dancer, Ridgeway Press, May 1993.
Love and Crush, N.Y. Persea Books, 1991.
Roller Coaster Kid, N.Y.: T.Y. Crowell, l982.
Beast Is A Wolf With Brown Fire, Brockport, N.Y.: BOA Editions, l977.
Critical Study
Visions and Revisions: The Poets Practice, [edited with Bob Burr]
Broadview Press, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, 2002
Anthologies
For Enid with Love: A Festschrift, edited; New York
Quarterly Books, Nov. 2010
Years of Protest: A Collection of American Writings of the l930's, ed. with Jack Salzman. N.Y.: Pegasus, l967.
Recordings of Poetry
with Music:
Lisbon Sunset, [Sintoma Records]
What Was, Was, [Audioscope. 2015 LC 12366. Suisa]
Lucky These Days [Cadence Jazz Records CJR 1242; 2013]
I Carry Your Heart, Motema Records, 2012
Euphoria Ripens, Cadence Jazz Records CJR 1210, 2008
Pandemonium, Cadence Jazz Records CJR 1194, 2005
Tony's Blues, Cadence Jazz Records CJR 1124, 2001
In Case You Missed It, SkyBlue Records, CD # 106, poetry
with music, 1995
Taking Off, AK-BA Records, #l040, l982. [Reissued by Bleu Regard, France, CT 1950, 1995]
Beast Is, AK-BA Records, #l0200, 1978
